The shortest all-animated feature Disney ever made and my only regret is that it's not just a few minutes longer and that Dumbo's new-found success is illustrated only by three newspaper headlines when a few shots of Dumbo being chased by adoring fans or handing out autographs would have been most welcome. However, that's purely a personal opinion. Most people love the film exactly the way it is. And (aside from wishing it were just that mite longer), I do too.Oddly, my enthusiasm for Dumbo is a new-born thing. Many times I saw it as a child. I enjoyed the gossipy elephants ("Listen, girls, have I got a trunk-full of dirt?"), but I found many aspects of the film too grotesque for enjoyment - Dumbo himself; the clowns; particularly the "Pink Elephants"; even the circus train. As an adult, I enjoy these characters enormously. I revel in the inventiveness and wit of the drawing, I applaud the innovations of a more abstract, less formal Disney, I enjoy the polish and sophistication, the sly humor and satiric edge of the dialogue. Most of all, I gambol deliriously along with the songs, so consistently clever in lyrics ("I've seen a peanut stand, I've heard a diamond ring, but I've never seen an elephant fly!") and so catchily scored, who could resist?The answer is - children. If ever Disney made a cartoon that will appeal mostly to adults, Dumbo is it. No wonder Bosley Crowther went overboard in praise (all of it justly deserved)! No wonder Dumbo made the New York Times Ten Best Films of 1941.Admittedly, there are many grotesque elements in Disney's other feature cartoons which would repulse, terrify or antagonize children. Normally these are counter¬balanced by an overdose of moralizing, by dreary stretches of sweetness and light. But Dumbo is uncompromisingly pragmatic. Its view of self-seeking self-fulfillment is undiluted by sentiment, strengthened by satire. Aside from Timothy Q. Mouse, the stork, Mrs Jumbo and Dumbo himself, the human and animal characters are either malicious (the elephants) or venal (the clowns, the ring¬master). Of the "good" characters, the stork is too earnestly stupid and Mrs Jumbo too possessively simple-minded to elicit much sympathy - and even Timothy and Dumbo are often viewed primarily as simple figures of fun.No child could appreciate the gentle mockery of Dumbo in which clowns are presented as an uncomfortable mirror image of adults, and cartoon children are unflinchingly drawn as loutish brats.From a technical viewpoint, Dumbo represents the Disney craftsmen at the apex of their powers. From the timing of the visual gags to the swift editing of the fall of the pachyderms, from the brilliant atmosphere and color of the backgrounds and effects to the faultless dubbing of voice and song, from the clever characterizations of humans, animals and train to the amusing artistry of inventive surrealism on parade, Dumbo is a masterpiece.

The Disney Studio reached its peak with PINOCCHIO and FANTASIA. Both of these films are generally considered to be the pinnacle of animation and for good reason. The artists went all out with visual lushness, elaborate use of the multiplane camera, and extensive special effects. Yet, the timing of the production and release of those films could not have been worse. WWII and economic setbacks caused both films to lose money at the box office. This led Walt to produce a film on a modest budget to recoup the costs.When comparing DUMBO to the films that preceded it, one can see that the lushness is not there. However, lushness doesn't equate to an excellent film. And without a big budget, DUMBO is a showcase of what a Disney film was all about; solid storytelling with solid character animation. Although very few other animation studios at that time had the budgets to produce a film like PINOCCHIO, they're films almost never elicited an emotional response from audiences like a Disney film did. And with a modest budget, DUMBO has stood the test of time as a prime example of that.There has been some controversy in recent decades regarding the crows that befriend Dumbo. I don't question why modern viewers may object to the stereotyped depiction, but it's never made sense to me why DUMBO has been readily available for decades on home video when SONG OF THE SOUTH has not. Both films have characters rooted in derogatory stereotypes (i.e. the head crow's name is Jim Crow, but his name isn't uttered in the film). I haven't seen a consistency with the stance on political correctness.Although not having the lushness of PINOCCHIO, DUMBO is often cited as one of Disney's greatest films.

This is maybe the shortest Disney feature-length animated film, with only sixty-four minutes run-time. Therefore, as you can imagine, the story in it is rather simple. Not only that, the plot is also predictable in the sense that it is just a story that a down-on-his-luck protagonist works all his way up and finally makes it. However, the animation, although uncomplicated, is truly amazing. The titular character Dumbo is one of the most influential animated characters of all time. Also, the parade sequence of the pink elephants is pretty impressive.

Dumbo, as dark as it got, would most certainly be the type of film to benefit from a Tim Burton re-imagining. Talking about the original, Baby Mine and Pink Elephants on Parade are the two best moments in my experience, but other than Mrs. Jumbo's outburst leading to her incarceration, that is about as memorable as it gets for this film. I can only vaguely remember the Crows and their motivational speech, or the awe that we experienced when Dumbo started flying like a jumbo jet. The characters are fairly forgettable, but the animation on them is exciting and even creative in terms of the pink elephant hallucinations. Upon hearing rumors that a live-action Dumbo was coming out within a few years, I realized that yes, Tim Burton could give some improvement to the characters and also give the visuals a boost. The original is well worth your time, though my expectations were only slightly exceeded.