Dumbo (1941)
Supervising Director: Ben Sharpsteen
Starring: Edward Brophy (uncredited)
Honors:
To say Walt Disney Pictures takes a step back in excellence would be
misleading, because taking a step back in quality still far surpasses what any
other animation studio in the world could do in 1941. Yet for Walt Disney standards
this picture takes a step back in animation quality, but continues to produce
what is considered an all-time classic animated feature film. A humble picture
about a baby circus elephant, Dumbo
was a “stop gap” picture made on the cheap to help bring in revenue for a
studio that was hurting from their previous prestige picture box office
shortcomings. Although it takes steps back from the masterpiece works from the
prior animation marvels, this film touched the cores of audiences with a heart of
love between mother and child.
Dumbo is an animated feature
about an innocent child circus elephant whose oversized ears, an aspect that
made him the center of ridicule, turn into a secret talent that makes him
literally rise above everyone that teased him. The newest bundle of joy added
to the pack of circus elephants is little Jumbo Jr. whose oversized ears bring
him many taunts from fellow circus animals and human onlookers, giving him the
cruel new nickname of “Dumbo.” When his mother, Mrs. Jumbo, loses her tempter in
protection of Dumbo she is separated from her child. Alone, shaken, and still
attempting to understand the world surrounding him Dumbo’s only friend is a
streetwise mouse named Timothy (voiced by Edward Brophy), who acts as mentor
and protector for the innocent elephant. With the help of Timothy Dumbo learns
of his ears’ aerodynamic qualities, and with a gentle push of confidence turns
little Dumbo into the massive celebrity where he and his Mother would live far
more comfortable lives.
The feature, and a short feature at that running just over an hour in
length, is an episodic tale that takes audiences on a journey reminding viewers
of the innocence of childhood and the coming of age to discover one’s own
talents. Dumbo is a tender children’s
movie with true heart containing moments that can make parents weep. Its dual
perspectives manifests the world through the eyes of a child, and at the same
time from a parent, making this humble film powerfully impactful for viewers
depending on when they watch it at certain
points in their lives. As a child this picture can manifest how one builds
confidence and grow to become something great, while for parents it stirs up
the feeling of being protective for their little ones from the cruel world that
lies beyond their embrace.
In this world of semi-anthropomorphic animals that can talk to each
other we are shown something very human, a love between a mother and child, as
well as the inherent spitefulness from others simply for small things that make
one unique from everyone else. This film through the spectrum of bright colors
and silly characters creates emotions and experiences that near everyone can
relate to in their lives as one grew up to discover the world’s ugliness. The
more mature audiences can relate to the horrors of a parent that is at times
unable to protect their children from the harm that will ultimately come to their
children at some point as they grow and learn.
Dumbo for Walt Disney
Pictures was a result of a period at the company forever changed the studio
that had revolutionized the animation industry in part to change in the world
and within the studio walls. Losing much of the lucrative European markets due
to the outbreak of World War II Disney took upon great loses at the box office,
a Walt understood that he needed to produce a low cost picture to release with
a better hope of higher profits despite his ever high standards from his
products. Walt Disney was a quality-first producer and his smash premiere hit
with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
he continued to dream larger with Pinocchio
and his more artfully produced picture Fantasia.
Sadly World War II cut off many profit opportunities overseas and his later two
pictures released to loses.
Disney saw that he needed money to help save the leaking ship that was
his studio as the war was going to continue to hurt his box office numbers.
Disney chose Dumbo as his next feature
to be made quickly and cheaply to somewhat grasp for the low hanging fruit of
the American movie market, appealing to those that enjoyed the animation of
their short subjects mixed with the heart of their feature films.
Under the supervision of director Ben Sharpsteen Dumbo was produced with most the studio’s short subject animators
working a quick pace. The idea was to get the picture produced quickly to get
out into theaters as soon as possible drumming up finances to keep the studio
afloat. Following the styles of the shorts costs of this feature was cut down
from the likes of Snow White or Pinocchio to be the cheapest feature of
the studio’s then quartet of films. Instead of oil based paints, water colors
were used for background layouts. Fewer in-between animation cells were made
for the film. Details were cut down as characters and background were more
general, once again, like their short subjects. This is not to say that Dumbo was not well animated, as Disney’s
animated cartoons far outdid their nearest competition. However, Disney has
manifested that they were capable of finer detailed animation, but had chosen
to do less which plays well for this talking animal picture.
The studio’s second substantial hiccup in production was an animators’
strike. Walt Disney enjoyed the comradery among his studio employees and
relished the work that he and his staff produced, seeing work as a form of
achievement and not as much as toiling labor for the enjoyment of padding his
personal pocketbook. However Walt’s employees were interested in organizing,
much like the rest of Hollywood at the time, which Walt was very much against.
