Film 52 in the "1001 Films to see before you die" challenge is 1941's "Dumbo". Back to Disney for the second time in my list and with plenty more to come. Even though I have seen this as a kid, I had completely forgotten about the Pink Elephant scene. Talk about something that'll keep you awake at night. One key thing I noticed in this that you don't really see in modern Disney films is the use of alcohol and smoking. Even for a kids film, you don't really expect to see it. But I guess you can get away with it if you told them that Dumbo was drinking "Giddy Juice" for example. Another thing I want to point out were the other elephants in the film. What a bunch of evil bitches. Kicking Dumbo to the curb before they even get to know him. Just because he has big ears doesn't mean you can bully him. Sorry, I had a bad time with bullies back in school and had flashbacks to those bad times when I saw that. One thing to note is that this and Snow White were the only two Disney films to make a profit pre-1943. Also, after just looking this up, The Crows in this film have been labelled as one of the racist characters in Disney's history, according to Cracked.com. Other characters they have listed as racist are; The Merchant (Aladdin), Sebastian the Crab (The Little Mermaid), King Louie (The Jungle Book), The Siamee Twin Gang (Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers), Sunflower the Centaur (Fantasia), The Indians (Peter Pan), Uncle Remus (Song of the South) and Thursday (Mickey Mouse and the Boy Thursday (a book from 1948)). Beside from that, I really enjoyed this film. I highly recommended checking it out. If you have seen this film, then let me know your thoughts on it and what you think of the list of characters Cracked.Com has listed as racist in the comments. Here is what I had to say while watching 1941's "Dumbo"
Film - Dumbo
Year - 1941
Director - Samuel Armstrong
Staring - Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, James Baskett
IMDb Rating - 7.3/10
My Rating - 7.61/10
I'm in the circus with this music
Thunderbolt & Lightning! Very very frightning me
I get a narrator in this?!? - That's a first
It's Mr Stork and his friends
Is this how babies are born? By dropping them into cages in Florida?
All the animals seen happy with their babies
No baby for that elephant :(
It's like Noah's Ark but with a train
Like all of those elephants can fit in that carriage
That elephant has a FAT ASS!
A train running on time! That's unheard of!
Looks like someone's flying late
How can you tell where you are?
Don't think thats Mrs Jumbo
You have to sign for babies! Didn't know babies were like parcels
Jumbo Junior is his name
Jumbo sneezes and his ears go big
The other elephants laugh and call him Dumbo
Mrs Jumbo uses the ears as a blanket
That is a nice sunset
This train sounds like an asmatic
Those men don't have faces
Is it a requirement for all employees to sing while they work?
Not exactly the best conditions to put up a circus tent
King Kong! Man, your career has gone to shit
Dumbo fell in a muddy puddle!
Time for a bath and a game of peek-a-boo
Isn't this animal cruelty?
The circus men have taken Dumbo!
Mrs Jumbo is in RAGE MODE!!!
Poor Dumbo! No mother to sleep with
Can a mouse just have a quiet meal here?
So... because Dumbo has big ears and is small they treat him like crap!
Time for the mouse to make thinks even
How is that ladder supporting her weight
Do elephants really like peanuts
"Lots of people with big ears are famous" - Who?
They easedrop The Ringmaster's plan to stack the elephants in a pyramid
You don't have a climax!
Did that mouse just play Portal with that rope?
The mouse enters The Ringmaster's tent and becomes a ghost
The mouse is telling him his climax... DUMBO!!!
Time for the show
Anytime I hear "Ringmaster" I think of Steve Austin! - That shows my love for wrestling
This screams "casualty"
The elephants are in a pyramid... and now for Dumbo
The audience is laughing at Dumbo
A needle in the bum - Always does the trick
Dumbo missed the springboard and knocked over the pyramid
"Assassin" - That's a bit harsh
They've torn the circus to nothing but rubble
Time to head to the next town
One of the elephants tells the others that The Ringmaster has become a clown
"He is no longer an elephant" - You lot are the meanest bitches I've ever seen
Time for another show
One beer for all those clowns!
Best use my tears to clean myself
Dumbo doesn't even want the peanut
Did The Mouse say peanuts give you Hep?
He takes Dumbo to see his mum
The pair share a hug and a cry while we get a montage of animals sleeping with their kids
I didn't know kangeroos sleep and rock like rocking chairs - They even make the noise of a rocking chair
The clowns say Dumbo's platform should now go from 20ft to 1000ft and go tell The Ringmaster
Who threw the boose in the water?
Dumbo's getting drunk?
So animal cruelty and underage drinking in one film
The Mouse falls in and also becomes drunk
Who knew bubbles made good ballons?
Time to see if Dumbo can make a square bubble
And now for a big one which turns into a pink elephant
PINK ELEPHANTS!!!!
Is this what it's like to be drunk? No wonder I don't drink loads
I'm gonna have nightmares from these elephants
Don't dance with electicity kids!
EPILEPSY WARNING!!!!!
It's morning and all is back to how it was
IT'S THE CROWS!!!
"Dead people don't snore"
They find Dumbo and The Mouse asleep in a tree
Alcohol and smoking in Disney - How times have changed
Dumbo falls off and lands face first in a river as the crows laugh
The Mouse tries to work out how they ended up in the tree
Dumbo can fly?!?!
