Netflix's Unicorn Store Trailer Gives Brie Larson And Samuel L. Jackson A New Mission

Netflix's Unicorn Store Trailer Gives Brie Larson And Samuel L. Jackson A New Mission

Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson clearly had a great time making Captain Marvel, and they are back for a very different movie in Unicorn Store. Larson not only stars in the comedy, she also directed and produced it. In the Netflix film -- which starts streaming April 5, the same day Shazam! hits theaters -- a woman named Kit receives a mysterious invitation that would fulfill her childhood dreams. Samuel L. Jackson's character, The Salesman, invites her to The Store, a place that sells "what you need." To Kit, that's a unicorn. Check out the trailer:

Unicorn Store kind of has a Willy Wonka/Stephen King's Needful Things vibe about it, at least from the trailer. It also stars Joan Cusack, Bradley Whitford, Karan Soni, Mamoudou Athie, Mary Holland, and Hamish Linklater.

Unicorn Store marks Brie Larson's feature film directorial debut. The comedy actually filmed in late 2016, before Captain Marvel, and screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017. It's probably getting a prominent release now on Netflix because of that soon-to-be-billion-dollar movie starring both Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson.

Brie Larson shot to worldwide fame as Captain Marvel, who is about to lead the MCU, but she got the role hot off her Best Actress Oscar for Room. And some of us have loved her since she played Toni Collette's troubled teen in the Showtime series United States of Tara. This Unicorn Store role as whimsical, immature, lost soul Kit seems like a great contrast to Larson's more serious strength as Carol Danvers in the hit Marvel movie. It'll be refreshing to see her in a comedy in the middle of her back-to-back MCU movies.

Of course, fans are already having fun cracking jokes about how this movie looks like Captain Marvel on drugs, and Thanos must've really messed with reality to put Carol Danvers and Nick Fury in this unicorn movie. There are also plenty of Goose jokes, wondering where the Flerken cat might be in this movie. 'Cause it's not a true teammup without the real hero.

Unicorn Store, written by Samantha McIntyre, currently has a 68% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but that's just from 19 reviews. Fans can judge the movie for themselves when it streams April 5. Here are more movies headed to Netflix in April, and don't forget all of the incredible movies headed to theaters in April, like another one starring Brie Larson called Avengers: Endgame.

The Huge Amount The Lion King Could Make In Its Opening Weekend

The Huge Amount The Lion King Could Make In Its Opening Weekend

The summer kicked off with a bang with Avengers: Endgame, currently the second highest-grossing movie of all time. Analysts and movie buffs are trying to find what the next big hit of the summer will be and all evidence is pointing toward The Lion King. The remake of the classic film is due to hit theaters in July and when it does, it will do so with a roar. Current projections for The Lion King have it opening to $201 million and a total domestic gross of $650 million.

Disney is no stranger to remaking the most iconic animated films in its library. It's found massive success in films like The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, both of which were one of the highest-grossing films of the respective years they were released. So, no one was surprised when The Lion King was called up to the plate, with Jon Favreau leading the charge with cutting-edge photo-realistic technology.

The Lion King is beloved by multiple generations and those fans will turn out big time when the remake arrives in theaters. According to BoxOfficePro, The Lion King could open within the range of $180-$230 million. If that happens, the 2019 Lion King would top Beauty and the Beast's $174 million as the biggest opening weekend of any Disney "live-action" remake.

There are multiple factors working in The Lion King's favor. First off, the reaction to the trailer for The Lion King has been well received. The first trailer received 225 million views in the first 24 hours, which was ranked second all-time among all studio releases at that time. For comparison, Beauty and the Beast's trailer scored 128 million in its first day.

Additionally, in a recent Fandango survey, the film ranked as the most anticipated summer family film, ahead of Toy Story 4, Aladdin, and The Secret Life of Pets 2.

The original Lion King was the second-highest grossing film of 1994 with $312.9 million. After adjusting for 2019 ticket prices, that number jumps to over $680 million -- not including the 2011 re-release that scored $94.2 million domestic. Accounting for inflation, it's the second highest original run by any animated release, behind only Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (over $700 million).

