For the 70th anniversary, Walt Disney Studios has released a stunning Blu-ray transfer of their 1941 masterpiece “Dumbo,” which along with a ton of fascinating extras, hits shelves today.
Most people know that between 1937 and 1942, the legendary Walt Disney released five undisputed, feature-length, animation masterpieces: “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937), “Pinocchio (1940), “Fantasia” (1940), “Dumbo” (1941), and “Bambi” (1942). What you might not know (and I didn’t until I watched the extras) is that in 1941 Disney Studios was in deep financial trouble. It’s hard to imagine today, but both “Fantasia” and Pinocchio” were box office disappointments and if the studio’s next feature failed to make up for those losses, bankruptcy was a real possibility.
Therefore, “Dumbo” was something of hail mary and for that reason the story of a flying baby elephant is notably different from its predecessors. To cut costs, the film is only 67 minutes long and the animation itself is nowhere near as rich in detail. But as someone who personally believes that limits force artistic innovation, this actually helps to explain why “Dumbo” is so special.
The economy of story is remarkable. In a little over an hour — which includes a few musical sequences that don’t even move the story (which is usually a criticism, but not in this case), the wealth of characterization and emotion is so full you don’t feel cheated in any way by the runtime. And while the animation isn’t as cutting edge as what you’ll see in “Pinocchio” or “Snow White,” the artistry more than makes up for this. Each scene and sequence is directed with dazzling imagination. You might not see each hair on Dumbo’s snout, but the rich, vibrant colors and mind-blowing set-pieces like the “Pink Elephants On Parade” make all of this a non-issue.
“Dumbo” is every inch a visual masterpiece.
Best of all, the story itself is brilliantly simple. If you’ve been conditioned by present-day Hollywood, you’re going to watch the narrative unfold and wonder when the villain will arrive to try to shut down the circus or how poor Dumbo will be exploited after the world discovers he can fly. But there’s none of that. Instead of all that clichéd filler, the story goes something like this: Dumbo is born different, ostracized for being different, separated from his mother, and other than a wise-cracking mouse — friendless. Other than the climax, that’s it and once the final notes of the Academy Award-nominated “Baby Mine” fade out, it’s a story as rich and moving as you’ll ever see.
As far as “Dumbo’s” theme, because in 2011 America we’re all conditioned to see ourselves as victims, people might mistake it as something along the lines of how we’re all “special” and that “specialness” is just waiting to get out. Man, I hope not. Because we’re not all special and any goofball who believes that is going to live an awfully lonely life waiting for all that non-existent specialness to save him from his pathetic existence.
Furthermore, Dumbo doesn’t see himself as a victim. He can’t. He’s a baby and as innocent and guileless as one. Because he doesn’t understand what’s happening to him or why, Dumbo only knows fear, sadness, and love. How can we relate to such a character? We can’t. Since it’s impossible to see ourselves as Dumbo we’re forced to empathize instead. Which is why I don’t think Disney is reaching out to the marginalized but rather to those who marginalize.
Further proof of this arrives in the third act when the black crows arrive. As expected, some look at the characterization of these crows and scream racism when the truth is the direct opposite. In 1941, racism was not only the norm, it was legalized in America and what does Disney do? He names the leader of the crows Jim Crow and makes them the most vibrant, entertaining, and intelligent characters in the film. Furthermore, they’re ridiculously cool and given the movie’s cleverest and most memorable song.
Disney isn’t stereotyping with these characterizations, he’s reflecting a jazz/jive culture that was very real in pre-World War II black America — a marginalized culture, and mainstreaming it in the most attractive of ways. That they befriend Dumbo and become the father figures and heroes who pave the road to our protagonist’s ultimate triumph is a pretty strong statement. Disney wasn’t perfect in this regard, but the criticism hurled at “Dumbo” is inane.
In the end “Dumbo” was a huge hit for Disney and all you need to do is watch the film to understand why. “Dumbo” and home video are gifts from the movie gods. We’d be fools not to take advantage
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