First Look At Kristen Stewart And The New Charlie's Angels Cast On Set

First Look At Kristen Stewart And The New Charlie's Angels Cast On Set

From Farrah Fawcett to Cheryl Ladd to the trio of Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz, a host of famous actresses have played Charlie’s Angels over the years and later in 2019, three new names join their ranks. Naomi Scott, Kristen Stewart and Ella Balinska star as the titular Angels in Elizabeth Banks’ Charlie’s Angels reboot and we now have our first look at the new Angels cast on set. Check it out:

The more I see images like this the more I’m convinced that spy movies are really the best possible type of movie to work on because of all the beautiful, historic and exotic places around the world you get to film in. Here we see the three new Angels, Naomi Scott’s Elena Houghlin, Kristen Stewart’s Sabina Wilson and Ella Balinska’s Jane Kano, alongside director Elizabeth Banks, who also plays Bosley in the film.

These three are dressed to impress and are standing outside the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul. The architectural marvel is exactly the kind of locale you would expect to see in a movie like this and whether they actually filmed inside it or not, it definitely evokes some Dan Brown-esque intrigue.

The next image shows Kristen Stewart’s Sabina dressing up and doing some classic Charlie’s Angels infiltration work. Take a look:

In Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, we saw the Angels in a motocross race. In the new reboot, Kristen Stewart’s character will be entering the sport of kings. The Angels’ skills are many and although the other jockeys look suspicious of her, she probably has a mission far more important than winning a race.

This next image shows future Jasmine, Naomi Scott’s character disguised as a photojournalist.

Given the fancy hat, Elena may also be at the racetrack to investigate something or witness something that is expected to happen there. Whatever it is, it may not go down as planned based on this next photo.

Here the Angels are all together and spying on someone or something. Given Kristen Stewart’s gloves in this image and Naomi Scott’s green outfit, I would guess this may follow the jockey scene in the film. If that’s the case, something is clearly going down.

Fortunately, whatever happens, the Angels should be well equipped to deal with it.

This is a cool image that shows Elizabeth Banks and Kristen Stewart on some sort of Charlie’s Angels headquarters set. Like all good spys and superheroes, the characters in Charlie’s Angels have a bunch of great tech and gadgets at their disposal. A drone, knives, watches, jewelry, nail polish and are those Altoids tins? If so I’m guessing they do a lot more than just freshen breath.

In addition to the actresses playing the three Angels, Charlie’s Angels also boasts a cast that includes Djimon Hounsou, Sam Clafin, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Tucker and Noah Centineo, the latter of whom can be seen in a new photo below.

Noah Centineo broke out on Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and is in talks to play He-Man in Masters of the Universe. His Langston is expected to be one of the Angels’ love interests in Charlie’s Angels and based on this image, that Angel may be Ella Balinska’s Jane.

Although we’ve heard that this reboot will be more grounded than the previous films, these images give off a brightly-colored vibe that indicates that Elizabeth Banks’ Charlie’s Angels will still be a fun, comedic spy movie versus something darker and more serious. Now that we’ve finally seen some images from the set of the film, hopefully a look at these new Angels in action as part of a trailer isn’t too far behind.

Charlie’s Angels will see the Townsend Agency as an international organization, with Angels and Bosleys all around the world. When a whistleblower reveals dangerous technology, the Angels are called in to deal with it.

Charlie’s Angels hits theaters on November 15. You can see everything headed your way this year in our 2019 Release Schedule.

X-Men's Dark Phoenix Just Had To Join The Black Hole Meme Trend

X-Men's Dark Phoenix Just Had To Join The Black Hole Meme Trend

Early this morning, an international group of scientists called The Event Horizon Telescope, using telescopes around the world, released the very first image of a black hole. The fascinating picture immediately inspired countless memes with comparisons to the Eye of Sauron seemingly taking the top spot. Another awe-inspiring celestial power will take center stage in this summer’s Dark Phoenix, and the folks behind the X-Men movie couldn’t help but get in on the black hole meme trend. Take a look:

How ominous. So it’s either the Eye of Sauron looking down upon us with cruelty, malice and the will to dominate, or Jean Grey, corrupted and transformed into the Dark Phoenix, on her way to cleanse the universe extinguishing life as we know it. If this first image of a black hole weren’t such a momentous and historical scientific achievement, it could be downright foreboding!

