DUMBO (1941) - ♦♦♦♦♦
Directed by - Samuel Armstrong, Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts, Ben Sharpsteen, John Elliotte
Written by - Joe Grant, Dick Huemer, Otto Englander, Bill Peet, Aurelius Battaglia, Joe Rinaldi, Vernon Stallings, Webb Smith (based on the book by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl)
Starring - Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, James Baskett
"Despite the fact that it clearly reveals the level of confidence and ease with which classic Disney used to be able to dish out quality animated family cinematic entertainment, Dumbo still feels some what underrated compared to other productions of the time and even carries some type of hidden treasure and discovery excitement about it. Truth be told, it is particularly impressive how a film that was made to serve the purpose of making up for the financial losses that resulted out of the audaciously artistic endeavours of Fantasia, which hence meant the necessity of it being easy to make and easy to market. Yet, the only factor that truly reveals this behind the scenes reasoning is the length, which barely reaches its 64th minute and makes it one of the shortest feature films in the history of the house of mouse.
The length does not at all undermine the absolute cleverness in various elements of this adorable story, full of emotional power and sensibilities. Dumbo is of course the story of the titular semi-antropomorphic elephant who is constantly picked for having big ears which, as he gradually discovers, give him the ability to fly. His discovery also comes as a result of his friendship with a mouse - a clever plot device in its own right that preaches positive messages of friendship and bonds given the traditional perception of the animosity between elephants and mice.
For some reason, the film was for a short period of time charged with having a racist message through the figures of the crows being a possible stereotypical representation of the African-American class. That is neither here nor there. It is true, on the other hand, that the film is not just a straight forward and auto-pilot film, and the gang is more than eager to experiment here and there, something quite visible in scenes such as the quasi-psychedelic dream sequence.
On top of that, one can also admire the animal rights undertones, which take form in the representation of the circus setting as a widely gloomy and terrible prison like place, a fact that shows how often animation features by the house of mouse have not just starred talking animals but also highlighted serious situations of real life counterparts of such animals. Further appeal is then added by the soundtrack to the film that includes such beloved numbers as the Academy Award nominated Baby Mine."
Animation, USA
