Movies

Watch Dumbo stars Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito compete over who knows Tim Burton better

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Published on March 21, 2019 12:00PM EDT

Who knows the most Tim Burton trivia, Michael Keaton or Danny DeVito? That’s up for debate in the above exclusive Dumbo featurette, which shows the Batman Returns co-stars trying to one-up with each other their knowledge about the idiosyncratic director. As you’ll see, they both know why he mostly wears black, his fears, and so much more.

After 26 years, Keaton and DeVito reunited with their Batman Returns director in Disney’s Dumbo, which opens next week. A remake of the beloved 1941 animated film about an elephant with oversized ears that allow him to fly, the movie stars DeVito as Max Medici, the well-intentioned owner of a rundown circus, and Keaton as the avaricious entrepreneur V.A. Vandervere, who takes an interest in Max’s stupendous elephant.

The actors are playfully at odds in the video; they’re at odds in Dumbo; and they were also at odds in Batman Returns as the Penguin (DeVito) and the Dark Knight (Keaton).

“In Batman, [Keaton] plays the good guy. Now in Dumbo, I play the good guy, and he plays the bad guy. I needle him about it all the time,” DeVito tells EW. “In Batman Returns, we had operatic fun. It was really great. When [Burton] called and said he was going to do this, it’s a joyful thing. I know I’m going to be there.”

DeVito continues, “The thing is: When you get a bonus like having Michael Keaton in it, it’s like, ‘Oh man, it’s so good to be with your friends!’ It’s just cool to be on the set with them and have that experience. Michael and I worked on Johnny Dangerously years ago together, and we’ve been friends since then. He is one of the sweetest guys on the planet.”

Watch the fun reunion video above.