Jean Grey is indeed getting closer… to our theater screens as a fiery image of a black hole, the very first, dominates computer screens and social media. You have to give it to the X-Men Movies Twitter account too; corporate social media accounts often try a bit too hard to seem relevant with the topics of the day, but pairing the Phoenix Force with a mesmerizing and mysterious celestial object such as a black hole is completely appropriate.

The image of the black hole at the center of the Messier 87 galaxy, some 53.49 million light years away, looks like a ring on fire as all the light is sucked in to the center (and into Murph’s bedroom in Interstellar?) and the gases and other material drawn to it around the event horizon give off a blazing glow. That fiery glow definitely fits with the Phoenix Force, and if you didn’t know any better, you might think that this image was that all-powerful cosmic entity.

Beyond the aesthetic similarities, the comparison is apt because both black holes and the Phoenix are incredibly destructive forces; extra-terrestrial, mysterious, inescapable and frightening to behold. Black holes are forces of nature as is the Phoenix, which will make Jean Grey in Dark Phoenix a power unlike any the X-Men have faced before, except of course that one time in X-Men: The Last Stand.

Fortunately this time around, Jean Grey’s Phoenix powers will actually come from space. Although Dark Phoenix definitely doesn’t appear to be hewing particularly close to the beloved and iconic comics arc, it will put all of the attention on the Phoenix story as opposed to The Last Stand where it was only one element of the story. Dark Phoenix will see the mutants going to space and Jean Grey will be changed because of it.

Dark Phoenix arrives in this solar system and presumably ends this iteration of the X-Men on June 7. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of when this and all of this year’s biggest movies are hitting theaters.

Avengers: Endgame Already Passed A Major Box Office Milestone Overseas

Avengers: Endgame Already Passed A Major Box Office Milestone Overseas

After a full year of waiting, Avengers: Endgame is finally in theaters and, to very little surprise, the film is doing extremely well at the box office. Marvel's epic blockbuster was the biggest pre-seller ever in Fandango history, and it's already had the best opening day ever domestically. However, the film opened on Wednesday in China, and it's racing toward an unprecedented $324 million opening weekend.

Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of 11 years of films, and fans around the world are packing into theaters to see how the Avengers resolve the cliffhanger ending of Avengers: Infinity War. Domestically, the blockbuster is killing it right now. The film made more than $150 million opening day, including $60 million from Thursday previews.

Endgame is currently projected to make over $300 million when the North American weekend closes -- which is INSANE -- but China's forecast is just as high. Marvel's big finale opened in China two days earlier than the domestic premiere, so it had a bit of a head start going into the weekend.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Endgame cruised at record speed to finish Friday in the range of $210 million to $220 million. On opening night, the film earned $107.2 million, smashing China's all-time single-day record. The previous title holder was a Chinese blockbuster called Monster Hunt 2 at $85 million.

But that's not all. It was originally projected that Endgame would take home around $270 million during it's five-day opening in China. However, now analysts have raised the bar and believe that the film could bow to $324 million, spurred by terrific word of mouth.

To put that into perspective, Endgame has made almost as much money during its opening weekend as the entire runs of the top three movies of the country. The other three films are The Fate of the Furious ($392.8 million), Furious 7 ($390.9 million) and last year's Avengers: Infinity War ($359.5 million).

Endgame is poised to defeat each one of those movies, and the only real question is by how much? Analysts predict that the movie will gross as much as $521 million in China over the course of its full run. This would make Endgame the very first Hollywood movie to gross over half a billion dollars in a single market outside of North America.

Again, that's INSANE.