The Crows laugh and sing about how impossible that is
Time for The Mouse to explain Dumbo's life
The Crows cry as Dumbo and The Mouse leave
The Crows say they will help Dumbo fly
"The Magic Feather"
How to make Dumbo fly - Push him off a cliff
Dumbo starts to flap his ears and creates such a dust cloud that no one see him take off and start flying
IT'S A FLYING ELEPHANT
Time for the last night of the tour
Dumbo jumps and loses the feather
He opens his ears and starts to fly
THIS ISN'T IN THE SCRIPT!!!
Better use the peanut vendor's peanuts and attack those bitchy elephants
Dumbo's made headlines worldwide
Looks like everyone is on good terms
Mrs Jumbo is even released from her cell
THE END
Hooray! A happy ending!
Film - Dumbo
Year - 1941
Director - Samuel Armstrong
Staring - Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, James Baskett
IMDb Rating - 7.3/10
My Rating - 7.61/10
I'm in the circus with this music
Thunderbolt & Lightning! Very very frightning me
I get a narrator in this?!? - That's a first
It's Mr Stork and his friends
Is this how babies are born? By dropping them into cages in Florida?
All the animals seen happy with their babies
No baby for that elephant :(
It's like Noah's Ark but with a train
Like all of those elephants can fit in that carriage
That elephant has a FAT ASS!
A train running on time! That's unheard of!
Looks like someone's flying late
How can you tell where you are?
Don't think thats Mrs Jumbo
You have to sign for babies! Didn't know babies were like parcels
Jumbo Junior is his name
Jumbo sneezes and his ears go big
The other elephants laugh and call him Dumbo
Mrs Jumbo uses the ears as a blanket
That is a nice sunset
This train sounds like an asmatic
Those men don't have faces
Is it a requirement for all employees to sing while they work?
Not exactly the best conditions to put up a circus tent
King Kong! Man, your career has gone to shit
Dumbo fell in a muddy puddle!
Time for a bath and a game of peek-a-boo
Isn't this animal cruelty?
The circus men have taken Dumbo!
Mrs Jumbo is in RAGE MODE!!!
Poor Dumbo! No mother to sleep with
Can a mouse just have a quiet meal here?
So... because Dumbo has big ears and is small they treat him like crap!
Time for the mouse to make thinks even
How is that ladder supporting her weight
Do elephants really like peanuts
"Lots of people with big ears are famous" - Who?
They easedrop The Ringmaster's plan to stack the elephants in a pyramid
You don't have a climax!
Did that mouse just play Portal with that rope?
The mouse enters The Ringmaster's tent and becomes a ghost
The mouse is telling him his climax... DUMBO!!!
Time for the show
Anytime I hear "Ringmaster" I think of Steve Austin! - That shows my love for wrestling
This screams "casualty"
The elephants are in a pyramid... and now for Dumbo
The audience is laughing at Dumbo
A needle in the bum - Always does the trick
Dumbo missed the springboard and knocked over the pyramid
"Assassin" - That's a bit harsh
They've torn the circus to nothing but rubble
Time to head to the next town
One of the elephants tells the others that The Ringmaster has become a clown
"He is no longer an elephant" - You lot are the meanest bitches I've ever seen
Time for another show
One beer for all those clowns!
Best use my tears to clean myself
Dumbo doesn't even want the peanut
Did The Mouse say peanuts give you Hep?
He takes Dumbo to see his mum
The pair share a hug and a cry while we get a montage of animals sleeping with their kids
I didn't know kangeroos sleep and rock like rocking chairs - They even make the noise of a rocking chair
The clowns say Dumbo's platform should now go from 20ft to 1000ft and go tell The Ringmaster
Who threw the boose in the water?
Dumbo's getting drunk?
So animal cruelty and underage drinking in one film
The Mouse falls in and also becomes drunk
Who knew bubbles made good ballons?
Time to see if Dumbo can make a square bubble
And now for a big one which turns into a pink elephant
PINK ELEPHANTS!!!!
Is this what it's like to be drunk? No wonder I don't drink loads
I'm gonna have nightmares from these elephants
Don't dance with electicity kids!
EPILEPSY WARNING!!!!!
It's morning and all is back to how it was
IT'S THE CROWS!!!
"Dead people don't snore"
They find Dumbo and The Mouse asleep in a tree
Alcohol and smoking in Disney - How times have changed
Dumbo falls off and lands face first in a river as the crows laugh
The Mouse tries to work out how they ended up in the tree
Dumbo can fly?!?!
The Crows laugh and sing about how impossible that is
Time for The Mouse to explain Dumbo's life
The Crows cry as Dumbo and The Mouse leave
The Crows say they will help Dumbo fly
"The Magic Feather"
How to make Dumbo fly - Push him off a cliff
Dumbo starts to flap his ears and creates such a dust cloud that no one see him take off and start flying
IT'S A FLYING ELEPHANT
Time for the last night of the tour
Dumbo jumps and loses the feather
He opens his ears and starts to fly
THIS ISN'T IN THE SCRIPT!!!
Better use the peanut vendor's peanuts and attack those bitchy elephants
Dumbo's made headlines worldwide
Looks like everyone is on good terms
Mrs Jumbo is even released from her cell
THE END
Hooray! A happy ending!