Dumbo (1941) - 64 Minutes

Casey Junior's comin' down the track! Here is our fourth installment in A Fabulous Year of Disney: Dumbo! You know, big ears, circus clowns, a friendly mouse, and a magic feather. There's no denying that this movie has a good message - you may be different, but honey, you are fabulous!

Eli

Rating: 9/10

Reaction: Dumbo is a movie I could watch over and over again. There is so much going on in this film, and I love almost every moment of it. Who can forget those bitchy elephants that constantly make fun of Dumbo? They are so nasty. Such gossips! And might I add dumb. But oh well, they must be jealous of the all the fame Dumbo is going to get. Then there are the clowns. Now, I don't know why being a clown is the lowest of the low when it comes to the circus. I would've thought shoveling elephant shit (yes, you mean lady elephants, I'm talking about you!) would be the worst. But clowns get a bad reputation in this movie. Sure, they may put a poor baby elephant in a burning building and make him jump into a shallow pool of some frothy substance, but they are kind of really funny throughout the movie, and they like to drink.

Speaking of drinking, I think I am one of the only people in the world who really loves Pink Elephants on Parade! It's so catchy and delightfully whacky, and the animation is really fun to watch. Most of my friends think it's terrifying, but they need to grow a pair and get a grip. They're just elephants who happen to be pink, jeez! I will say that every time I watch the Baby Mine segment where Mrs. Jumbo rocks baby Dumbo in her drunk while she's in prison, I cry a bit. There are actually quite a few tears shed by the characters in this movie. I didn't count them, cause that would be silly and time consuming, but I could guesstimate that there were about 40 tears in all. Holy moly! Good thing I haven't included my own in that figure, or it may have been double.


Regan

Rating: 9/10

Reaction: This was one of the Disney movies I haven't seen in ages, but I've always remembered loving that adorable big-eared elephant.  This movie starts by tugging on your heart strings (with storks delivering babies to all of the various circus animals) and never stops.  Dumbo's mother (Mrs. Jumbo, Jr.) is a tragic, sweet character as she strives to protect her son from all threats, be they bitchy lady elephants or gawking little boys, despite her own general impotence, until she finds herself locked in solitary confinement (with a sign on her cell saying "Mad Elephant").  Fortunately for Dumbo, a kind-hearted mouse decides to step in as father figure/mentor, scheming up ways to save Mrs. Jumbo and show the world that Dumbo's ears just make him special.  They encounter various hurdles along the way--most of them clown-related and heart breaking, since Dumbo's really good at looking extremely sad--until they discover, with the help of some Jim Crow-esque crows, that Dumbo can fly.  He shows off a little and they live happily ever after.

This is a compact and touching story from start to finish.  I got teary-eyed a couple of times, especially when Dumbo visited his mom in "jail."  The only reason I docked it a point was the pink elephant drunk dream sequence, which went on a bit too long for me.