Tim Burton Directing a Live-Action DUMBO For Disney

Yes, you read that headline correctly, and no, this isn't some sort of Onion-style satire piece. According to The Wall Street Journal, director Tim Burton will direct Disney's live-action version of Dumbo, the story of an elephant with ears so big he can fly.

The film is expected to be a mixture of computer generated effects and live actors, although details on the project are still scarce at this early stage of development. [Disney's President of Production Sean] Bailey would only say of the plans for a new “Dumbo” story that “It’s a big world,” indicating that the story will be broader than the original tale of a circus elephant with large ears who learns to fly.

Disney is obviously mining its library of animated classics in an attempt to make a lot of money by retelling those stories in live action, but I must admit that I'm shocked to see Dumbo come up so quickly as an option. I was certain that Aladdin - which has, you know, ACTUAL HUMAN PROTAGONISTS - would be first up following the upcoming Cinderella and the development of Emma Watson's Beauty and the Beast.

One of the things I remember more than anything else about Dumbo (I haven't seen that film since childhood) is that it was profoundly sad - the separation of Dumbo from his mother was awful to watch as a kid. Burton can play with audiences' emotions when the production design doesn't get in the way, so I suppose he's a logical choice to direct this project. Now it's only a matter of time before we hear the news that Johnny Depp will play Dumbo and Helena Bonham Carter will play Dumbo's mother.