**Dumbo** was originally meant to be an animated short like Mickey Mouse shorts. Watching it back to back with **Bambi**, **Dumbo** looks and feels like a direct-to-video title. Animators worked with much smaller budget ($950,000 vs. $1.7 million for **Bambi**). While animation is competent in many scene, details are minimal from the very beginning.

Even at svelt 64 minutes running time, the film often "feels long" -- particularly trippy dream sequence and a couple of musical sequences.

Yet there's something about **Dumbo** that makes it endearing. In many ways, **Dumbo** and **Bambi** share many parallels. Both have very strong maternal figure. Both are coming of age story about believing in yourself. Both have great supporting characters. But **Dumbo** takes more lighter approach, filled with more comical moments that balances out few very sad moments in the film.

As a 1941 film, there are few dated elements. Singing crows feel a tad racist at first, but I think the film actually eleviates them as heros and portrays them in a positive light. They are intelligent, free spirited, and kindhearted. Still, they look and sound like stereotypical black supporting characters of the era.

All in all, I liked **Dumbo** a lot more than I thought I would. Underneath very simplistic exterior lies a story with heart. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece but it's one of the stronger films in early Disney catalog.