The official trailer for Tim Burton’s remake of the Disney classic animated film Dumbo was recently released and it came with an unexpected surprise: a glimpse at a character that looks an awful lot like Dumbo’s mentor and friend, Timothy Q. Mouse.
Timothy Q. Mouse, who was voiced by Edward Brophy, was featured in Disney’s original animated film from 1941 and acted as Dumbo’s confidant and emotional support after Dumbo’s mother was sold off by the entrepreneur, V.A. Vandemere. While the character played a vital role in the original Dumbo, it appears that a talking mouse in a live-action movie was a little too strange even for a Tim Burton film when the Hollywood Reporter confirmed back in June that Timothy Q. Mouse would not be featured in Burton’s remake after the release of the first teaser trailer.
After viewing the full trailer, it seems that Timothy’s role as friend and caretaker to Dumbo has been usurped by the Farrier family: Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his two children, Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins). While the trailer does show a mouse dressed in Timothy Q. Mouse’s traditional circus garb, this may be Burton’s way of paying homage to the beloved character featured in the original film even though he's no longer a fully fledged character.
After the latest live-action Dumbo trailer was released, fans took to social media to voice their concerns about Timothy Q. Mouse’s reduced role. The conversations can be viewed on Twitter.
What do you think about Timothy Q. Mouse’s removal from Tim Burton’s retelling of Dumbo? Let us know in the comments below!
Tim Burton's Dumbo premieres in theaters March 29, 2019!