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

Wings** (1927)

Enormous in scope and of breathtaking quality, it is no wonder that Wings was the first film to claim the award of Best Picture at the first ever Academy Awards. In fact, Wings all but sums up excellence in a motion picture. The direction and cinematography are among the best I’ve ever seen. Perhaps the only thing holding this film back is the fact that it’s a silent film.

This doesn’t mean that I have anything against silent films. In fact, the epic silent film Metropolis holds my highest possible rating. I think the problem lies in the silent film acting technique. Unlike Metropolis, there is a fair amount of facial overacting in Wings. It was essential at the time to express the emotions of the characters involved but nowadays it has a tendency to come across as a little hammy.

This minor issue aside, I was completely sucked into this film. Following two young men from a small town, Wings takes you on a trip through military training and into the air amidst the dogfights of World War I. Jack and David both compete for the affection of a young girl in their town but get called off to war. Through their training, Jack and David become best friends and end up fighting aerial battles against the German air force in France. Meanwhile, Mary, a girl from their hometown who is secretly smitten with Jack, joins the Armed Forces as an ambulance driver and desperately attempts to track Jack down amidst the chaos of war.

It’s romantic, it’s violent, and it’s a story that still resonates today. Hearing about young men going off to war and watching some of them return in a casket is something we are all too familiar with. Unlike some war films, Wings doesn’t romanticize the concept of war. In fact, it demonizes war as something that destroys the bonds of friendship and tears families apart on the home front. In some ways, Wings is an anti-war film. The message is short and comes in the final reel but its presence is undeniable.

What impressed me the most with this film is the use of aerial footage. There’s no camera trickery here when the main characters are shown in the cockpits of their planes. The actors all learned how to fly in order to capture the utmost realism of the dogfight sequences. Wider shots, showing the planes as they tumble and turn to gain advantage on their adversaries are beautifully captured on film. It just boggles my mind that director William A. Wellman was able to turn these ideas into visualizations. Only Metropolis and Gone With the Wind match the epic scope of this film.

As one of the costliest films ever made at the time, Wings wowed me with its attention to detail and uncompromising vision. The technical demands of this film must have been a logistical nightmare. But it’s a living, breathing film at the same time. It wasn’t held back or made stale by all of the details. The story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. To pull the creative, technical, emotional and artistic aspects together so well makes Wings one of those rare films that truly is complete in every way.

I wasn’t as caught up in the romantic aspects of the film as original audiences may have been but I haven’t been moved by too many love stories, period. Wings mixes cinematic marvel with technical achievement and throws a splash of high-octane drama in to boot. As one of the few World War I movies I have ever heard of, let alone seen, I think it’s a shame that this film has all but been forgotten about except when movie historians talk about the Oscars.

This film is a classic and deserves more respect and attention than it has been getting in recent years. If you can handle silent films, then I highly recommend Wings to you.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5