esrosedotblog

BEST

I watched Dumbo (1941) today.

It is one of the Best 1176 NYTimes Films and said to be one of the best Disney films as well.

The writeup on the link is informative. I also watched the commentary on this disc.

Walt had a fault with Fantasia and this little guy came after almost in apology for the overwrought, excessive, box office failure.

It is short, but full. The pink elephant number is extraordinary. The story is a three hanky job but yet not in the usual Disney sob sister category. Evil passes and happiness returns without a lot of effort. It is somehow very touching.

I liked it a lot and will give it a 4 out of Netflix5.

The critical writeup I link to talks about the failure to commercialize Dumbo or do the normal Disney staged release thing. I do not think there is a Dumbo reference in Disneyland. No walk around character anyway. It is interesting that their best is most humble as well.

I do not think I saw this when I was a kid. I had been taken to Snow White at an early age--three? And it scared the shit out of me.

I don't think that this film would have bothered me but perhaps. I was a bit of a mama's boy back then so the idea of having your mom penned up for protecting you might have been upsetting.

I had a comic book with the story though. It was actually a glossy version with actual frames from the film. I knew the story and could take it at its own pace.

To see the real thing today put those pieces together. A sort of completion.

Yes, you can remember such minutiae 60 and more years later. Actually, the older you are the more you remember. It is all in there. Everything. Scary, huh?