So, combined with a projected $300 million domestic debut, Endgame could wrap up the weekend with as much as $950 million worldwide. The film is also poised to become the first ever movie to launch with $1 billion.

Well, it looks like everyone in the world is seeing Avengers: Endgame this weekend, so I imagine that you are too! Come back to CinemaBlend after you see the film to check out all the questions we have about the movie. And be sure to report back here tomorrow (Sunday, April 28) to read our full weekend box office rundown.

Avengers: Endgame Will Have Different Tone Than Infinity War, Despite Being Filmed Concurrently

Avengers: Endgame Will Have Different Tone Than Infinity War, Despite Being Filmed Concurrently

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in perhaps the most exciting time in its ten year life. Three Phases of movies will come to a head when Avengers: Endgame arrives in a month, and the stakes couldn't be higher. The Russo Brothers will follow up with the surviving heroes after the harrowing events of Infinity War, which saw Thanos succeed in his quest and wipe out half the galaxy with the snap of a finger. It's a brand new world, and according to the Russos, the blockbuster will have a wholly unique tone.

With Captain Marvel in the rear view and only a month left until Avengers: Endgame finally arrives in theaters, the Russo Brothers can finally start getting chatty about the film's contents. While obviously still keeping their cards close the chest, the brief trailers and occasional statements are enough to keep the fans satiated for this final stretch. Joe Russo recently spoke to the big differences between Endgame and its predecessor, saying:

I will say that the movie is definitely unique in tone. It has its own spirit that’s different than Infinity War, which is why I was keen for us to separate the movies. Of course, we’re handing off narratives and it’s been serialized over 22 movies. But, it’s different tonally than Infinity War and it is told from a different point of view. It was important for us in our minds as film directors to separate those two because we do not want to make the same movie twice, and ways that you can differentiate films are through tone and point of view.

Now this is exciting. Because while Infinity War and Endgame were filmed largely simultaneously, it looks like the duo of directors were careful to give each movie its own respective tone. The first movie was a massive ensemble project that followed Thanos as the protagonist, while the sequel appears to be focused on the survivors of The Decimation, and the bleak world they inhabit.

Joe Russo's comments to Box Office Pro further show how methodically he and his brother Anthony approached their pair of Avengers movies. It's this attention to detail and artistic vision that allowed the directors to balance such a huge mass of characters, and craft Infinity War into a project that exceeded expectations.

The tone Joe Russo referenced is something very obvious in the Avengers: Endgame trailers, so moviegoers should already see where the blockbuster is going. Things look decidedly dark, as the galaxy is left to pick up the pieces after half of all life perished. And with all of the OG Avengers still alive and well, smart money says there will be a great focus on the likes of Iron Man, Black Widow, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, And Hawkeye/Ronin.

All will be revealed when Avengers: Endgame arrives in April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Standout Moments From Beyoncé’s Homecoming Doc We’re Crazy In Love With

Standout Moments From Beyoncé’s Homecoming Doc We’re Crazy In Love With

As Netflix has grown in popularity over the years, the streaming service has been getting in formation with all kinds of exclusive content to keep us on the couch, whether it’s award-winning films and TV such as Roma and Black Mirror, Noah Centineo-led rom-coms or reality television such as Queer Eye. The scrolling potential is endless and it can often be a mess to sift through. But every once in a while, the streaming giant delivers us an unforgettable gift, and this time it’s from pop superstar/angel Beyoncé.

Whether you were one of the lucky fans in the crowd of Queen Bey’s Coachella epic last year, caught the YouTube livestream broadcast or vaguely heard about the event after the fact, all the buzz surrounding it makes it one of the few concert experiences that begs to be immortalized.  Beyoncé transformed music festival expectations by turning what could have been a simple concert set into a mighty showcase of an icon’s 22-year career. Homecoming allows Netflix users to relive the event and look behind the scenes into just how the vocalist pulled it off.

