Dumbo
Dumbo is one of Disney’s most original and beloved classics. The movie follows the life of Dumbo, an adorable, baby elephant who is born in the colorful and magical world of the circus, and who must learn to cope in an environment which is predominantly conspiring against him, simply because his appearance differs from what is accepted as normal.
Dumbo is, without a doubt, one of Disney’s most beloved and memorable characters. Because he does not speak in the movie, Dumbo is often misunderstood as being a peripheral character rather than the central protagonist, however, his lack of verbal communication has endured the passage of time because it holds true to the integrity of his character. Dumbo is not an epic hero. He is, in every sense, a child, and he possesses the qualities that a child would, the strongest being a powerful bond of love and tender affection with his mother and the most heartbreaking being the intricate layers of pain and sadness that he expresses when he is cast out for being different.
The emotional tone of Dumbo is one of the movie’s strongest attributes by far and probably one of the most powerful in any of the Disney animated films. There is not a lot of dialogue between the characters; however, the emotions that are most powerfully conveyed in the movie, particularly between Dumbo and his mother, are the ones expressed without words. A powerful example of “emotional dialogue” is a scene between Dumbo and his mother after they are separated. There are no words exchanged between mother and son, in fact, they can’t even see each other, but the audience understands perfectly every emotion that is conveyed in the scene. The audience can connect to this sequence because this is a moment that we can all identify with: Dumbo is not the epic hero in this moment, but a frightened and lonely child who desperately wants his mother to hold and comfort him.
The irony of a story like Dumbo is that sometimes, the smallest voice can have the strongest impact when advocating for a silent victim who stands alone against insurmountable persecution. For Dumbo, this voice comes in the form of his protector and friend, Timothy the circus mouse. Timothy is a brilliant character whose role in the movie is two-fold. He protects Dumbo from characters whose cruelty and lack of compassion force him to become an outcast and he not only defends the little elephant, he forces Dumbo’s adversaries to realize the truth of their malicious behavior and acknowledge that they are wrong. Timothy also helps Dumbo to recognize his own self-worth and embrace the essence of what makes him different as a positive attribute and not a negative one. This allows Dumbo to transform what once was considered to be a burden into something that may be represented as a positive and liberating gift. The proverbial “magic feather” is merely a symbol of Dumbo’s recognizing his greatest strength. The true strength this beloved character lies in Dumbo’s own heart.
There is an intimate and powerful theme in “Dumbo” that illustrates the expression of maternal love by the touching of the elephant’s trunks, and nowhere is this love shown with more sincere clarity than in the characters of baby Jumbo Jr., and his mother, Mrs. Jumbo, and the love that entwines mother and son, even when they are separated from each other. I have read that elephants are very tactile and affectionate animals, and they use their trunks to express their affection and support to other elephants. Obviously, this is particularly evident between a mother elephant and her baby, and I noticed this was true in the movie, as well.
Although Mrs. Jumbo desperately yearns for a baby of her own, reaching her trunk to the heavens; hoping that the stork will bring her a baby to hold and love, this beautiful mother is initially heartbroken when the precious bundles are all delivered and there is still no baby for her. When the animals being loaded on the circus train the following morning, the rest of the mothers all have their new offspring with them as they board the train, but Mrs. Jumbo is still yearning for her trunk to be filled with her own precious baby. Although the other elephants react like doting aunties, cooing and fawning over the new baby, their affectionate cooing turns to cruelty when they realize the size of the baby’s ears. Mrs. Jumbo deals swiftly with these bullies, and when she is finally alone with beautiful baby son, she tenderly wraps him up and snuggles him in her trunk, rocking him to sleep. When Dumbo was having a bath, she played with him and tickled him, as a mother would... and when those vile, horrible bullies (both the elephants and children) were trying to hurt her baby, this brave mother used her trunk to teach them some manners. When she was imprisoned in the cage, she couldn't reach her son to comfort him... but her motherlove was stronger than the chains, and she uses her trunk to reach through the heavy, iron bars and tenderly hold her precious child, and dry his tears, as she sings him the beautiful lullaby to comfort him. When baby Jumbo Jr. leaves with Timothy Mouse and we see his mother reaching out with her trunk again, desperately trying to reach her baby as he leaves. Then, at the end, we see Dumbo's Mommy in a special train car, just for her and Jumbo Jr., and she's hugging him and kissing him and clearly, they are happy to be together again. It’s beautiful.
