 Dumbo Review
Theme Song by Brian Setzer and owned by Walt Disney Records
In the late 1930s and early 1940s with the Walt Disney Studio developing major projects like Pinocchio, Fantasia and Bambi the studio resources were stretched pretty thin and the money was really tight. So for the next film Walt decided to make a much smaller film in scale and ambition. It told a simple and charming story that to this day still captivates audiences with its sweetness, charm and simplicity. Ladies and Gentlemen this is Dumbo!
STORY
Do I really need to explain the story? We all know it right? Well for the 0.5 of you that don’t know Dumbo is about this baby circus elephant that is born with huge ears and is often teased not only by his fellow animals, but humans as well. After being abused like a sideshow circus freak Dumbo makes a friend ironically in a mouse named Timothy (elephants being afraid of mice is just a myth, but whatever). After a night of drunken frivolity and an acid trip Timothy and Dumbo wake up in a tree and Timothy wonders how they got there and comes to the conclusion that Dumbo while intoxicated flew up there using his ears as wings. To test Timothy’s theory  he along with a group of swingin’ crows help Dumbo get a head start and the trick works and Dumbo flies much to the astonishment of the crows. When he flies again in front of the circus he immediately makes headlines and becomes a star and gets the acceptance of everyone. It’s the classic underdog story and embracing the things that make us special and different. It’s a solid and simple story that everyone can relate to on one level or another.
CHARACTERS
I like the characters, they’re all charming and likeable. Timothy is full of energy and charm, the crows are cool (and NOT racist), even the other lady elephants that are complete jerks they’re kind of likeable jerks because of how distinct and how well written and acted their personalities are. Now for the title character himself. Dumbo is a really special character because he’s 100% silent (the hiccup doesn’t count) not even WALLE was completely silent! In a world of loud, and bombastic characters with flashy sleek 3D the fact that a completely silent character can withstand the test of time is a testament to how well the animation and the story was. I find it amusing and AWESOME that Dumbo’s animator was the same guy that animated Chernabog! He went from the Devil to a cute little elephant that’s talent Ladies and Gentlemen!
MUSIC
The music of Dumbo is solid with some good songs my personal favorite is Casey Jr. and When I see an Elephant Fly. I know a lot of people love Baby Mine, but I think it’s overrated. Here are the songs to Dumbo. Music and Lyrics by Frank Churchill, Oliver Wallace and Ned Washington.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4da5IptaZE4
Apparently in the Disney Universe alcohol is a hallucinogen.
ARTISTIC PRESENTATION
The animation to Dumbo is very good. I love the animation on Dumbo to convey what he’s thinking and feeling as well as the great zaniness and awesome that is the Pink Elephants sequence! It’s so bizarre and surreal, but so awesome at the same time! It was a great way for the animators to cut loose and go crazy!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Dumbo is a fine and charming film with a lot of heart and great animation and solid characters.
VERDICT: 4 magic feathers out of 5
Well that was short. I feel like I didn’t do enough. Let’s look at something else Dumbo related!
Hmm. “Dumbo’s Circus� Let’s give that a shot!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fJOALApa3aI
15 minutes later
Interesting. Very Interesting. What? Were you expecting complete rage at this show? Well here’s the thing this was a show in the 80s people did some WEIRD stuff in the 80s some good and some bad. Another thing is this is a kiddie show! Is it good? No! But is it terrible? No! I mean this is a kiddie show it wasn’t made for me nor was it intended to. So I’m not going to rip into a kiddie show. Now you’re probably saying “What if Kingdom Hearts had a show like this? Then you’d be a hypocrite!†Okay the thing is Kingdom Hearts is a more mature and adult Disney story having themes that a child doesn’t have the necessary life experiences to understand yet. So it would be completely stupid to make KH a kiddie show and yes it would ruin the source material and be a betrayal! Another thing is Square Enix has more dignity than that and would never let that happen (They keep the campiness contained in the manga only!) and the very concept would never be suitable for that type of programming. Dumbo on the other hand is such a straightforward and simple movie there’s really no source material to bastardize. Dumbo’s Circus is its own entity completely separate from the film and should have no relation to the film. Let the kiddies enjoy the badly designed costumes and 80s cheese it’s not that demeaning or dumb it’s just the kiddie droll that makes us think “Why did I enjoy that when I was little?â€
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