Dumbo 1941
I had not seen Dumbo since I was a kid, so it has been a while. This movie is still ranked very highly, but unlike Snow White and Pinocchio the animators aren’t really pushing the envelope or trying to show off so much as just create a nice piece of entertainment. Dumbo is a little more cartoony than those others rather than epic. It still works and is generally where animated movies have stayed since then (except for the pink elephants sequence which feels like a leftover from Fantasia, though it is a great piece of work). The focus instead is more on the story and characters, which is appropriate. But the movie is also quite short at just 64 minutes. In the end, it is likable, but not great. Much of the movie is a downer as Dumbo is outcast and his poor mother is locked up and it is really only at the end that there is anything to be happy about. Still, the lesson is nice that the things that make us different can also make us amazing. Maybe this one only gets a B.
Written: 18 Mar 2017
Owned on: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital