Dumbo (1941)

The shortest all-animated feature Disney ever made and my only regret is that it's not just a few minutes longer and that Dumbo's new-found success is illustrated only by three newspaper headlines when a few shots of Dumbo being chased by adoring fans or handing out autographs would have been most welcome. However, that's purely a personal opinion. Most people love the film exactly the way it is. And (aside from wishing it were just that mite longer), I do too.Oddly, my enthusiasm for Dumbo is a new-born thing. Many times I saw it as a child. I enjoyed the gossipy elephants ("Listen, girls, have I got a trunk-full of dirt?"), but I found many aspects of the film too grotesque for enjoyment - Dumbo himself; the clowns; particularly the "Pink Elephants"; even the circus train. As an adult, I enjoy these characters enormously. I revel in the inventiveness and wit of the drawing, I applaud the innovations of a more abstract, less formal Disney, I enjoy the polish and sophistication, the sly humor and satiric edge of the dialogue. Most of all, I gambol deliriously along with the songs, so consistently clever in lyrics ("I've seen a peanut stand, I've heard a diamond ring, but I've never seen an elephant fly!") and so catchily scored, who could resist?The answer is - children. If ever Disney made a cartoon that will appeal mostly to adults, Dumbo is it. No wonder Bosley Crowther went overboard in praise (all of it justly deserved)! No wonder Dumbo made the New York Times Ten Best Films of 1941.Admittedly, there are many grotesque elements in Disney's other feature cartoons which would repulse, terrify or antagonize children. Normally these are counter¬balanced by an overdose of moralizing, by dreary stretches of sweetness and light. But Dumbo is uncompromisingly pragmatic. Its view of self-seeking self-fulfillment is undiluted by sentiment, strengthened by satire. Aside from Timothy Q. Mouse, the stork, Mrs Jumbo and Dumbo himself, the human and animal characters are either malicious (the elephants) or venal (the clowns, the ring¬master). Of the "good" characters, the stork is too earnestly stupid and Mrs Jumbo too possessively simple-minded to elicit much sympathy - and even Timothy and Dumbo are often viewed primarily as simple figures of fun.No child could appreciate the gentle mockery of Dumbo in which clowns are presented as an uncomfortable mirror image of adults, and cartoon children are unflinchingly drawn as loutish brats.From a technical viewpoint, Dumbo represents the Disney craftsmen at the apex of their powers. From the timing of the visual gags to the swift editing of the fall of the pachyderms, from the brilliant atmosphere and color of the backgrounds and effects to the faultless dubbing of voice and song, from the clever characterizations of humans, animals and train to the amusing artistry of inventive surrealism on parade, Dumbo is a masterpiece.

One of Disney's classics, though after seventy-five years its reputation may have outpaced the film itself. After the financial disappointments of Pinocchio and Fantasia a year earlier, the studio tightened its belt on Dumbo in an attempt to make up for the losses. It worked in one sense, giving Disney the box office victory it needed, but that penny-pinching and corner-cutting hurt the finished product. It's astonishingly short, barely weighing in at an hour including credits, which forces a sudden, jarring climax. The story's pace is quite smooth until then, taking its time to build characters and back-story, so by contrast the immediate rush to wrap everything up in a frenzied flash is disruptive. While it's cruising along in the first half, though, things are good enough. Speckled with colorful characters and a fresh circus setting, it bottles that classic, emotive Disney magic while still taking a few risks. The infamous pink elephant scene, in particular, is an unexpectedly surreal animator's playground that's several decades ahead of the curve. I was shocked to find offbeat similarities Danny Elfman's work in the film's score, too, which may suggest an even broader influence. Playful and heartfelt, though deeply under-cooked, Dumbo feels like a breezy short story when compared to the richer, more complete films elsewhere in the studio's early catalog.

I know I'm in the minority with this, but I didn't like this movie. Aside from the animation and the mouse that helps Dumbo, the movie was either bland, sad, or just mean-spirited. I get the message the movie's trying to get across, "It's not about what's on the outside, it's what's on the inside that counts.", but I've seen this same message given way better treatment. Cartoon shows have covered it, books have covered it, even songs have covered it. The movie as a whole feels like a rejected "Fantasia" piece. The score had me more engaged than the actual story, and the story itself just feels stretched to a little over 60 minutes. Heck, 99% of the characters in this movie don't even have names! Dumbo isn't all that interesting either, beings he doesn't have a word of dialogue, the only way to advance his character is to have other characters be mean to him. It makes me feels sorry for him, but also despise everyone that picks on him. The movie's full of these characters, and it made it frustrating to watch when they were on screen. The only thing I can really recommend seeing from this is "Pink Elephants", and it's mostly because it's so out of left field. At least the movie's short, other than that, the mouse, and a completely random acid trip that lasts three minutes, there's nothing that would make me revisit this.

It's a touching story of a baby elephant separated from his mother and having to raise himself. His giant ears often caused him to be a source of ridicule but he eventually learns to use them as a strength to prove his doubters wrong.The Jim Crow birds are obvious racial stereotypes and that's one of the sour points of this movie, but they nonetheless, help Dumbo realize his full potential. One of the more interesting parts of the movie is when Dumbo gets drunk and starts to see colorful illusions in the sky.All in all, it's an emotional movie about mother-and-son, trial and triumph. It's great for kids, and as an adult it affects me too.