Upset over Disney’s unwillingness to listen to his workforce the animators went
on strike which deeply effected how Walt felt about his employees. It was a
painful several weeks for Walt as he tried to keep the studio working with
those willing to pass through the picket lines, as it left Walt greatly jaded and
disheartened as if his own children disowned him.
Despite finally coming to a peace with the striking animators and Walt’s
control over all of his studio’s future, his presence among his workforce would
be a bit more separated as the studio lost the “family feel” that he so loved.
Walt came out of the strike stressed and angry, ultimately leading to a near
nervous breakdown years later. Legend has it that the clowns in Dumbo caricatured his striking
animators, possibly physically, but more verbally as they look to “hit the boss
for a raise.”
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| Dumbo with Timothy Mouse. |
Much like Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs or the short subjects the voice cast of Dumbo would be uncredited for the feature. However the cast would
contain a short list of wonderful, but seldom known talents in motion pictures.
With Dumbo as well as his mother
being primarily mute characters it would be the ancillary or supporting cast of
characters that would provide the dialoged. Timothy Mouse, who is somewhat the
Jiminy Cricket of this feature, was voiced by Edward Brophy, a comedic actor
whose days go back to working alongside of Buster Keaton and whose small
stature and distinct voice made him relate to the small sized mouse. The voice
of Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio would
be heard, but most would not know it, as Cliff Edwards appears at the lead
member of the crows that provide Dumbo the “magic feather” that helps him fly. Verna
Felton would be a voice talent used by Disney for years appearing as the
ostentatious, motherly elephant that is the self-appointed leader of all the
pachyderms at this circus.
As Disney completed Dumbo and
readied it for release distributor RKO voiced their unhappiness with the film’s
length, which was a mere 64 minutes. Demanding the addition of more content to
the feature or the editing down the product to make it a short subject Disney
stood its ground that Dumbo was a
feature film. RKO eventually relented.
Dumbo opened to largely
favorable reviews, with critics noting the familiar animation, solid story, and
colorful characters as positives. The biggest negative would be the running time
with certain audiences. With its low cost and strong box office numbers Dumbo was the highest grossing Disney
picture in all of the 1940s, a decade of struggle for the studio greatly
hindered by the war. The feature would be honored with an Academy Award for
Best Score in a musical picture and years later in 1947, after the conclusion
of the war, as the film ran during the 2nd Cannes Film Festival were
it was awarded Best Animation Design.
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| The controversial crows. |
Like many earlier Disney feature films Dumbo comes with its bit of controversy. Aside from the animators’
strike which is possibly poked at the feature itself, movie viewers see Dumbo as a film with bit of political
incorrectness. Near the end of the feature Dumbo and Timothy meet a group of
crows that at first poke fun at the contrasting duo before aiding our heroes.
It is noted that these crows are caricatures of African Americans, primarily
through the way they speak. The leader, played by Cliff Edwards, is commonly
referred to a “Jim Crow,” a direct reference to the racial segregation laws
used after the Civil War and into the 20th century. Although to
audiences of the 1940s these characters did not offend many, after all they end
up as helpful friends of Dumbo, later years audiences had voiced their
displeasure of Disney’s characters here. Unlike what Disney had done to themselves
with Song of the South or the segment
in Fantasia featuring an
African-American caricature, where the company had removed these produces in
self-censorship years later, Dumbo has been kept intact. Perhaps this was done so because of the
character’s importance to the story and the extremely short run time.
The film’s sequence commonly referred to “Pink elephants on parade,”
where a drunken Dumbo hallucinates psychedelic images of elephants dancing and
performing various over-stylizing actions is a scene that appears to be well
out of place in the feature. Although the piece as a standalone segment is fascinating
and creative piece of animation, it stands out of place compared to the rest of
the feature. However, years later certain audiences would become fond of using
recreational mind altering drugs while viewing this segment to add to effect of
the drugs, becoming somewhat an underground favorite segment in Disney lore.
Through time Dumbo has been
considered a Disney classic, although a second rate classic. Dumbo has a presence in all of Disney’s
Magic Kingdom themes parks a simple children’s spinner ride, but other than the
aspect of a flying elephant few know much else of the story. Dumbo would be, along with 1951’s Alice in Wonderland the first Disney
animated features to play of television, once again probably because of its run
time, as well as one of the first to be released on home video. Dumbo would be a memorable character,
but a forgotten film as a whole. Disney still uses the cute image of the flying
elephant to carry on the appearance of family entertainment, but the film is
overlooked for it actual creativity which is always worth a second look.
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