The documentary is packed with memorable moments that make it spectacular, and it’s time to unbox the highlights to the left, to the left:

Her Regal Entrance

With the pound of a drumbeat, Beyoncé makes a powerful entrance to the Coachella main stage dressed in a Nefertiti-style get up, stunning the eyes on her and commanding her acclaimed status as a queen. The powerful introduction sets the stage for the caliber of performance we’re about to see as a giant pyramid full of 200 performers (including dancers and a “university” orchestra) are unveiled at center stage.

Beyoncé makes a second grand entrance at the top of the pyramid after the band hypes her up, and the crowd’s response is unlike any other. They are yelling “Beychella” before the phrase is even announced as a new iteration of “Crazy In Love” starts to play.

It’s quite the sight to behold as the singer delivers some near-perfect vocals, while dropping moves with her army of dancers. As the cinematography flips between Beyoncé in her first and second weekend performance and the amazed crowd, it’s clear the concert was orchestrated with a cinematic experience in mind all along.

Homecoming’s Concept

In between the concert, Homecoming also takes it back to the rehearsal stages of the performance, which was a massive, almost year-long undertaking by the artist. The pyramid of performers behind her, donning sorority letters of yellow and pink, signify the college experience Beyoncé never had due to her time on Destiny's Child. She’d always wanted to go to a HBCU and Beychella became a way for her to create this community she’d dreamed of.

Since her headlining had the historical significance of being the first African-American woman to get top-billing for the festival, Beyoncé took that title to heart in everything that she planned. She personally picked dancers and musicians who could represent looks and backgrounds that have been dismissed in the past on that grand stage. Beyoncé’s concept for Homecoming really shows her character of taking the opportunities given to her and putting every ounce of effort into it and giving her fans and family something to be proud of.

Another star of her status would have taken the easy way out and done a performance already decided upon from their tour or just belted out their greatest hits. Homecoming really shows to both casual listeners and fans of her just what goes into the product we often see in her music, videos and performances, and it’s as massive of a project as it looks at the end of the line.

Her Post-Pregnancy Comeback

Another unexpected bit we learn from Homecoming is just how much of a sacrifice and personal journey putting on this show was for Beyoncé. The artist has asserted herself as a very powerful woman over the years that her own personal challenges can go by the wayside. In this documentary, she gets candid about how the preparation for Beychella was an emotional trial for her, as she had just given birth to her twins Rumi and Sir when she started up plans for the Coachella performance.

Beyoncé spoke about the immensely difficult pregnancy she had, which concluded with an emergency C-section. Learning the dance choreography for a two-hour show she was leading as her body was recovering and adhering to a very strict diet (which looked like it only consisted of apples?) so she could do the performance was an incredible point for the artist to make in his documentary, because wow, did she pull it off.

She also talked of her struggles to be away from her newly born children and 7-year-old Blue Ivy during practices. Her vision of having her “homecoming” back to the stage after her pregnancy – which had her miss her first chance to headline the year before is a beautiful theme that gives viewers a new perspective on her attention to her career.

The On-Stage Reunions

Over halfway through the show, fans were already over the moon with the show Beyoncé was putting on for them, but then this happens: the trio that started it all reunite on stage looking like Charlie’s Angels. Homecoming captures the reaction of the audience really well here as fans in the crowd get emotional and devotedly sing along to “Lose My Breath,” “Say My Name” and “Soldier,” with the original members of Destiny’s Child who look badass as ever strutting the stage side by side.

It’s a nostalgic moment for those who have followed Beyoncé from the beginning and clearly an important one to the artist too whose smile especially lights up stage when beside her girl group sisters for the number.

Before Destiny’s Child hit the stage, her famous hubby Jay-Z also came onstage to duet “Deja Vu” with her in a sweet moment between the two that had their chemistry beaming on stage in a way we don’t always see between the two of them, especially after the singer belted out angry tunes of his past infidelities prior. In another cute moment to cut the overwhelmingly beautiful dance numbers and pop tunes is when Beyoncé’s sister Solange also comes on stage to bust some moves with her during the bridge of “Get Them Bodied.”