In short, people love The Lion King. The animated movie won two Oscars, a Golden Globe, and two Grammys, and it has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie checks a lot of boxes and appeals to a very wide audience. The 2019 Lion King is the last family friendly movie until November, so it has ample room to stretch its legs and build up a nice total.

The only real thing working against The Lion King, is that Disney has proven to not be bullet-proof with its remakes. Just earlier this year, Dumbo underperformed with $112 million domestic, while this weekend's Aladdin is still unclear.

However, it seems inevitable that The Lion King will reign supreme from Pride Rock when it releases on July 19, 2019.

Everything New Coming To Disney's Streaming Service, Disney +

Everything New Coming To Disney's Streaming Service, Disney +

Disney is planning their own streaming service to launch in November and along with the studio's massive back catalog of content, they're also planning a massive amount of new material as well. While we don't know every new thing that the service, called Disney+, will include, a lot of information has been revealed about the upcoming shows and movies.

With the huge list of valuable properties that Disney has at its disposal, the studio is in a position to disrupt the entire streaming marketplace in a single moment with everything they could potentially create here. Some of these projects have been confirmed by Disney, while others are simply reported by other sources, but regardless, here's everything that is confirmed, followed by everything that is rumored, coming to Disney+ starting in November.

Confirmed Projects

The Mandalorian

The first Star Wars series to go into production was being helmed by Iron Man director Jon Favreau and while we had no actual idea what he was working on for the longest time we now know that the series is called The Mandalorian. This would mean that our main character comes from a similar history as fan-favorite character Boba Fett. Casting on the series rann the gamut from Gina Carano to Carl Weathers so it's anybody's guess just what we have in store as far as characters and story. The show also has some major behind the camera muscle as episodes are set to be directed by the likes of Taika Waititi, Rick Famuyiwa, and Star Wars Rebels vet Dave Filoni. The show is confirmed to at least see the first episode release on day one of the service.

A Rogue One Prequel Series

Star Wars ideas were teased early on and we learned before long that Tha Mandalorian wasn't the only show being planned. We're also getting a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that will follow Diego Luna's character Cassian Andor in events that lead up to the film. Alan Tudyk will also reprise his role as the voice of K-2SO. All signs point to this series debuting in late 2020 or 2021.

The Clone Wars

Quite possibly the most exciting Star Wars related news for Disney+ isn't a brand new series or movie, but the return of a well-loved one. Star Wars: The Clone Wars was a six-season animated series that filled in the gaps of the events between Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The show ended without really reaching the end of the story it was trying to tell, which left many fans wanting more. Now, they'll finally get the end they've been waiting for.

Lady And The Tramp

One of the more interesting movie projects that Disney is planning is a Lady and the Tramp remake. While Disney has been doing really well with their remakes of classic animated films, Lady and the Tramp isn't the sort of film you'd expect to see get a major theatrical remake. The film will use the same life-like computer animated style of The Jungle Book. One of the potential benefits, with projects like this one, is that viewers could have the ability to watch the new remake, then jump over and watch the original, which is the sort of thing that could keep people glued to the new service.The movie will be released on day one.

Noelle

What's quite possibly the single most surprising report for a movie looking to debut on Disney's streaming service is Noelle, a Christmas movie starring Anna Kendrick. The reason this one is a shock is because, previously, this film had a theatrical release date for November 2019, but after being rumored to be making its way to Disney+, the company officially confirmed that during its recent Investor's Day. Officially, Noelle is slated for "shortly after launch" of Disney+ but with the launch set for November 12, and Noelle a Christmas movie, it should be a pretty short window between launch and this release. This might be literally the first thing added to the service after the day one content.

Monsters At Work

Another of the "actually confirmed by Disney" projects in development is a series based on Pixar's Monsters Inc. Disney has turned several of its successful animated films, like Tangled and Big Hero 6, into series, but this is the first time we've seen it happening with a Pixar property. The show will be called Monsters at Work and Billy Crystal and John Goodman will both be back to voice their characters of Mike and Sully from the films.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

Let's face it, it just wouldn't be Disney if it didn't have teenagers singing pop music. Following the success of the original High School Musical on the Disney Channel, Disney made a couple of sequels, including one that saw a theatrical release since the series was so popular. Since then, Disney has made several other musicals with up and coming pop sensations like Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers. Now, Disney goes back to the well with a new series based on High School Musical. The premise, and stay with me on this one, will see a new group of kids, from the "real" high school where the films were set, as they attempt to put on a staged performance of the original High School Musical. It gets pretty meta, but it also means that new versions of the popular songs from the original will have a place.

