Dumbo

Dumbo is a good movie with a reasonably well developed plot and a stellar voice cast. It is a very sweet, fun film for the whole family to enjoy, just running over an hour, it's quick and very easy to follow, but you will also find yourself very connected to these characters, the adorable elephant, the witty mouse, the charismatic crows, it's a great ride. However, the plot is slim, there is little story, we mainly follow Dumbo as he learns how to fly, but nothing really happens, in comparison to Disney's two films prior to this, Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio, development is thin. The film certainly should have focused on Dumbo's relationship with his mother, it was the only part that had any real depth or emotion, and I think it could have been very effective had it been scoped more. It's certainly not flawless, but Dumbo is a fun hour for the whole family, some unforgettable work by Disney.

A elephant who is ridiculed for his huge ears soon gains the ability to fly with them, making him a popular circus act.

Best Performance: Edward Brophy

This is clearly one of the great animated features of all time. How it squeaks by with a mere 7.4 voter average while all sorts of contemporary crap does far better is a mystery and a tribute to the downward spiral in cinematic taste. DUMBO is my favorite of all the classic Disney films (a group which ends with JUNGLE BOOK, completed after Walt's death). Nothing since then has been able to recapture the magic. Walt may have been, according to some people, a fascist and an anti-Semite, but he was also a genius.

Things that make this movie great:

The animation (I used to work at a zoo, and while the real elephants did little talking or singing the animators captured their body language incredibly well.)

"Pink Elephants on Parade".

Effective but not over-the-top heartstring tugging.

The musical crow number ("When I See an Elephant Fly"). I'm disappointed to discover the voice actors (Including Cliff Edwards, "Ukelele Ike" and the voice of Jiminy Cricket) were white guys playing black --- I was hoping they were some cool unknown black combo --- but it's a terrific number anyway.

The 64 minute running time. It starts, tells it's simple story, then knows when the hell to get off the stage. I wish more film makers had that ability.

Disney had spent vastly more money than he'd planned on "Pinnochio" and "Fantasia", and got little of it back. "Dumbo", next off the rank, was made cheaply, quickly, without fuss. The result is simple but handsome. However handsome "Dumbo" looks, the animation is not very detailed, character design is hardly adventurous, the colours are few but bright, and in an hour it's over. It needn't be more than this, though: the story is far from complicated. It is, I'll admit, a story that has made me cry more than once; and in this instance I don't feel that I've been cheated into crying, because there really is something poignant and heartbreaking about this ugly duckling variant.

Like Hans Andersen, Disney has to pad the outfit a bit to make it fill the space available; yet, with the exception of the introductory bit with the storks, it doesn't feel like padding. In fact the most gratuitous piece of padding is the most necessary. I refer to the pink elephants sequence: a masterpiece of extended unreality (caused by such a tiny quantity of champagne!) which dazzles and sizzles and all but soars out of the screen. It's the sting in Dumbo's tail, and nothing produced since can match its verve.

I used to LOVE this film when I was little and then, like most other kids' films I forgot about it. However, the other night I was babysitting until 3.30am and to keep awake I invaded the family's video collection. On watching Dumbo, I was as moved as ever, but also reminded of what a scary and shadowy film it is. My brother had to be guided out of the cinema, crying with his hands over his eyes, when he saw it, and that says a lot for a kids' film. The use of shadows and silhouettes is widespread and the weather is largely rainy and stormy. I can remember being scared during the scene when the train is travelling through the stormy night and particularly when the men (all black, I notice) are building the Big Top. The Pink Elephants sequence is imaginative and impressive for adults but imagine watching it as a kid - it's pretty scary. It's strange to have a film where the main character, title character even, doesn't actually talk, but I suppose there's nothing for him to say, his actions and expressions say it all. The treatment of Dumbo's mother always gets me, particularly the beautiful and haunting "Baby Mine" scene. However, through all the sadness and sinisterness, the heart of the film shines through, and it's a beautiful one with a wonderful message.

Dumbo for me is a mini- masterpiece, with beautiful animation, an inspiring message and the sweetest elephant on screen. Dumbo is an elephant born with big ears, but who cares? True beauty comes from within. Dumbo's mother was like Bambi's mother, wise and memorable, and like Dumbo, misunderstood. The song "Baby of Mine" is so sad, that I always cry when I see this film because of it, Casey Jnr is very rousing and having a good laugh during "Seen an Elephant Fly". In regard to the crows, I saw nothing racist about them, they are stereotypical yes in a sense but in a positive way. Timothy the mouse is also memorable, a bit like Dumbo's conscience in a sense. For me, the highlight was Dumbo's dream, with the elephants dancing(a bit unrealistic but very imaginative), with ballet-like incidental music towards the end. I found the song "Elephants on Parade" catchy and I love how trippy the whole sequence is. In conclusion, I rejoiced when Dumbo conquered his fears, when it looked impossible. Great idea, Disney, about the flying elephant, although Don Bluth used a similar idea 50 years later for Pebble and the Penguin. A beautiful film, 10/10 Bethany Cox