Directed by Ben Sharpsteen, Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Bill Roberts, Jack Kinney, and Samuel Armstrong
Written by Otto Englander, Joe Grant, and Dick Huemer. Based on Dumbo by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl.
Premiered October 23, 1941
64 minutes
Rated G
Rated G
Synopsis
A baby elephant is brought by the stork (Sterling Holloway) to the circus elephant Mrs. Jumbo (Verna Felton). She names him Jumbo, Jr., but his immediately criticized for his overly large ears and nicknamed "Dumbo" by the other elephants, lead by the Matriarch (Verna Felton, again.) When child starts picking on Dumbo, his mother grows angry, attacks him, and is then imprisoned for her "madness". Abandoned and rejected by the other elephants, Dumbo befriends Timothy Q. Mouse (Edward Brophy) who mentors him and attempts to make his life at the circus more bearable. But after a night of accidental drunkenness, Dumbo's true calling is discovered.
Before We Begin
It's a truth universally acknowledged that Disney's Golden Age spanned from 1937 to 1942. The films released during this era were Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi, all masterpieces of animation, for Disney or anyone. However, only two of these films made money and were well received by all at the times of their releases: Snow White and Dumbo. Yes, Dumbo, the cheap quickie Disney whipped up while the densely artistic production of Bambi (which started during Snow White's production) dragged on.
No one thought it was that great, cute and all, but no Snow White. But everyone's shock Dumbo made bank, mainly because it was so inexpensive to make. I truly believe the box office "failures" of Pinocchio and Bambi had nothing to do with content and everything to do with their production costs being super high. Fantasia is another story.
It's a truth universally acknowledged that Disney's Golden Age spanned from 1937 to 1942. The films released during this era were Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi, all masterpieces of animation, for Disney or anyone. However, only two of these films made money and were well received by all at the times of their releases: Snow White and Dumbo. Yes, Dumbo, the cheap quickie Disney whipped up while the densely artistic production of Bambi (which started during Snow White's production) dragged on.
No one thought it was that great, cute and all, but no Snow White. But everyone's shock Dumbo made bank, mainly because it was so inexpensive to make. I truly believe the box office "failures" of Pinocchio and Bambi had nothing to do with content and everything to do with their production costs being super high. Fantasia is another story.
Mötley Müsings
• Oh, look...Dumbo! And so soon...
• Dumbo is the third shortest film in the canon at 64 minutes, only behind Saludos Amigos (43 minutes) and Winnie the Pooh (51 minutes).
• Dumbo is the third shortest film in the canon at 64 minutes, only behind Saludos Amigos (43 minutes) and Winnie the Pooh (51 minutes).
• So last night I relayed the plot of Dumbo to my husband (who hasn't the slightest interest in Disney), because he thought it was stupid. But when I mentioned Mrs. Jumbo beats the shit out of some kid and Dumbo and Timothy get loaded, he was suddenly interested.
• Um, just so you know, I hate the fucking circus. Clowns. Animal cruelty for our entertainment. No fucking thank you.
• "Look Out for Mr. Stork" is a fucking ominous song. "Don't try to get away/he'll find you in the end." Yeah, this was before the Pill.
• But cute baby animals!
• Poor Mrs. Jumbo. Where's her baby?
• This is set in Florida, btw.
• Fat ass.
• See, a baby elephant is so heavy, it slowed down the stork. Obviously.
• "Over there!" She's the slut who got knocked up! Since this is Disney, and Mrs. Jumbo is a missus, she's obviously widowed so calm the fuck down!
• "Jumbo. Junior."
• These elephants are such two-faced cunts. "Just look at those...E-A-R-S."
• "Jumbo? You mean Dumbo."
• Again, this is a movie where not much happens. Now they're setting up the Big Top, which apparently the animals have to help with?
• Yeah...this doesn't look nearly as fancy as Pinocchio or Bambi.
• Parent-child bonding. It's cute when it's animals.
• This dipshit kid. He deserves what he gets!
• But now she's locked up and Dumbo is all alone with those gossipy bitches.
• "Girl, girls, listen! Have I got a trunk full of dirt."
• Timothy is a more saintly Jiminy Cricket. And he scares the elephants. Ha.
• Do elephants really like peanuts?
• "You know, lots of people with big ears are famous."
• "Yeah? What is the climax?"
• "You hear him talk, you think he was going to do it."
• These elephants are cunts, but I think they should go get to be cunts in Africa or a zoo.
• "Gaining a little weight, aren't you, honey?"
"You're no cream puff yourself, dearie."
• "Out of my way, assassin!"
• "They've gone and made him...made him a clown."
"Oh, the shame of it!"
So have clowns always sucked? WHO LIKES CLOWNS ANYWAY!?
• But he feels like such a shill and he misses his mom.
• Oh man. Emotional stuff. #crying
• Drunk clowns.
• "Elephants ain't got no feelings."
"Yeah, they're made of rubber."
