For all its striking imagery and memorable moments, it’s easy to forget that Dumbo runs about 25 minutes short of the typical 90-minute Disney runtime. Yet it never feels short, because the story of a young elephant gifted with large ears goes to remarkably creative and odd places that makes it feel more like an elongated section from Fantasia and less an entity in its own right. The film much like its titular main character is a unique animal in Disney’s vast selection of animated features, because the objective of the film seems to be more about expressing a visual aesthetic than it is about telling a story. Even so, the tale of Dumbo has plenty of good messages, like the importance of each person accepting themselves for all their talents and peculiarities, and a fantastically realized world that has remained visually stunning after 70 years and looks better now in HD than it ever has.
After months of waiting, circus elephant Jumbo’s bundle of joy finally arrives via stork, but when the baby pachyderm sneezes and reveals his huge ears, he quickly becomes the object of derision of the human spectators and other elephants, who are quick to give him the pejorative nickname “Dumbo”. When Jumbo gets fed up with abuse Dumbo’s takes at the hands of others, she lashes out and ends up in solitary confinement, leaving the young elephant to fend for himself. Luckily, the kindly Timothy O. Mouse comes along and takes notice of the ostracized Dumbo and begins planning to make him the star of the big top. A few mishaps later, and Dumbo and Timothy discover that the enormous ears that once brought Dumbo nothing but ridicule also enable him to fly, making him the talk of the town.
There’s no denying that an emphasis on morality is the only thing separating Timothy O. Mouse from being a direct copy of Jiminy Cricket, but the context the story makes for him lets the audience bypass that nagging thought quite easily. Nor does it help that Edward Brophy, who plays Timothy, seems to be making a conscious effort to channel Cliff Edwards, who played Jiminy. Whether it was a conscious decision on the part of the filmmakers, who were trying to recover from Fantasia and Pinocchio which underperformed at the box office, or Brophy, the fact of the matter is Timothy O. Mouse isn’t one of Disney’s more clever animated creations, but without him Dumbo wouldn’t have had the drive to get from start to finish that it does since protagonist is a silent character who expresses everything through his eyes and ears.
“The very things that kept you down are going to carry you up! Up!” – Timothy O. Mouse
The mindset embodied by Timothy’s statement above might be one of the best any parent or film can impart upon a child: the things you hate about yourself can just as easily become your strengths. It’s the ultimate message to reverse the self-confidence eroding playground chatter that every kid goes through and it’s delivered in such a simple but beautifully told story.
It’s been covered ad nauseum ever since people started viewing Disney movies with a critical lens for historical messages, but considering the role the crows play at the climactic realization of Dumbo’s knack for flying, it’s hard to ignore the overtly racist caricatures they represent, especially since the official name of the lead crow is Jim. Oh, historical insensitivity, what fun you were.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The 70th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray comes packed with a remarkable number of extras that should prove quite exhausting on the topic of a 64-minute animated feature. For Dumbo fans, the best extras are easily the previously unreleased deleted scene and the never-before-heard song by Timothy O. Mouse “Are You a Man or a Mouse”, originally slated to come after Dumbo’s big embarrassment at the hands of the clowns, and a solid 30-minute production featurette on the realization of Dumbo, “Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo”. "Taking Flight" illuminates the circumstances surrounding the creation of Dumbo and offers a bit of insight into why it mirrors Pinocchio and Fantasia in ways. Furthermore, it’s interesting to hear so many Disney animators talk about this comparatively short film as perhaps the pinnacle of classic Disney animation, an argument with plenty of merit. Art galleries and a promo look at Disneyland’s Dumbo ride mark the end of the Blu-ray exclusive features.
Everything else comes off of the previously released DVD version including “Celebrating Dumbo”, Walt Disney’s TV intro for Dumbo, a sound design short from The Reluctant Dragon, trailers, the animated shorts “Elmer Elephant” and “The Flying Mouse”, and two interactive games. The back of the box claims there’s an audio commentary, but good luck finding it as switching between the English audio tracks and scouring the options didn’t reveal one anywhere.
"Dumbo" is on sale September 20, 2011 and is rated G. Animation, Children & Family, Musical. Directed by Ben Sharpsteen, Bill Roberts, Jack Kinney, Samuel Armstrong, Wilfred Jackson, Norman Ferguson. Written by Joe Grant & Dick Huemer (screen story), Otto Englander (story direction). Starring Cliff Edwards, Edward Brophy, James Baskett, Herman Bing.