A Loki Series

Tom Hiddleston's Loki may be well and truly dead in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that doesn't mean the actor or the character are quite done yet. Bob Iger confirmed during a Walt Disney Company earnings call last year that a series about the trickster god, and starring the man who made him famous, TGom Hiddleston, was coming to Disney+. One assumes it will be some sort of prequel series, but we're still waiting for those details, and it's always possible that Avengers:Endgame could change the situation for the character in a big way ahead of the series.

WandaVision

Marvel has had nearly as much success on the small screen for Disney as they have on the big one, so it's little surprise that other Marvel series are reportedly planned for Disney+. A series focusing on Scarlet Witch and Vision, had been previously rumored as being bound for Disney+, and the recent Investor's Day event officially confirmed that it is, in fact, on the way. The show will be called WandaVision and both Elizabeth Olson and Paul Bettany are confirmed to reprise their roles from the MCU.

Falcon & Winter Soldier

One additional Marvel series that had been rumored and has now been confirmed, is a team-up with The Winter Soldier and the Falcon. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan will reprise their MCU roles for the new series. Kevin Feige says the pair will be "forced" to team up in the new series, implying that neither character will be fully on board with the idea. It sounds like this project will be a bit down the road, but no release date was announced.

Marvel's What If?

Marvel's What If? is a long running comic title that images what would happen if both minor and major changes took place in the Marvel universe. That idea will now be making its way to Disney+ as a new animated anthology series, but this one will be focused on creating "what if" scenarios specifically for the MCU. The first episode will examine what could have happened if Peggy Carter had become the super solder, and Steve Rogers had instead joined World War II inside an armored suit built by Howard Stark. MCU cast members will be adding their voices to the new series as well.

Togo

You might remember the animated movie Balto from many years ago, which was based on the sled dog that led the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome which brought much needed Diptheria medicine to Nome, Alaska. Togo is the name of the sled dog that led the team that ran the leg prior to Balto, the longest leg run by any team during the race. This project looks to be a live-action movie that will focus on Togo and Leonhard Seppala, the human driver of the sled dog team. Disney is good at making inspirational stories, and this looks to be right in their ballpark.

Stargirl

While Stargirl sounds like a science fiction story, it's actually a very grounded YA drama about a girl transitioning from homeschooling to high school who is at first embraced for differences before shunned for being so unusual. The book has been in development hell since almost back when it was written in 2000, but Disney reportedly cast the two leads, some time ago and has now officially confirmed the project is happening.

Timmy Failure

Timmy Failure is a children's book which focuses on an 11-year-old boy who fancies himself a great detective. The project is being co-written by the book's author Stephan Pastis and Spotlight director Tom McCarthy, who recently handled rewrites on another Disney project, the live-action Winnie the Pooh movie Christopher Robin. This was another project that had been rumored for Disney+ a while ago, but was only recently confirmed by the studio at the Investor's Day event.

The Imagineering Story

Clearly, there will be a lot of Disney magic all over Disney+, but for those who'd like a look behind the scenes at just how Disney magic is made, there will be a documentary series that goes behind-the-scenes at Wat Disney Imagineering, the division that's responsible for creating everything that makes a Disney theme park feel like you've stepped into another world. The show promises to give viewers a look at things that have never been seen by the general public before, which will make it a must watch for the average Disney fanatic, which is sure to be the core audience of Disney+ when it launches on day one of the new service.

The World According to Jeff Goldblum

Along with the acquisition of Fox, Disney purchased National Geographic, and along with that comes a vast array of existing content. However two new series original to Disney+ will also be available. The World According to Jeff Goldblum will follow the famous actor as he investigates mundane and everyday items and "pulls back the curtain" to reveal the fascinating science and history behind them. This one sounds like a lot of fun, made all the more fun by including Jeff Goldblum.

