Dumbo 1941


 I did not like this movie. I did not like the talking train. I did not like the stork in the rain. In other earlier Disney films, the quality of the animation is superb, especially in the backgrounds and the landscapes. In Dumbo, Disney had the idea to significantly reduce his costs so that the film would make more money. The only part of this movie that I'm mildly enjoyed was the hallucinogenic Pink Elephant scenes - because in those you can see that studio really cared about the quality of the animation. I think the movie is generally too short, lashes through the story - dumbo discovers he can fly, and the next scene is the end of the movie. Also, I think this film has numerous aspects about it which are very uncomfortable nowadays. The first is the fact that the story happens in a circus, and the circus animals are depicted as being extremely happy in their lot and proud of what they do. But it's obvious if animals were transported that way back then they would be suffering immensely, I hope that circuses were more Humane nowadays - though I don't think that they are. The other disturbing aspect of this movie is the overt racism in it. In other earlier Disney films, the racism is there, but it's something you really have to look for if you're not aware of some racist tropes. In this one it's pretty obvious - there's a group of men who are working and talking about what other people say about them, and they say that they drink away all their money. There is a group of crows that are portrayed in a sympathetic light, however these crows are taken straight out of a minstrel show. In fact, the main Crow was called Jimmy Crow in reference to Jim Crow laws, and he wasn't even portrayed by a black actor - the other crows were. If you want a classic Disney film to show your kids - Pinocchio is probably a better bet than this.

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