DUMBO

1941, Walt Disney Pictures

Animation

Rating: G

Approx. 64 mins.

THE STORY:

Mrs. Jumbo waits and waits for the stork to bring her bundle of joy, and when he does she is shocked to find that her baby has huge ears. Although she loves her new son unconditionally, the other elephants in the circus troupe are cruel in their comments. They shun Dumbo when his mother is quarantined for trying to defend him from an intrusive public. Only Timothy Q. Mouse befriends the baby elephant, helping him find a special skill that will make him valuable to the circus. This turns out to be flying.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  None

VIOLENCE:

•  The scene where Dumbo's mother is subdued is a bit scary for younger viewers

TEACHING POINTS:

•   Celebrate difference in others and yourself
•   Believe in yourself and you can achieve amazing things

THE UPSHOT:

Those so inclined can find plenty of subtext to read into this movie, particularly related to issues of racism and segregation. The adult circus elephants dislike Dumbo because he is different-- he doesn't look like them, so they cast nothing but negative aspersions on his character and intelligence. The circus clowns are equally dismissive, stating that elephants don't have feelings. The black crows are initially quick to point out that Dumbo and the mouse do not belong in their neck of the woods. The circus animals are treated fairly cruelly, being whipped and forced to do heavy labour alongside what appear to be black labourers.

On the plus side, the movie has a strong anti-bullying message. Also, it is short and has little dialogue, which makes it good for youngsters with short attention spans. The exception to this would be the "Pink Elephants on Parade" musical sequence which requires kids to understand the concept of drunkenness and to have the fortitude to sit through about 5 minutes of very surreal animation. It reminded the adult in the room of the Dali dream sequence from Spellbound. The 5 year-old in the room just wanted to know when it would be over.

I would recommend it for socio-historical reasons as much as any other. 

3/5