Magic Of The Animal Kingdom

The second original Disney+ series from National Geographic may mark the first major collaboration between Nat Geo and its new Disney overlords. Magic of the Animal Kingdom will take viewers behind the scenes of Disney's Animal Kingdom and Epcot's Sea Base Aquarium, following the vets, biologists, and others who use the theme park as a location for learning more about animals. For fans of Disney theme parks, or of animals, and especially if you love both, this promises to be a very special series.

Rumored Projects

A New Muppets Project

The Muppets have had a rough go of late. They came back strong with a 2011 movie, but that was followed by a lackluster Muppets Most Wanted sequel, and while I personally thought The Muppets TV series was mostly pretty good, it failed to connect with audiences and didn't last beyond one season. It looks like they're going to be given another shot, though, as the word is that a new series, that will co-star Josh Gad and follow the events of Muppets Take Manhattan is being developed for Disney+.

The Paper Magician

The Paper Magician is the first in a fantasy book trilogy written by Charlie N. Holmberg that Disney picked up the rights to in March of 2016. It looks like the plan for the first film, and one assumes the rest of the trilogy, is to see a release via streaming service rather than theatrical release. Since the project was announced prior to Disney's streaming service being a known entity, it was assumed that this was going to be a theatrical release. Officially, this one is still in limbo as it has not been confirmed by Disney that this is Disney+ bound.

Magic Camp

Magic Camp is an interesting one because the film sat on Disney's theatrical release slate for quite some time, all while essentially nothing seemed to be happening with it. Then, the project was pulled from the theatrical calendar with just as much fanfare as we'd had before -- none. Now, it appears the reason for the switch is that the film is going to be moved to debut online instead of on the big screen. The movie stars Adam Devine and Gillian Jacobs, so we know it's a comedy, and the movie appears to have been completed for some time, but it looks like it'll be at least a year before anybody actually sees it. Considering how old this project is, we would have expected official confirmation by now, but that hasn't happened.

The Sword in the Stone

One of Disney's live-action remakes that we did know was on the way was the remake of The Sword in the Stone. In fact, we only recently learned that the movie was talking to a director in 28 Weeks Later 's Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. It appears now that the plan is for that particular remake to be an original production for the streaming service rather than the big screen. With the writer of the project being a Game of Thrones vet, perhaps the feeling was that the final product would fit better on TV. This would does seem to be moving forward, but it's still lacking confirmation.

The Mighty Ducks Series

Another potential TV project in the works is one based on the Mighty Ducks film series. What's more, the original screenwriter of the films is attached to write it. It's not clear if the plan is to reboot the franchise fresh and make a series that more or less follows the premise of the film(s), or if the plan will be to make the series a sequel which picks up after the films. Perhaps with one of the now adult Ducks taking the role as coach of the team? It feels like a premise like that could both attract fans of the films as well as those new to the franchise.

Don Quixote

The writer of The Hunger Games and Captain Philips, Billy Ray, has a script for an adaptation of Don Quixote which Disney picked up in 2016. It appears they see the feature as a Pirates of the Caribbean-like action adventure and they're eyeing the streaming service for the film. Considering Terry Gilliam's Don Quixote project finally saw the light of day, perhaps that's a good sign for this one. Clearly, the two projects will take the same material in very different directions.

Three Men And A Baby

Of all the reboots that the Disney streaming service is planning, one of the oddest that has been reported is a remake of Three Men and a Baby. The original was technically a Disney project, though it was produced through Touchstone, the studio Disney started to do more "adult" movies, and starred Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson as three men who find themselves raising an infant. One hopes that a sequel won't find quite as much novelty in the mere concept of men raising kids, but if not, what exactly would this movie be about?

More Star Wars Series

While two Star Wars series have been confirmed, a host more have been rumored. One potential series could focus on Finn and Poe Dameron, the characters played by John Boyega and Oscar Isaac in the current Star Wars trilogy. Two other series could see a pair of characters from Solo: A Star Wars Story get their own shows. Both Emilia Clarke's Qi'ra and Donald Glover's Lando Calrissian could get shows of their own if rumors are accurate. In addition, it's possible that the long rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi movie might actually become a series for Disney+. All of these are only rumors, but considering how many Marvel series are happening, it's entirely possible all of these could be real as well.