All in all, the Beyoncé film is a highlight in of itself as it showcases an incredible feat by the singer on that Coachella stage last year that will be talked about for years to come. The singer beautifully captures her memorable set, opens up about her behind-the-scenes prep and leaves a whole lot of heart on that stage. There are so many more moments I’m not over yet. Did you see Beyoncé’s Netflix movie? What were your favorite moments? Sound off in the comments below.

6 Heath Ledger Stories That Show What Kind of Actor He Was

6 Heath Ledger Stories That Show What Kind of Actor He Was

It's been more than a decade since Heath Ledger passed away and it's impossible to know where the actor would be in his career today if he were still alive. One of his last roles was as The Joker in The Dark Knight, and it went on to become the stuff of legends. People still talk about the effort that Ledger put into the character and how he delivered what's said by some to be one of the greatest performances of all time.

But Heath Ledger was in plenty of other movies before The Dark Knight, and by that point in his career, he had built up a reputation for himself as a serious-minded and very professional actor. He tackled each role by doing research and preparation, fully inhabiting whatever character he was playing. It was said that he locked himself away for a month to prepare for whatever part he was playing. As such, there are some memorable stories about his days on set and not all of them have to do with Joker. Here are six stories that remind us how great an actor Ledger was.

He Didn't Work For A Full Year To Avoid Typecasting

Heath Ledger's first Hollywood movie, 10 Things I Hate About You, introduced him to American audiences, where it didn't take long for people to fall for him as a teen heartthrob. He plays the steamy bad boy in the teen rom com, but Ledger wasn't interested in repeating himself. The only offers that were coming in after the film were for similar roles, so Ledger ended up refusing to work for an entire year until something different caught his eye. Looking back on his career, it was definitely something he succeeded at doing. He played everything from Bob Dylan to a stoner surfer dude to a Revolutionary War soldier to a clown-themed super villain. That's as varied a career as you can get.

He Kept A Joker Diary To Get Into Character

Heath Ledger turned down playing the title character in Batman Begins, but he was director Christopher Nolan's first and only choice to play the Joker in the sequel. Ledger signed on for the role before there was even a script, and part of how he prepared for the part was that he kept a diary of twisted images and things that he thought the Joker would find funny (AIDS was apparently one of them). Ledger wouldn't stay in character when not filming, so he would keep the diary with him and use it to get back into character before the cameras started rolling. Apparently, the actor was able to get into character quickly, and had no problem being chummy with the crew in-between takes (while he was still in full make-up and costume).

He Did All His Own Stunts In The Patriot

Tom Cruise doesn't own the monopoly for doing your own stunts. Case in point, Heath Ledger did all his own stunts for the Revolutionary War action-drama The Patriot. That means he handled stunts such as horseback riding, firing muskets, close-range combat and working with Mel Gibson all on his own. That's mighty impressive considering the movie had a heavy emphasis on action and could be pretty physically demanding; more than one tomahawk is thrown in this movie. One can only imagine the lengths Ledger went to while preparing for the non-combat scenes.

He Nearly Broke Jake Gyllenhaal's Nose Kissing Him So Hard

One of Heath Ledger's most significant and popular films is Brokeback Mountain, in which he and Jake Gyllenhaal star as cowboy lovers. In the movie, the two actors share a passionate kissing scene and reportedly, Ledger almost broke Gyllenhaal's nose because of how hard he was kissing. Additionally, he and Gyllenhaal would kiss off-screen for co-star Michelle Williams, who felt that it would help her get into character. Williams was dating Ledger in real-life at this point, so she felt watching him kiss someone else would really get her into her character's mindset.

He Asked Christian Bale To Punch Him In The Face For Real

The Dark Knight's interrogation scene is one of the most well-known in the movie, as Batman truly begins to realize the madness he's facing. The Joker isn't a foe he can just punch into submission because the more Batman beats him, the more he likes it. Heath Ledger was apparently getting into it, too. Christian Bale said that Ledger was egging him on to really punch him in the face, but Bale understandably wouldn't do it. After all, it looks just as good with a fake punch as it would with a real one. Bale commented that Ledger was so committed to the role, that he was cracking the tiles in the room because of how hard he was throwing himself around.

