Dumbo (1941)

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Here's another one I've actually seen a few times throughout my childhood, but it has been long enough that I've forgotten most of it. I always kinda set this one to the side though, as I remember it being kinda hard to sit through. For many, this one gave them a tough time due to a combination of pink elephants on parade and the idea that Dumbo gets separated from his mother. For me though, the bothersome part of this comes from how incredibly harsh it is, altogether.

The stork opens things up by delivering all sorts of baby animals to their respective parents of a circus. Just when we think the elephant Mrs. Jumbo (Verna Felton) is forgotten about, the stork finally manages to come through, and you wonder why they bothered with the first few minutes of the film (filler is my guess). The other lady elephants are very excited to see the little guy who Mrs. Jumbo names "Jumbo Junior". However, upon seeing that he has enormous, floppy ears, they becomes disgusted with him and nickname him "Dumbo". These other lady elephants are some of the worst characters, saying things that suggest little Jumbo Jr. should be ashamed of his differences.

As mentioned before, Dumbo is also separated from his mother after some asshole kid starts tormenting Dumbo, and she comes to his aid. She is labeled a "mad elephant" and locked away, leaving Dumbo alone, and making matters even worse with the other elephants than they were before. Keeping in mind that this is just a baby elephant, it makes you wanna throw something at the screen, especially if you're watching it having been ridiculed in your past for your own physical differences that can't be helped. But this movie isn't without its savior, either.

​A circus mouse named Timothy Q Mouse (Edward Brophy) quickly becomes a personal favorite as he sees Dumbo for much more than just a set of floppy, shameful ears. Timothy helps the heartbroken Dumbo out however he can, cheering him up, and helping him realize that his deformities could be something special. The general idea behind this one is to show us that we're much more than what people make fun of us for, and eventually we can learn to own it. Impossible spoiler alert, but Dumbo finds out he can fly with his ears.

Again, this one isn't my favourite of Disney's classic library due to how mean-spirited it is, but I do appreciate the takeaway from it all the same. Now, addressing the elephant in the room that isn't actually an elephant, there's more than makes this one a little awkward to watch by today's standards - it's a touch racially insensitive. On top of the well-known jive-talking crows, there's also the "Song Of The Roustabouts". A roustabout is defined as an unskilled or casual laborer, but let's face it, all of them here are people of colour, and the lyrics speak for themselves. Go ahead a Google it.

The thing that makes this endure the test of time is a combination of things. For starters, the moral of the story is timeless. It's a great lesson to be teaching kids, especially if they are having any sort of hard time with their peers. Secondly, there's a fascination with the 'Elephants on Parade' scene, which has gone down as easily one of the biggest WTF moments in Disney history, and great for stoners of all kinds. But lastly, and something I really only realized this time around, it also shows us that no matter how bad things get for you, all it takes is that one person to be at your side to cheer you on and help you through. If it wasn't for Tomithy Q. Mouse, I'd probably just hate this movie. Shame they really didn't make him part of the remake.

3/5

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