Another example of emotional dialogue comes when Jumbo Jr. meets Timothy the circus mouse. While Timothy is not little Jumbo Jr.’s mother, he is the only one to show the lonely little elephant kindness and friendship after his mother is taken away from him. When Timothy first approaches the baby elephant after the other elephants have rejected him, Jumbo Jr. initially withdraws his trunk from Timothy, scared that he is another bully come to torment him. When Timothy tries to bribe Jumbo Jr. to come out from his hiding place, Jumbo initially uses his trunk to eat the peanut Timothy offers, while still hiding, but when he realizes that Timothy is a friend who he can trust and who can possibly help him get his mother back, Jumbo Jr. uses his trunk to stop Timothy and accept his friendship and help and then, he holds Timothy’s tail with his trunk, as he would do with his mother.
The essence of what makes Dumbo so attractive is derived from the simplistic charm of a well-told story and a character that children and adults alike can identify with. Ever since I was a child, I have had a very deep love for Disney movies, and Dumbo has always been one of my favorites. Since Disney recently released this beloved classic from the Disney vault, I have had the opportunity to relive its timeless story and simplistic, magical charm. Time has not diminished this movie in the least. The newly restored edition of Dumbo only serves to perfect one of Disney’s most vibrant, animated masterpieces. The songs add emotional depth to the story and allow the audience a moment of childhood nostalgia as they revisit their favorite scenes. The animation is some of the most unique and creative that Disney has ever done in terms of its characters and its simplistic style. The heartwarming story and the timeless characters only serve to breathe new life to the movie as I watch them through the eyes of an adult. This movie is definitely one that both children and adults can fall in love with.
© 2024 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
© 2024 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Dumbo is one of Disney’s most original and beloved classics. The movie follows the life of Dumbo, an adorable, baby elephant who is born in the colorful and magical world of the circus, and who must learn to cope in an environment which is predominantly conspiring against him, simply because his appearance differs from what is accepted as normal.
Dumbo is, without a doubt, one of Disney’s most beloved and memorable characters. Because he does not speak in the movie, Dumbo is often misunderstood as being a peripheral character rather than the central protagonist, however, his lack of verbal communication has endured the passage of time because it holds true to the integrity of his character. Dumbo is not an epic hero. He is, in every sense, a child, and he possesses the qualities that a child would, the strongest being a powerful bond of love and tender affection with his mother and the most heartbreaking being the intricate layers of pain and sadness that he expresses when he is cast out for being different.
The emotional tone of Dumbo is one of the movie’s strongest attributes by far and probably one of the most powerful in any of the Disney animated films. There is not a lot of dialogue between the characters; however, the emotions that are most powerfully conveyed in the movie, particularly between Dumbo and his mother, are the ones expressed without words. A powerful example of “emotional dialogue” is a scene between Dumbo and his mother after they are separated. There are no words exchanged between mother and son, in fact, they can’t even see each other, but the audience understands perfectly every emotion that is conveyed in the scene. The audience can connect to this sequence because this is a moment that we can all identify with: Dumbo is not the epic hero in this moment, but a frightened and lonely child who desperately wants his mother to hold and comfort him.
The irony of a story like Dumbo is that sometimes, the smallest voice can have the strongest impact when advocating for a silent victim who stands alone against insurmountable persecution. For Dumbo, this voice comes in the form of his protector and friend, Timothy the circus mouse. Timothy is a brilliant character whose role in the movie is two-fold. He protects Dumbo from characters whose cruelty and lack of compassion force him to become an outcast and he not only defends the little elephant, he forces Dumbo’s adversaries to realize the truth of their malicious behavior and acknowledge that they are wrong. Timothy also helps Dumbo to recognize his own self-worth and embrace the essence of what makes him different as a positive attribute and not a negative one. This allows Dumbo to transform what once was considered to be a burden into something that may be represented as a positive and liberating gift. The proverbial “magic feather” is merely a symbol of Dumbo’s recognizing his greatest strength. The true strength this beloved character lies in Dumbo’s own heart.
