2023 Cannes Marathon: Dumbo

 

(Co-Winner of the Palme d’Or & for Best Animation Design at the 1947 Cannes Film Festival)

Directed by Ben Sharpsteen and screenplay by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer from a children’s story by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl with illustrations by Helen Durney, Dumbo is the story of a baby elephant who is ridiculed for his large ears at the circus while mother is caged following an angry outburst. The fourth film from Walt Disney Animation Studios showcases a young elephant trying to fit in at the circus where his mother and other elephants perform while he gains an ally in a tiny mouse. Featuring the voices of Edward Brophy, Verna Felton, Cliff Edwards, Herman Bing, Sterling Holloway, Margaret Wright, the Hall Johnson Choir, and narration by John McLeish. Dumbo is a majestic and adventurous film from Ben Sharpsteen and producer Walt Disney.

The film revolves around a young baby elephant with large ears as he is ridiculed by many until a mouse tries to help him as they make a major discovery that would put the titular character to the top of the circus. It is a film with a simple premise as it plays into the journey this young baby elephant would take as he would watch his mother be caged in an act of rage after a bunch of mean kids make fun of his ears. The film’s screenplay by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer is largely straightforward as it begins with circus animals receiving their newborns from storks with one of them (Sterling Holloway) carrying the titular baby to Mrs. Jumbo who is part of a herd of elephant circus performers who are eager to see this new baby but are appalled by his large ears. Following an incident that left Mrs. Jumbo enraged and later locked into a cage away from the other elephants, Timothy Q. Mouse (Edward Brophy) would be Dumbo’s only other ally after another incident in which he had been shunned by the other elephants and become part of an act involving clowns that proves to be humiliating.

Ben Sharpsteen’s direction is full of gorgeous imagery thanks in part to the contributions of Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Bill Roberts, Jack Kinney, and Samuel Armstrong who would each direct some sequences for the film including some musical numbers. Along with the work of art directors Don DaGrasi, Dick Kelsey, Ernie Nordli, Kendall O’Connor, Charles Payzant, Herbert Rayman, Terrell Stapp, and Al Zinnen, with additional un-credited work by Ken Anderson, Robert Cormack, Hugh Hennesy, John Hubley, and Lance Nolley, Sharpsteen and the team would bring a lot of nuances to the characters including the creation of Dumbo, Mrs. Jumbo, Timothy, and many others as well as the environment they’re in. Yet, there are elements in the film such as an animated sequence in which a large number of African-American laborers are shown building the circus tent while many of the people who are at the circus are mainly white along with the performers and its greedy yet unimaginative ringmaster (Herman Bing). The presentation of these crows that Dumbo and Timothy meet in the film’s third act seem to suggest that they’re variations of minstrels though they’re actually sympathetic towards Dumbo’s plight as an outcast while being among those who discovers Dumbo’s gift.

Sharpsteen’s direction also has some unique compositions including moments that are heartfelt such as Dumbo’s reunion with his mother to the song Baby Mine that also has glimpses of other animals with their young ones. The pink elephants sequence is the most surreal sequence in film as it plays into Dumbo and Timothy drinking water that was spiked with champagne as they had no idea what they drank as it leads to them experiencing these hallucinations. It would lead into the events into its third act with the climax being the key event that would show a reason for why Dumbo has these large ears. Overall, Sharpsteen crafts a lively and exhilarating about a young elephant with large ears that prove to be something special.

The sound work of George Lowerre, James MacDonald, and Harold J. Steck is terrific for the sound effects that are created for the film as well as the way certain objects sound on some of the musical numbers. The film’s music by Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace is incredible as the score is filled with some playful circus numbers as well as some somber orchestral pieces with songs that include lyrics by Ned Washington that is a highlight of the film with songs like Baby Mine and When I See an Elephant Fly as the big standouts.

The film’s marvelous ensemble voice cast feature some notable appearances from Billy Blechter as a clown, the trio of Noreen Gammill, Dorothy Scott, and Sarah Selby as elephant performers who say a lot of things, Margaret Wright as the train Casey Junior, Sterling Holloway as Mr. Stork who delivers the newborn Dumbo to Mrs. Jumbo, the quartet known as the Hall Johnson Chorus that consists of Hall Johnson, James Baskett, Nick Stewart, and Jim Carmichael as four of the singing crows, Herman Bing as the ringmaster who is a greedy man that is hoping to make lots of money despite not coming up with any ideas, and Cliff Edwards as the head crow in Dandy Crow who discovers Dumbo on a tree branch. Verna Felton is brilliant in a dual role as a brief voice role as Dumbo’s mother Mrs. Jumbo and in a more prominent role as the head elephant performer Matriarch who is trying to maintain morale among the elephants yet is the one who banishes Dumbo from the herd. Finally, there’s Edward Brophy in an amazing voice performance as Timothy Q. Mouse as a young mouse who dresses like a ringmaster who is one of the few that befriends and cares for Dumbo as he does what he can to help him in every way he can.

Dumbo is a phenomenal film from Ben Sharpsteen and producer Walt Disney as it’s not just one of the great films of Disney Animation Studios but also a film that explores a young elephant finding his worth. Despite a few elements in the film that are badly dated in its presentation of African-Americans, it is still a film that have a lot of positive attributes in this story about an elephant feeling like he doesn’t belong only for his big ears to be something much more special than he realizes. In the end, Dumbo is a sensational film from Ben Sharpsteen and Disney Animation Studios.

© thevoid99 2023