• So the clowns dropped a bottle of champagne in the water bucket and now Timothy and Dumbo get drunk and hallucinate. Because that's what booze does.
• "Hiya, George!"
• Seriously, what were the animators trying to do with "Pink Elephants on Parade"? Besides pad this movie out, obviously. WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS?
• I could stand the sight of worms/And look at microscopic germs/But technicolor pachyderms/Is really too much for me.
• Is that a samba I hear!!???
• So about these crows...they're supposed to be African-American....which equals controversy in the present day. Let me just say, they could be worse? They just seem like they're having fun. They turn sympathetic towards Dumbo and they help him out by giving him the "magic feather".
• "Socially, he's washed up."
• It's a placebo.
• The moral of Dumbo: get drunk and discover your hidden talent.
• HOLY SHIT A FLYING ELEPHANT!
• So he gets a Hollywood deal and gets his mom our of jail.
• Dumbo was so successful, he was going to be featured on the cover of Time magazine. But then Pearl Harbor happened. :-(
• Um, just so you know, I hate the fucking circus. Clowns. Animal cruelty for our entertainment. No fucking thank you.
• "Look Out for Mr. Stork" is a fucking ominous song. "Don't try to get away/he'll find you in the end." Yeah, this was before the Pill.
• But cute baby animals!
• Poor Mrs. Jumbo. Where's her baby?
• This is set in Florida, btw.
• Fat ass.
• See, a baby elephant is so heavy, it slowed down the stork. Obviously.
• "Over there!" She's the slut who got knocked up! Since this is Disney, and Mrs. Jumbo is a missus, she's obviously widowed so calm the fuck down!
• "Jumbo. Junior."
• These elephants are such two-faced cunts. "Just look at those...E-A-R-S."
• "Jumbo? You mean Dumbo."
• Again, this is a movie where not much happens. Now they're setting up the Big Top, which apparently the animals have to help with?
• Yeah...this doesn't look nearly as fancy as Pinocchio or Bambi.
• Parent-child bonding. It's cute when it's animals.
• This dipshit kid. He deserves what he gets!
• But now she's locked up and Dumbo is all alone with those gossipy bitches.
• "Girl, girls, listen! Have I got a trunk full of dirt."
• Timothy is a more saintly Jiminy Cricket. And he scares the elephants. Ha.
• Do elephants really like peanuts?
• "You know, lots of people with big ears are famous."
• "Yeah? What is the climax?"
• "You hear him talk, you think he was going to do it."
• These elephants are cunts, but I think they should go get to be cunts in Africa or a zoo.
• "Gaining a little weight, aren't you, honey?"
"You're no cream puff yourself, dearie."
• "Out of my way, assassin!"
• "They've gone and made him...made him a clown."
"Oh, the shame of it!"
So have clowns always sucked? WHO LIKES CLOWNS ANYWAY!?
• But he feels like such a shill and he misses his mom.
• Oh man. Emotional stuff. #crying
• Drunk clowns.
• "Elephants ain't got no feelings."
"Yeah, they're made of rubber."
• So the clowns dropped a bottle of champagne in the water bucket and now Timothy and Dumbo get drunk and hallucinate. Because that's what booze does.
• "Hiya, George!"
• Seriously, what were the animators trying to do with "Pink Elephants on Parade"? Besides pad this movie out, obviously. WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS?
• I could stand the sight of worms/And look at microscopic germs/But technicolor pachyderms/Is really too much for me.
• Is that a samba I hear!!???
• So about these crows...they're supposed to be African-American....which equals controversy in the present day. Let me just say, they could be worse? They just seem like they're having fun. They turn sympathetic towards Dumbo and they help him out by giving him the "magic feather".
• "Socially, he's washed up."
• It's a placebo.
• The moral of Dumbo: get drunk and discover your hidden talent.
• HOLY SHIT A FLYING ELEPHANT!
• So he gets a Hollywood deal and gets his mom our of jail.
• Dumbo was so successful, he was going to be featured on the cover of Time magazine. But then Pearl Harbor happened. :-(
Final Thoughts
Dumbo is utterly charming and I don't know what else to say about it. I have been sitting here for thirty minutes trying to think of something to write other than Dumbo is utterly charming and I can't.
So here's a lightning round.
Animation: Serviceable.
Music: Not mad at it.
Characters: LOVE. I even love to hate the cunt elephants.
Story: Simple yet touching. Pulls my heartstrings, makes me cry. I hate the clowns.
Yay, Dumbo.
So here's a lightning round.
Animation: Serviceable.
Music: Not mad at it.
Characters: LOVE. I even love to hate the cunt elephants.
Story: Simple yet touching. Pulls my heartstrings, makes me cry. I hate the clowns.
Yay, Dumbo.
Favorite Character
 |
| Dumbo |
Favorite Moment -- Anything with Mrs. Jumbo and Dumbo
Favorite Song -- "Baby Mine" performed by Betty Noyes.
