Dumbo

SPOILERS

1941's DUMBO packs an astonishing amount of imagination, sentiment, social commentary, and even (hic) trippiness into a mere sixty-four minutes.  Interestingly (though maybe not surprisingly), it doesn't always get the sort of respect many of its Disney siblings do.  As beloved as it is, for many viewers there are some troubling elements.  Some object to a lengthy scene of drunkenness.  Others are offended by a group of crows voiced with what many felt were caricatured black men.  There are those who balk at the film's ending, during which the previously outcast title elephant becomes accepted once it is discovered he has a particular talent, not because those who sought to marginalize him have seen the error of their ways.

I can acknowledge these arguments without necessarily fully embracing them.  Whatever elements may seem problematic, I find DUMBO to be warm and charming, and often a real feast for the eyes.

Jumbo Jr. is dubbed "Dumbo" by the other elephants when they discover his giant floppy ears.  They are all part of a traveling circus and because of his wide pinnae he is relegated to a side show act.  When cruel children taunt him one fateful day, Mrs. Jumbo defends him and fights back, leading to big top destruction and her banishment to solitary confinement.  Poor Dumbo will be ignored by everyone except an outgoing mouse (see what they did there?) named Timothy, who tries to help him get a star showcase in the three ring but the little pachyderm's clumsiness only makes things worse.   

When will everyone learn that Dumbo can fly?

They do and he will, of course, eventually (actually with only about five minutes of the film's running time remaining), leading to a big happy ending, where the formerly maligned little guy becomes a big star, and is now magically accepted by those who previously cast him aside.  Kinda like when Rudolph's reindeer peers suddenly decided he was OK because that magic red nose is now endorsed by Santa?  Ain't that the way real life tends to go as well? Everyone loves a celebrity, for awhile at least.  An interesting sequel to DUMBO might've shown the inevitable backlash to overnight fame.  It would not include the elephant going an alcoholic bender, as we already see Dumbo and Timothy getting wasted here, albeit accidentally, leading to the celebrated pink elephant sequence, which really is a triumph of animation for director Ben Sharpsteen and his crew.  Their film in fact contains mainly ingeniously designed scenes, loaded with detail on beautiful watercolor backgrounds.

The business with the crows gets folks mighty rankled.  The birds sound like offensive stereotypes to some contemporary viewers, though I read their banter was based on dialogue heard among the musicians on Cab Calloway records.   I never have a problem with accents (exaggerated or otherwise), especially in a cartoon.  I'm not sure there was any sort of intention for cultural accuracy or social commentary. Or disrespect.  As for all the railroad workers who are portrayed as dark skinned - wouldn't that be accurate for the time? 

Besides the vividness of the artists' skills I was struck by the film's strong emotions, scenes that many will be disarmed by.  The love shown among several animal characters and their offspring will melt the hearts of all but those whose cores have long since frozen over.