He Wore The Real Skip Engblom's Clothes For Lords Of Dogtown

In the film Lords of Dogtown, Heath Ledger plays Skip Engblom, the owner of a surf shop and promoter of a local skateboarding team in Venice Beach. To get into character, Engbolm's wife let Ledger wear some of her husband's clothes. Keep in mind that this movie took place in the '70s, so Ledger was wearing some authentically old and groovy clothes. Additionally, the real Skip originally wanted Ledger to play him in the movie and got his wish! And then the actor was wearing his clothes, so it was a double whammy.

It's sad to think that we'll never get another Heath Ledger performance, but the actor certainly left an impression on those he worked with in the short amount of time he was on this Earth. I doubt Christian Bale will ever forget that a man dressed as a psychotic clown asked him to punch him in the face as hard as he could. Based on comments from directors who worked with Ledger, he was a deeply observant and intelligent actor who throw himself fully into a wide range of roles. Ledger rarely repeated himself and it's safe to say that he avoided his fear of getting typecast. At least we have these memorable stories to remember a great talent.

8 Differences Between the Animated and Live-Action Dumbo

8 Differences Between the Animated and Live-Action Dumbo

Warning: SPOILERS for the new Dumbo are ahead!

Last weekend, Disney released the latest live-action remake of one of its classic animated films. This time the spotlight shined on Dumbo, who first appeared in 1941. Directed by Tim Burton, the new Dumbo fell short of expectations at the box office and received mixed reviews, so it hasn't caught on fire like many of Disney's other remakes. However, what sets Dumbo apart from those films is that it isn't afraid to deviate from the source material.

Not since Pete's Dragon has there been a Disney remake that changed so much from original movie. You can argue that Dumbo had to make those changes because the cartoon was only about an hour long and some of its elements haven't aged well. Regardless, the remake is really different from the original and most of the changes make it an improvement. Here are eight things that the new Dumbo did differently from its predecessor.

More Emphasis On Human Characters

1941's Dumbo was all about, well, Dumbo. Even though Dumbo never spoke, thanks to the power of animation, audiences were still able to identify with him because of how expressive he was. Plus, he had a small cast of animal characters to speak for him and to keep the plot moving. For his live-action debut, Dumbo is photo-realistic, which means its harder to base an entire movie around just him because he can't be as expressive. So, you need human characters to interpret Dumbo's feelings. Colin Farrell stars as World War I veteran Holt Farrier, who returns home to the circus to raise his two children, who become the caretakers of the newborn Dumbo. The original Dumbo only really had one human character, the ringmaster, who is played here by Danny DeVito.

No More Talking Animals

Seeing as how the remake is a mostly grounded take on Dumbo (excluding the whole flying elephant thing), the film made a decision not to include any talking animals. Dumbo never spoke anyway, but that meant no sassy elephants and no Timothy Mouse, Dumbo's sidekick. The latter is probably the most notable exclusion, but Timothy's role as Dumbo's emotional support is fulfilled by the Farrier children, so there's no real loss from a story perspective. Timothy does still have a cameo as a mouse being trained to perform in the circus. Another benefit of this approach is that the film doesn't have to deal with the talking crows, who in the 1941 version were a racial stereotype of African Americans. (The lead crow was actually named Jim Crow!)

Almost The Entire Plot

1941's Dumbo is barely over an hour long, so a modern day remake would naturally have to reenvision most of the original to fit a two-hour runtime. Additionally, most of the original is just Dumbo going through various shenanigans while trying to reunite with his mother until he learns to fly in the final five minutes(!!!) of the movie. So, a lot of the plot is entirely new to the remake. About the first 30 or so minutes of the movies are the same before the remake deviates from the path. Once Dumbo becomes an overnight sensation, theme park mogul V.A. Vandevere buys Dumbo's circus and brings it to his Dreamland amusement park so that Dumbo can be his star attraction. From there, the film is about Dumbo preparing for his debut while the Farriers hatch an escape plan after learning that Vandevere isn't such a nice guy.

