1940 came to a close. Both Pinocchio and Fantasia lost money at the box office, in large part due to the European Market being cut off because of WWII. Nevertheless, both films cost a fortune to make and neither did the business that Snow White did. Walt realized that they needed a low budget film that could make a huge profit at the box office. But in order to grab the audiences attention, the film would need to have an emotional simplicity and a truly deep message while bringing a story fun for all ages to see. The result was the heartwarming tale of Dumbo, the fourth movie ever released by the Walt Disney Studios. And while the film doesn't break any technical barriers, the film is an emotional achievement no film they had made prior could achieve, and would only achieve again very sparingly in the future.Plot: The stork comes to a traveling circus, dropping off newborn babies to all of the circus performers, even Mrs. Jumbo, and elephant who had to wait a little longer for her bundle of joy. When her baby boy comes out of it's sack, the other elephants are ecstatic, that is until the baby sneezes and reveals that he has huge ears. The other elephants mock him for this, but Mrs. Jumbo loves her son either way, despite having to deal with her son being called "Dumbo". When one child goes too far in making fun of Dumbo, Mrs. Jumbo retaliates and is locked away. As Dumbo is shunned by the rest of the circus, he finds a friend in a mouse named Timothy, who tries to help Dumbo free his mother from jail.
After a failed attempt, the Ringmaster makes Dumbo perform with the clowns, which makes Dumbo feel even more down than before. This prompts Timothy to take Dumbo to see his mother. After their very emotional visit, Timothy and Dumbo get unintentionally drunk and wind up somehow atop a tree in the view of several (somewhat racist) crows. The crows initially mock Timothy for thinking Dumbo flew up, but after hearing Dumbo's story, decide to help him fly. To their amazement, Dumbo does fly and becomes a legend at the circus. His mother is freed and Dumbo becomes the gateway attraction at the circus.
What's Bad?: The only complaint I have about the film is how short it was. This is the shortest non-package project film, at only 63 minutes. I guess there really wasn't much more story to tell outside of getting the mother out of her cell, so it probably works. It isn't the worst short movie that could have been longer (see Bambi).
What's Good?: The rest of the film is just good. It isn't spectacular like the first three films were, but it also wasn't supposed to be. The film's highlight is the emotional relationship between Dumbo and his mother. It was the first time that Disney had worked in a real tear-jerkingly emotional relationship, a formula they would reuse countless times in the future.
As for the rest of the film, which is still pretty good by Disney's standards, it's kind of good but more okay than anything else. The characters are pretty decent, the songs are okay, and the animation is still amazing.
Overall: The film is emotional simplicity working it's wonders. This is an easy choice for your child's first movie or for even just a story you all could watch together. It's a fun film and a truly moving piece. Well done, Disney.
Report Card:
Hero: B+
Heroine: A-
Side Characters: B
Villain: N/A
Songs: B
Musical Score: B
Animation: A
Special Effects: B-
Theme: A+
Story: B
Overall: B+
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