Hawkeye

While several of the rumored Marvel series for Disney+ have been confirmed, one that was not mentioned by Disney at the recent big event was a rumored series that would focus on Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye. Allegedly, the new show would see Clint Barton pass on the Hawkeye mantle to a new character. Since the other Marvel rumors turned out to be true, this one may be as well, but it maybe so far out that Disney doesn't want to confirm it yet.

Jordan Peele Says Us Has Enough Fun For Non-Horror Fans

Jordan Peele Says Us Has Enough Fun For Non-Horror Fans

The horror genre has been in a renaissance the past few years, as filmmakers bring new and exciting concepts to the silver screen, and scare the crap out of moviegoers in the process. Rather than stale franchises and torture porn, the genre is thriving thanks to the unique perspective of its contributors. And there's no one quite on top of the game like Jordan Peele.

Jordan Peele made his directorial debut with 2017's Get Out, which he also wrote and produced. The film was a massive critical and financial success, and Peele even earned an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. All eyes were on what would be his follow-up, and this weekend Us finally arrives in theaters. Us has been teased to be much scarier than Get Out, but Peele thinks that the movie is still accessible for moviegoers who aren't necessarily horror buffs. As he tells it,

I think this is a scarier movie than Get Out, but I'm being told that people who don't like horror movies still like this movie. I think the fun outweighs the scary.

While Us has been promised to be a terrifying time in the theater, Jordan Peele seems to think that non-horror fans will still enjoy the project. Namely, because there's still moments of fun in the movie that will outweigh the various jump scares and atmospheric tension.

Jordan Peele's comments to E! Online may give some cinephiles a sense of relief. The hype around Us has been significant, and the movie is already a critical darling. The reviews tease just how terrifying the horror movie is, which may scare off moviegoers who don't typically shell out cash to watch a movie while hiding behind their hands.

Smart money says that Jordan Peele includes moments of levity and fun throughout the course of Us (at least before the chaos begins). Get Out certainly let the director use his comedy roots during the film's first two acts, as things around Daniel Kaluuya's Chris began getting gradually more bizarre. It only seems logical that Us would do the same, especially as Peele teases the fun aspect of his sophomore film.

It should also be interesting to see what message Jordan Peele ultimately shares with Us, as his projects usually have deep connections to the real world. Get Out was a social commentary about race in a post-Obama world, while Us' message is still a bit more mysterious ahead of the film's release.

Jordan Peele took the concept of a doppelganger family from his childhood fears, and the movie has been teased to be a parable about self-destruction. But I've got a feeling the director has some more tricks up his sleeve for the highly anticipated horror flick.

Us is in theaters March 22nd. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Robert Downey Jr. Made The Sweetest Script Change In Avengers: Endgame

Robert Downey Jr. Made The Sweetest Script Change In Avengers: Endgame

Spoiler Warning: This article contains some spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. Enter at your own risk!

There are plenty of memorable lines in the MCU that fans love to quote, and Avengers: Endgame definitely makes some contributions to the list. The one that might go down as the most memorable, however, is "I love you 3000," which sent fans reaching for their tissues. Well, you better grab some more because it was Robert Downey Jr. who added the line, and its origins are incredibly sweet.

Okay, it's time for the unavoidable spoiler. In Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark has a daughter with Pepper Potts named Morgan Stark. The little five-year-old is maybe the most precious thing in the movie, and she serves as a major influence on Tony's arc in Endgame.

During one scene between the father and daughter early on in the film, Morgan tells Tony "I love you 3000." It's super cute and it turns out that the line was actually one of Downey's. According to co-writer Christopher Markus, RDJ added the line because it's something that his real-life children actually say to him.

Well, as much as we'd like to take credit for what is inevitably going to be one of the most memorable lines in MCU history, that is something that Robert and his children actually say to each other. He brought it from real life onto the set.

