Hey, I'm a father to a two year old little boy! I also happen to be a huge Disney fan (pre-CGI/Pixar). It's a minor fear of mine that in this age of the current version of children's entertainment, the art and appreciation of the older classics in the animation world, are destined to be unappreciated by the up and coming generation - a minor fear I said! Thankfully my hope in mankind is restored (okay, maybe not so minor apparently), Alexi (my son) loves Dumbo - well love is a strong word, but he definitely has become somewhat spellbound by it (in between the horror that is Barney, the terror that is the Teletubbies and the current monster fascination with Gangham Style and Party Rock Anthem)...
Dumbo, the little elephant with the huge ears destined for greatness, a Disney classic! Dumbo's arrival into his mother Jumbo's life is a blessing, and like any mother she loves him unconditionally, while he becomes the subject of ridicule because of his huge ears. While being teased, Mother elephant takes a stand defending what's hers and thus Dumbo is forced to face the world alone, until little Timothy Q. Mouse comes into his life teaches him the true meaning of friendship, and helps him to realise his own power...
Seriously? Why yes! Dumbo is a classic of movie magic, and while it doesn't sit in the perceived esteem of the Academy nominees (although it is an Oscar winning movie, for Best original Score) as defined for reviewing on this blog, it is a piece of history which still stands the test of time - and while there is a mission on this blog to watch all those Oscar nominated movies, I have also committed myself to posting about any other movie I watch - and like I said, I'm a father, so these will be among the variety of movies I will watch...
But as light as it is, Dumbo has also got some pretty heart wrenching moments, there is just something about the scene where the chained up mother cradles her crying son in her trunk, through the bars of her prison, which is steeped in an emotion which transcends the trivial title of children's stuff. It's a powerful scene that still resonates with a haunting power which invokes memories of the initial response first awakened when I was but a child, and which still resonates now as a grown man rewatching and reanalyzing - Beautiful and a true testament of the power of a forever altering art form.
Can't wait to venture further into the Disney cannon with my little one!
nuff said...
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