Dumbo (1941)

Telling the tale of a self-conscious little elephant who’s just trying to fit in, Dumbo incorporates a lot of positive messages into its lean 64-minute run time. While certainly one of the shortest of Disney’s animated motion pictures, Dumbo still packs a good punch and is enjoyable for children and adults alike. While it may not be as stylistically impressive as Snow White, Pinocchio or Fantasia, it remains a Disney classic.

Mrs. Jumbo, a circus elephant has been waiting for a baby to call her own. One night, the stork brings her a bundle of joy. Only the little guy has a huge set of ears. This causes the Mrs. Jumbo’s peers to shun little Dumbo. They tease him and so do circus goers, which drives Mrs. Jumbo into a rage. She is put in isolation and kept away from her son, who faces a life of ridicule far from the loving embrace of his mother.

Little Dumbo is the only elephant in the circus unafraid of mice. He befriends Timothy, which pays off big. Timothy sees the cruelty Dumbo faces daily and decides to help the youngster find his self worth. They set off on an adventure that wins Dumbo the respect of all and the freedom of his mother.

There’s a lot of good stuff in Dumbo. It tells a positive story of a young, insecure child overcoming adversity. Born with a perceived flaw, Dumbo learns that what others see as different is really just part of what makes him himself. He learns to shrug off detractors and mockers and finds meaning in his life through this “flaw.” While children aren’t going to be able to make a living off of big ears, the right message is being sent- “don’t let anyone tell you there is something wrong with you.” Just because he’s different doesn’t make him deficient.

Also, good morals are on display with his mother. While rampaging through the circus isn’t such a good thing to do, her love for her son is unending and she is willing to do anything to make sure he feels safe and secure.

Dumbo’s relationship with Timothy and the crows are also positive. While they acknowledge Dumbo’s unique features with some surprise, they treat him as just another person. They don’t treat him like he’s handicapped; they show him respect as an individual and encourage him to find value in himself. The crows have come to be considered racist and stereotypical characterizations of black people, which I can understand, but the fact remains that they were some of the only genuine and supportive characters in the film.

This was Disney’s fourth full-length animated film. It seems that after three lush films with impeccable detail (Snow White, Pinocchio and Fantasia), Disney was going for a more laid back approach with Dumbo. In many ways it works. Too much detail would have become very distracting during the circus bits. Seeing vague outlines of spectators was perfectly fine. There wouldn’t have been any need to put any extra detail there.

That being said, I can’t help but compare the animation of Dumbo to Disney’s previous efforts. The story structure and moralistic qualities are every bit as there as its predecessors but the difference in animation came as quite a jolt. The difference was intentional in order to maximize profits, which I can understand. It’s just a big change, especially after Fantasia’s achievements in artistic quality.

The story is great and the animation is pretty good too. The only other thing that surprised me was how short it was. Seeing as it’s been at least 20 years since I’ve seen this film, I shouldn’t be surprised. Everything was bigger and took longer when I was a kid. Dumbo deserves its reputation as an animated classic.

RATING: 3.75 out of 5