Markus told Fandango that the line was partly Robert Downey Jr.'s based on his relationship with his children. The original line was supposed to be "I love you tons." That makes the moment in the film all the sweeter and it probably helped Downey a little bit with his performance, too.

That makes the line a little more touching, too, because it's ultimately the very last line that Tony Stark says in the movie. As a father and as the guy who helped start the whole MCU, it must have been a nice moment for Downey.

Only time will tell if "I love you 3000" goes down in MCU history as the greatest line, but Endgame has lots of other memorable lines as well. Whether it's Thanos giving another menacing monologue or Captain America's "whatever it takes" (and "America's ass"), MCU fans have lots of options when it comes to quotes to say forever.

Seeing as how the film is about to pass $2 billion in only its second week in theaters, you've probably already seen it. In case you haven't, Avengers: Endgame is in theaters right now and you better see it today because the spoiler ban apparently ends tomorrow. If you've already seen Marvel's epic blockbuster, you don't have to wait too long for more films to hit theaters. Check out our 2019 movie release guide for everything that's coming down the pipeline.

John Wick: Chapter 4 Just Got Some Major Opening Weekend Competition

John Wick: Chapter 4 Just Got Some Major Opening Weekend Competition

After only a week at the box office, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum has already surpassed the earnings of the first film’s entire theatrical run. It was also the first film to dethrone Avengers: Endgame for the #1 weekend rank after almost a month. So it wasn’t a huge surprise when it was announced Keanu Reeves would soon be returning for a fourth chapter in 2021.

But John Wick 4 may now need to watch its back because Taika Waititi’s live-action Akira movie has just nabbed the same release date for May 21, 2021. The long-awaited manga adaptation helmed by the Thor: Ragnarok director could certainly be hefty competition for the assassin, considering how beloved Katsuhiro Otomo’s cyberpunk series is to fans.

Warner Bros announced the release date on Friday, per THR, mere days after pushing DC Super Pets away from that date to May 22, 2022. While Super Pets and John Wick 4 target two different audiences, but Akira runs over Wick’s violent action elements, placing them in direct competition.

Taika Waititi’s upcoming project is a story set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo about a teenage boy named Tetsuo who obtains terrifying and dangerous psychic powers. His childhood friend Kaneda must rise up with his bike gang to stop his threats to the world. It was previously adapted into an anime film in 1988, which had a huge influence on the genre’s appeal to American culture.

Since Taika Waititi revitalized the Thor franchise with Ragnarok in 2017, and has since climbed up among Marvel fans’ favorites in the MCU (CinemaBlend readers ranked it #5), there will be high anticipation regarding this project. The director has said the film had a huge impact on his own life, but he will be drawing heavily from the source material for his version of Akira.

While many Hollywood manga adaptations have gained flack for white-washing their characters, Taika Waititi has said he will be aiming to hire Asian actors in the roles -- likely unknown untapped young talents. Marco Ramirez -- who has penned episodes for Sons of Anarchy, Daredevil, The Defenders, and The Twilight Zone reboot -- is reportedly writing the script, with Leonardo DiCaprio as a producer.

Taika Waititi has been attached to the project for two years, though he’s been busy working on his dramady Jojo Rabbit, coming in October and on the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. Now with his schedule clearing up a bit, he’ll need to make room for Akira to get ready for its release two years from now.

Warner Bros has been trying to make a live-action Akira for over a decade, once with Garrett Hedlund attached to a version back in 2012 before it was dropped. Considering the film now has a release date and a promising director attached, the film looks to be moving swiftly forward toward that 2021 release date next to John Wick 4.

Why Dumbo Should Have Been A Sequel Instead Of A Remake

Why Dumbo Should Have Been A Sequel Instead Of A Remake

The following contains SPOILERS for the new live action Dumbo.

Dumbo won the box office this past weekend, but it did so with less than impressive numbers. The movie performed similarly with critics. The film has received slightly more negative reviews than positive ones, but critics are split almost in half. Either way, most positive reviews aren't glowing and most negative ones aren't too damning. As one of those who had a slightly positive view of Dumbo, I liked so many aspects of it that I wish it was better, and I think it could have been if it had followed its true calling and just been a straight sequel rather than a remake.

