Review: Dumbo

Very simply the story of the title elephant, born with huge ears that see him ostracised and ridiculed by circus animals and patrons alike. They’re so big, the poor little think keeps tripping over himself. With Timothy Mouse (voiced by Edward Brophy) as his one and only friend, Dumbo ends up acting as a circus clown, bumbling about for everyone’s amusement. However, those very same ears that saw him be the object of derision end up being his greatest asset when he uncovers a special talent.

 

Due perhaps to its slim 64-minute running time, this 1941 Disney animated flick seems to get forgotten somewhat when people discuss their best-ever efforts like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Pinocchio”, and “Fantasia” (the latter of which I hate, mind you). I personally wouldn’t put it in my Disney top three (“Pinocchio”, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, and “Peter Pan”), but it definitely deserves a healthy spot among the next tier of ‘classics’ like “Robin Hood”, “Alice in Wonderland”, “The Jungle Book”, and “Bambi” (And this second tier, by the way, is much closer to the first tier than the third tier in quality). Slight or not, this is a truly sweet film with lots of really nice moments throughout.

 

I hadn’t seen this one since the 2^nd or 3^rd grade, and that was some 25+ years ago. God I feel old (I am!), but it was great to catch up with it again. The one regrettable element, and you’ll read this in pretty much every review, is a brief excursion to a couple of crows that ventures dangerously close to Uncle Remus-levels of crude racial stereotype. What saves it is simply the fact that it’s indicative of most non-animated depictions of African-Americans in films around this time anyway. That doesn’t make it right, and it’s certainly regrettable and awkward, but I wouldn’t call it racist, either. It does play poorly in 2016, I must say (Did one of the crows really have to be named Jim?) but it hardly ruins the whole film. I also think the talking mouse is a little too close to being a wiseguy version of Jiminy Cricket for my personal taste. The best moment visually and musically is the rather hallucinatory ‘Pink Elephants on Parade’ sequence. Sure, it’s a “Fantasia”-esque moment, but at least it’s not two frigging hours long, and it’s really cool. It certainly features the most interesting animation in the film. I guess you could argue that it’s mere padding, but you’re an arsehole with no heart if that’s the case. What the hell is wrong with you? I also liked the cute opening with baby Dumbo (who is freaking adorable!) and all the other baby animals being delivered to their parents via storks. That whole stork thing seems like a bizarre concept looking at it with adult eyes, though I must say. When did that idea first come about anyway? I especially loved seeing kangaroos and giraffes amongst the expectant parents and newly arrived babies. Meanwhile, as cute as baby Dumbo is, seeing baby Dumbo sneeze is just the cutest thing you’ll ever see. If you think dancing circus bears are cruel, just wait until you see this film: Elephants are in charge of putting up the bloody circus tent! During heavy rain, no less! The music and songs in the film are pretty good too.

 

Like “Fantasia”, overall story is at a minimum. Unlike “Fantasia”, this doesn’t suck or have its head up its own arse. As someone with an ear that sticks out, I must say I’ve always felt an affinity towards Dumbo (who has two big ears) and his plight. I can’t fly like him, though, so I’m a little jealous there. Dumbo’s ostracising amongst the other circus performers and animals, his loneliness and feeling of being ridiculed, are actually very, very sad and heartbreaking. A baby elephant might just make you cry here!

 

A nice, simple film with lots of cute animals on parade and some arresting visual moments. Its blend of music and animation for me is much more appealing than “Fantasia”, and what little story there is, I found quite charming, and at times truly affecting. Based on a novel by Helen Aberson & Harold Pearl, the screenplay is by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer (who both worked on “Fantasia” and “Alice in Wonderland”). The director is Ben Sharpsteen, who was at the helm of landmark efforts like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Pinocchio”.

 

Rating: B