Dumbo - Review

One of my earliest memories was when I was about three or four years old living in my old house. I distinctly remember my father coming home from work and calling my sister and me to meet him in the living room. He had in his hand two VHS tapes. One was The Little Mermaid, the other was Dumbo. A random gift for his children on a summers day with a couple of Disney movies. So Dumbo has always been a part of my life for as long as I remember.

As for the actual movie, what do I remember about it the most? Two particular songs, "Song of the Roustabouts" and "Pink Elephants on Parade." Why do I remember these songs so well from way back in my childhood? Simple. Those two moments of this film were the fuel of my nightmares for many years of my childhood.

As a matter of fact, this whole film is littered with crazy imagery and a somewhat creepy sound. As soon as the film begins with the circus-themed credits and the narrator talking about Mr. Stork while a thunderstorm ensues in the background, you get an offputting vibe that quite frankly terrified me as a child. But for some reason, I would always want to keep watching. It wasn't one of those films that were so frightening that I had to turn it off and run into my bedroom and hide under the covers. I always stuck through it and watched it with wide-eyed curiosity.

Watching it back now as an adult and in preparation for the live-action Tim Burton film coming out soon, I can really appreciate the strange imagery even more. Now, I am not condoning the act of taking drugs, but for all you stoners out there, this might be the movie to watch while you're high as a kite because of the bizarre nature of this circus that Disney has created.

At the center of this madhouse of a circus is an elephant named Jumbo Jr. He is quickly referred to as Dumbo because of his birth "defect", which are his abnormally large ears. Because of his large ears, he quickly becomes the laughing stock of the circus. Not only do the other elephants and even guests at the circus make fun of him, but he is turned into a clown at the circus and his mother is taken away from him for trying to protect him. He befriends a circus mouse and from there, things just happen around them and we experience it alongside Dumbo and his friend mouse.

In terms of story, it's extremely basic. Just your run of the mill ugly duckling story. But what makes Dumbo worth a watch is the world that Disney has created to surround Dumbo. Dumbo himself doesn't even speak, he just walks around looking cute and curious about what is going on around him. Although extremely simple, we do end up relating to Dumbo because we are just as bewildered as he is about all the crazy antics going on around him.

Sometimes that is all you need. Dumbo covers the basics of having a character that we care about and like, a story that although extremely basic, is easy to understand and easy to get behind Dumbo on his little adventure. On top of that, the animation department gives us great, although bizarre, imagery to watch. Mix it all together and you have a Disney classic that is always an enjoyable time to revisit.

Also, I understand now that the crows could be considered racist. However, as someone who doesn't know any better, I thought they were the coolest characters in the movie. They have a great song, funny personalities, I loved them. Does that me racist? I don't know. I liked the characters. That is all.