Dumbo

Release Date: October 23, 1941

Dumbo was a lifesaver for Walt's studio. It is the shortest of all the studio's animated films--just barely lasting over an hour. The shorter movie meant it was cheaper to make, and it didn't take as long as other recent endeavors. It paid off, and the movie brought some much needed cashflow to the studio. After a few movies in a row that didn't bring in a lot of income, Dumbo was the hit Walt needed! It had such an impact that it was slated to be on the cover of TIME magazine. This was changed at the last minute, with the bombing at Pearl Harbor rightfully replacing the movie as the top story.

It wasn't just the audiences who enjoyed this movie; the people who worked on the movie had a lot of fun with it too! The Pink Elephants on Parade scene is a masterpiece of animated brilliance. It is a bizarre scene, but the fluidity of the action is a testament to the animators' skill. Skill in animation can also be seen in the use of shadows in the film, the dancing crows, and more.

The music is also memorable. In fact, the movie won the academy award for the best score, and Baby Mine was nominated for best song that year. The music was written by Frank Churchill and Jack Lawrence, who were the team behind the previous movies released by Disney, as well as the hit song Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf. The songs they wrote, said to have been more of a commentary on scenes in the movie than a plot device, are memorable and helped bring a lot of the emotion into the film.

In recent years, Dumbo has become a target of controversy (along with many other films from Walt Disney's era) because of racial insensitivity. While I do not want to minimize or disregard anyone's feelings who may be offended by the scene with the crows, I recognize that the movie is a product of its time, and I can grant it grace for that. For example, the chatter among the crows is very similar to what you would hear on records by black artists at the time. I also think it's important to note that the crows are the most important characters besides Dumbo and Timothy. When Timothy explains how poorly Dumbo has been treated, the crows empathize with him because they know what it means to be an outsider. They are the ones who teach Dumbo to fly.

Dumbo deserves to be considered a Disney classic. The movie takes the viewer on a ride of emotional highs and lows. The Baby Mine scene is contrasted by the thrill of Dumbo flying around the circus tent and ultimately ending the movie in his mother's embrace. The movie emits both tears and laughter. I think most people can relate to having some sort of trait or characteristic that they dislike about themselves. But the moral of the movie can be summed up by Timothy's encouragement to Dumbo: "The very things that held you down are gonna carry you up, and up, and up!"