Dumbo

Parents need to know that Dumbo is director Tim Burton's live-action take on Disney's 1941 animated classic about everyone's favorite flying elephant. This version -- which stars Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, and Danny DeVito -- keeps the original's spirit while expanding on its storyline and kicking things up in the scariness department thanks to Burton's signature intensity. The movie's vibrant, colorful world is peppered with dark, creepy sequences/elements, including a cruel animal handler, a character who's crushed to death by a collapsing circus tent, armed henchmen who pursue both animals and children, characters in peril/falling from heights, and an amusement park attraction that's aptly named Nightmare Island. There are also some very sad parts, like when Mrs. Jumbo is separated from baby Dumbo, which might prove upsetting for younger/more sensitive viewers and foster and/or adoptive families. Characters also discuss loss (the main kid characters' mom died from influenza). Language is minimal ("hell" and one incomplete "s--t" are about it), and this version of the film thankfully doesn't have the racially stereotyped crow characters or a drunk, hallucinating Dumbo. And it has themes of teamwork, compassion, and empathy and promotes the idea that our differences help make us special.