There is an intimate and powerful theme in “Dumbo” that illustrates the expression of maternal love by the touching of the elephant’s trunks, and nowhere is this love shown with more sincere clarity than in the characters of baby Jumbo Jr., and his mother, Mrs. Jumbo, and the love that entwines mother and son, even when they are separated from each other. I have read that elephants are very tactile and affectionate animals, and they use their trunks to express their affection and support to other elephants. Obviously, this is particularly evident between a mother elephant and her baby, and I noticed this was true in the movie, as well.
Although Mrs. Jumbo desperately yearns for a baby of her own, reaching her trunk to the heavens; hoping that the stork will bring her a baby to hold and love, this beautiful mother is initially heartbroken when the precious bundles are all delivered and there is still no baby for her. When the animals being loaded on the circus train the following morning, the rest of the mothers all have their new offspring with them as they board the train, but Mrs. Jumbo is still yearning for her trunk to be filled with her own precious baby. Although the other elephants react like doting aunties, cooing and fawning over the new baby, their affectionate cooing turns to cruelty when they realize the size of the baby’s ears. Mrs. Jumbo deals swiftly with these bullies, and when she is finally alone with beautiful baby son, she tenderly wraps him up and snuggles him in her trunk, rocking him to sleep. When Dumbo was having a bath, she played with him and tickled him, as a mother would... and when those vile, horrible bullies (both the elephants and children) were trying to hurt her baby, this brave mother used her trunk to teach them some manners. When she was imprisoned in the cage, she couldn't reach her son to comfort him... but her motherlove was stronger than the chains, and she uses her trunk to reach through the heavy, iron bars and tenderly hold her precious child, and dry his tears, as she sings him the beautiful lullaby to comfort him. When baby Jumbo Jr. leaves with Timothy Mouse and we see his mother reaching out with her trunk again, desperately trying to reach her baby as he leaves. Then, at the end, we see Dumbo's Mommy in a special train car, just for her and Jumbo Jr., and she's hugging him and kissing him and clearly, they are happy to be together again. It’s beautiful.
Another example of emotional dialogue comes when Jumbo Jr. meets Timothy the circus mouse. While Timothy is not little Jumbo Jr.’s mother, he is the only one to show the lonely little elephant kindness and friendship after his mother is taken away from him. When Timothy first approaches the baby elephant after the other elephants have rejected him, Jumbo Jr. initially withdraws his trunk from Timothy, scared that he is another bully come to torment him. When Timothy tries to bribe Jumbo Jr. to come out from his hiding place, Jumbo initially uses his trunk to eat the peanut Timothy offers, while still hiding, but when he realizes that Timothy is a friend who he can trust and who can possibly help him get his mother back, Jumbo Jr. uses his trunk to stop Timothy and accept his friendship and help and then, he holds Timothy’s tail with his trunk, as he would do with his mother.
The essence of what makes Dumbo so attractive is derived from the simplistic charm of a well-told story and a character that children and adults alike can identify with. Ever since I was a child, I have had a very deep love for Disney movies, and Dumbo has always been one of my favorites. Since Disney recently released this beloved classic from the Disney vault, I have had the opportunity to relive its timeless story and simplistic, magical charm. Time has not diminished this movie in the least. The newly restored edition of Dumbo only serves to perfect one of Disney’s most vibrant, animated masterpieces. The songs add emotional depth to the story and allow the audience a moment of childhood nostalgia as they revisit their favorite scenes. The animation is some of the most unique and creative that Disney has ever done in terms of its characters and its simplistic style. The heartwarming story and the timeless characters only serve to breathe new life to the movie as I watch them through the eyes of an adult. This movie is definitely one that both children and adults can fall in love with.
© 2024 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
© 2024 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.