--- description: Elephants really do fly title: Tim Burton is Directing a Live-Action Dumbo Remake image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde503ee471153633/69878307e20a87cc9ba85813/tim-burton.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Tim Burton Is Directing a Live-Action _Dumbo_ Remake by [Rachel Janik](/author/rachel-janik/) ## Rachel Janik Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 10, 2015 8:16 PM CUT  Tim Burton at the Museum of Modern Art on Dec. 15, 2014 in New York City. Tim Burton at the Museum of Modern Art on Dec. 15, 2014 in New York City.Brad Barket—2014 Getty Images by [Rachel Janik](/author/rachel-janik/) ## Rachel Janik Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 10, 2015 8:16 PM CUT Tim Burton will [direct a live-action version of Disney’s _Dumbo_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tim-burton-direct-live-action-780397?utm%5Fsource=Sailthru&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=hollywoodreporter%5Fbreakingnews&utm%5Fcampaign=THR%20Breaking%20News%5Fnow%5F2015-03-10%2011%3A24%3A10%5Fehayden "undefined"), the latest in a long line of remakes of classic animated films. The movie is still under development and the studio hasn’t yet offered a release date. This remake of the 1941 classic about a circus elephant separated from his mother and tormented for his large ears will use some mix of computer-generated effects and live actors. Burton helped start the live-action trend with 2010’s successful _Alice in Wonderland_. Since then, Disney has revamped titles like _Cinderella,_ which hits theaters this Friday, _The Jungle Book_, and [_Beauty and the Beast_](http://www.time.com/3732813/dan-stevens-emma-watson-beauty-and-the-beast/ "undefined"), starring Emma Watson, for release in 2017. The script for _Dumbo_ has reportedly expanded on the story, with changes including the addition of a human family. “It’s a big world,” Disney’s president of production Sean Bailey said. It’s a solid bet that some more dated elements of the film will be absent from the modern remake: Odds are the racially offensive, [jive-talking crows](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5Fv2exWrsGOc "undefined") (with a leader named, naturally, Jim Crow) didn’t make the cut. \[[_The Hollywood Reporter_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tim-burton-direct-live-action-780397?utm%5Fsource=Sailthru&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=hollywoodreporter%5Fbreakingnews&utm%5Fcampaign=THR%20Breaking%20News%5Fnow%5F2015-03-10%2011%3A24%3A10%5Fehayden "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3739402/tim-burton-dumbo-remake/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3739402/tim-burton-dumbo-remake/"},"headline":"Tim Burton Is Directing a Live-Action Dumbo Remake","datePublished":"2015-03-10T20:16:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T05:03:21.390Z","description":"Elephants really do fly","url":"https://time.com/3739402/tim-burton-dumbo-remake/","keywords":["movies","Disney","tim burton"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde503ee471153633/69878307e20a87cc9ba85813/tim-burton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rachel Janik","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rachel-janik/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde503ee471153633/69878307e20a87cc9ba85813/tim-burton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Tim Burton","caption":"Tim Burton at the Museum of Modern Art on Dec. 15, 2014 in New York City.","creditText":"Brad Barket—2014 Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3739402/tim-burton-dumbo-remake/","name":"Tim Burton Is Directing a Live-Action Dumbo Remake"}}]}] ```