If you've seen Dumbo, then you know that most of the movie is essentially a sequel already. The events that cover the story of the original animated Dumbo get dispensed with in less than 30 minutes. Considering that the original movie did it in only slightly more than double that time, it makes sense not to waste too much time with it. Once Dumbo is discovered to be a flying elephant, the animated film ends, but that's just the end of Act I for the new movie.

The stuff that's worthy of praise in Dumbo almost exclusively comes from the latter two-thirds of the movie. You get the utterly insane "Evil Walt Disney" villain played by Michael Keaton. You get Eva Green, who is awesome because she's Eva Green. You get Tim Burton's take on "Pink Elephants on Parade," which is a thing I didn't even know I cared about. You get Colin Farrell being "adorable dad," which is his perfect position in Disney movies.

The biggest problem that Dumbo has is that it has trouble letting all of these ideas breathe because it has to dedicate a significant portion of its run time to the original story of Dumbo.

This is pretty much unnecessary and could have been overcome quite easily. The fact is that while Dumbo is certainly a story we all know, unless you've seen the film recently, odds are all you really remember about it is, "There's an elephant that can fly." That's actually all you need to know. If you do remember more, you certainly don't need to see it again.

Imagine if the new Dumbo opened exactly as it did, with Colin Farrell's Holt Farrier coming back from war, only this time, instead of Danny DeVito's Max Medici putting him in charge of the elephants before Dumbo is born, Medici tells Farrier that he's really happy Farrier is back, because the circus has a new star that needs to be taken care of, and Farrier is just the man to trust with the job. Dumbo flew for the crowd for the first time last night and word has already begun to spread. That's all we really need to know. Any additional info can be conveyed through dialogue with the other circus performers.

We didn't need to see anything of the original plot in this movie. I have no particular love for the original Dumbo, but there isn't anything I think the new version did better. The "Baby Mine" sequence is an emotional moment in the animated film, but it felt like it was being included in the remake simply because it was the sort of things fan expected. It was tacked on.

Now the movie can jump straight into the new material. The 20 minutes we just saved can be used to dig a little deeper into the rest of the story. We could get to know some of these characters a little better, as that was one of the big things missing from this new version of the story. Farrier's kids are important parts of Dumbo's life, but beyond, "Milly likes science," what do we really know about them?

I had a similar problem back when I first saw Disney's Maleficent. The film surprised the hell out of me by turning the story of the mistress of all evil into a rape revenge story. Needless to say, I did not see that coming. I found both the beginning and end of the movie to be quite good, but in the middle the story of Maleficent took a back seat because we had to tell the story of Sleeping Beauty, because clearly the feeling was it needed to happen. This slowed the movie to a crawl.

The idea behind these remakes is that people love these classic Disney stories, and the live-action versions allow fans to experience them in new ways that honestly weren't possible until recently. While that may be true, what if we looked at it from another angle? Because these stories are so well loved, we don't need to see them again since we know them incredibly well. However, that doesn't mean we don't need to want to see the characters again.

Because we don't need to see these movies again, but we love the characters all the same, sequels are the way to go. Take the animated original as a given, and then come up with a live action sequel that will give us something fresh and new. It won't work with every Disney property, of course. A live-action sequel to Aladdin rather than the remake we're getting would have to include somebody trying to recreate Robin Williams version of that character, and nobody wants that. But if even just a few of these movies went the sequel route, it would at least change things up a bit and let the remakes feel a bit fresher when they did happen.

Of all the live-action fairy tale movies that Disney is releasing this year, I'm actually looking forward to Maleficent: Mistress of Evil above them all. Because the film is a sequel to a movie that never had a Disney animated sequel, the story will almost certainly be entirely original. It's not going to feel like it owes anybody anything and won't need to include scenes that fans want to see new versions of, but will instead just get to tell its own story. i can only hope it's willing to take some of the same risks the previous film did.

Dumbo would have benefited greatly by simply committing to being the sequel it largely was anyway. Trying to be both things in order to make fans happy only prevented the film from being its own thing and flying on its own.