Dumbo Doesn't Get Wasted

Probably the most memorable sequence in 1941's Dumbo is "Pink Elephants on Parade," in which Dumbo and Timothy (accidentally) get drunk and have a trippy hallucination of dancing pink elephants. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but no, a baby elephant doesn't get wasted in this movie. In fact, the remake makes a very quick nod to that when a clown offers to give Dumbo a celebratory drink and DeVito snaps "No champagne near the baby." However, this doesn't mean that the pink elephants don't make an appearance. In the remake, they are massive bubbles that are conjured at Dreamland before Dumbo's big act. They don't play their trumpets like horns, but it's a satisfactory sequence that doesn't leave Dumbo with a hangover.

Dumbo Is Born The Old Fashioned Way

Rather than have Mrs. Jumbo be pregnant and need to explain to kids how babies are born, the original Dumbo had a stork deliver the baby elephant to his mother. It's actually really cute, but the live-action version obviously wasn't going to go that route. Nope, Dumbo is born the old fashioned way. The actual birth isn't shown, but Dumbo shows up about 10 minutes into the movie. The movie does have another nod to the original when the pregnant Jumbo spots a stork right outside her cage the night she gives birth to Dumbo. Dumbo's father is a no-show in both versions.

Uh, Someone Dies

Dumbo is about as light of a kid's movie as you can get, though, it can be really sad in places. However, no one ever died in the original, which you can't say about the remake. Early on in the film, there's a mean circus worker who hates Holt because of... reasons, and he especially seems to hate the elephants. With Holt in charge of the elephants, the worker tries to jeopardize him during Dumbo's very first show by agitating Jumbo and setting her loose in the big top. It doesn't help that everyone was making fun of her big-eared baby, but Jumbo inadvertently knocks over one of the supporting columns during her rampage, and it crushes the worker. The movie whizzes by this and no one sheds a tear for the guy, but it's still pretty weird to say that there was death in a Dumbo movie.

Jumbo Is Sold From The Circus

The inciting incident in Dumbo is that his mother is imprisoned after she attacks people for making fun of her son. She's chained up and locked away in her own cage, which happens in both movies. However, the remake goes a step farther and sells Jumbo back to her original owner, truly separating her from Dumbo. Thus, Dumbo tries to become a circus star in the hopes that his act will raise enough money to buy back his mother. Jumbo is later sold to Vandevere and reunites with Dumbo when he arrives in Dreamland, but Vandevere decides to send her away and have her killed so that Dumbo won't have any distractions. In the original, Jumbo stays in elephant jail and is simply let go once Dumbo starts flying.

Dumbo Is Released From Captivity

Perhaps nothing highlights the differences between the two movies and the decades they were created than the ending. At the end of the original film, Dumbo learns to fly and is reunited with his mother, living a life of luxury at the circus as a superstar. The remake goes in the exact opposite direction. The Farrier family and the circus performers decide to help Dumbo and his mother escape Dreamland after learning Vandevere will kill Jumbo. Realizing that Dumbo shouldn't be forced to live a life of captivity performing, the Farrier's get Dumbo and Jumbo on a boat to East Asia, where the two can live in freedom. The film ends with Dumbo soaring above a herd of elephants and the circus flourishing with no animal captivity.

The Dumbo remake made a ton of changes to the original, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The original is less than perfect, and if Disney was gung-ho about redoing it, then a lot needed to be updated and changed. Again, Dumbo doesn't fly until the last five minutes of the original, which is INSANE. The remake has him airborne relatively fast, which is an example of a change that was for the better. While none of these changes necessarily make Dumbo a better movie, they certainly don't hurt it.