"When I see an Elephant Fly..."

Dumbo (1941)

Only a short three months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, ushering in America's involvement in the second World War, this gem was released in theater's with the intention to help Disney recover from this dismal box office sales of Fantasia. Despite it's incredibly short film length, only clocking in at 64 minutes long, Dumbo's initial release earned the Disney studio more than both Pinocchio and Fantasia's theater releases combined! And until the day of his death, Walt called it his favorite film ever made by his team.
Dumbo holds a special personal place in my heart, mainly due to the fact that I was lucky enough to grow up along side a real life elephant, owned by my grandmother. And yes, that is a real fact. So, the connection I had with the plucky pachyderm in the movie was probably deeper than most other kids. As I would watch the movie and sing along, so would my grandma, who would recount her own personal experiences traveling for a brief time with a circus, and say what was accurately portrayed in the movie by her accounts.
Of course, watching the movie today, comparing it to what is deemed acceptable for child eye's, PETA would have a field day with this movie if it were to be released to the movie-going public of today. It's really debatable for me. I see so many news articles and stories of public protests against the cruel treatment of animals in traveling circuses. When the experience I had, watching my grandmother and her elephant's incredible bond that transcended to my whole family seeing her as an extension of us, beyond just an exotic pet. It's hard for me to comprehend how other elephants fair with their trainers, when what I saw was pure love and care.
Anyway, back to the movie, despite it's questionable depiction of animal treatment in the entertainment industry, this movie has some positive messages to take home. Obviously, the loudest message being that of turning negatives into positives, and taking the parts of us that drag us down and making them carry us skyward in the face of our biggest critics. However, the true nature of this story is that of unconditional love. The relationship between Dumbo and his mother is so deep and depicted so beautifully, especially considering both of them are pretty much mute the whole movie, letting their actions speak for them to tell the tale. It was pure brilliance.
The relationship all of us have with our parents is usually what shapes us the most in life, and sets the pace for who we are as we face the trials of adulthood. When Dumbo's enormous ears shot out of his head to the obnoxious amusement of the peanut gallery of Mrs. Jumbo's peers, all he was to her was perfect, and beautiful just as is. And with the help of his one true friend, he went on to shove those jeers down all those bully's throats as he flew over their heads in the big climax of the movie.
Initially, I went into this movie remembering some things that probably would bother me as an adult. One of which being the collection of black crows that teach Dumbo to fly, with their blatant racial undertones. However, after watching it, I must say, there was nothing truly negative about the characters, honestly, they helped Dumbo achieve his full potential, only after a few pokes of fun after seeing the strange sight of a elephant and mouse asleep in a tree. And also, it was a very different time we lived in when this movie was made.
The other thing I was skeptical about was the drunken rager Dumbo and Timothy Mouse go on in the "Pink Elephants" sequence. Now, this was one of my favorite scenes in the movie as a kid. I didn't see the alcohol when I was young, I thought they were both just being silly and playing with bubbles. Also, a lot of people I've talked with remember the sequence as being scary. Just goes to show you, everybody's different.
Drunk animals aside, this is a great movie. And most of the stuff I thought would bother me by today's standards were lost in the innocence of the story. It's short 64 minute length has some great long lasting messages to walk home with, and Dumbo himself is probably the cutest animated animal ever to grace the silver screen. Definitely rewatch this, and get ready to cheer for a flying elephant.