Headed over to the in-laws today so my wife could have some room to cut out a pattern. Knowing this would require some concentration on her part, I knew it would be wise to bring along something to entertain and distract Rini from what mommy was doing. In this spirit, I felt that we could bring along Day 4's movie, Dumbo. I didn't know how long it would take to cut out the pattern, but I also knew there was a number of other features on the DVD, and there are a number of toys at Grandma and Grandpa's, so I wasn't worried.
After I set things up on the 50" screen (one of the pluses of watching a movie at the in-laws), we settled in to watch the Disney's fourth animated classic. The beginning credits were a little new for Rini, since she's used to modern films where the credits roll at the end, but the upbeat circus music kept her attention long enough for the movie to start.
I'm not sure what her opinion is on bird, but she does love baby animals, and you have to admit, the baby animals are adorable in this film. Watching this movie again, I found that there isn't a whole lot of dialogue in the first fifteen minutes or so, and Mrs. Jumbo only ever says two words in the entire movie. Dumbo himself has no dialogue at all, and thereby makes it very easy for kids to relate to the character since his only channel of communication is through body language.
Also lending to the lack of dialogue is the fact that the movie has six major musical numbers and one reprise at the end, though the clown's song, "We're going to hit the big boss for a raise," could technically count as another song. Putting that much music into a 64 minute feature does tend to crowd out dialogue.
Nevertheless, the movie still stands tall on the simple premise of Dumbo's plight as an outcast due to his physical anomoly, compounded with the seperation from his mother, who was put in solitary confinement due to her righteous indignation towards some rude teenagers. With the other circus elephants deciding to ostracize him further due to his unusual appearance, Timothy Q. Mouse attempts to correct this injustice and befriends Dumbo. Though it seems to be the perfect model of high school social circles, the only thing that Rini seemed to be attune to was the fact that Dumbo was sad. Then again, she doesn't quite have the communication skills necessary to relay everything that she understands, but this would not be the first time that I don't completely understand my daugther.
Whether Rini was able to fully appreciate the number "Baby Mine" with its wonderful demonstations of relationships between parent and child is beside the point. I'm just glad she agreed to sit with me during that song, because that song always makes me cry. Moreso now that I'm a father.
Immediately following the 'mother & child' moment, the movie leaps into the Pink Elephants. This was the moment that I wasn't sure how she would react, but she was in gigglefits when she saw Dumbo and Timothy drunk off their stumps. Something you don't see in animated productions much anymore, but I'm not about to put the Futurama movies on the list. Once the booze bubbles morphed into the Pink Elephants, she was moderately interested, but then took off and started playing with toys.
My sister-in-law told me earlier that the movie gave her nightmares when she was young, and I think this was the scene that did it. I'm not certain of that, and neither is she, but I'm just glad that she was alright with her sons watching the movie with Rini and myself.
I would have thought Rini would love when Dumbo learns to fly, and especially the crows, but much of the humour in that scene revolves around the dialogue, and especially all the double meanings in the song "When I see an Elephant Fly." It was a little above her head, as it was above my head when I first saw it.
Her interest held for the finale when Dumbo got his comeuppance, and when the sprayed all the other elephants with peanuts.
I've learned a few things from watching movies with my daughter, one of them being, don't watch movies right before bed. Showing this movie in the middle of the day, with her cousins, definitely helped Rini focus on the movie for the first half. A shame every day isn't Saturday.
Before I put this movie in, I knew it had a substantial rewatchability factor, and from my daughter's response, I would say she shares my opinion. I don't think it's in her top 10, but I would think Dumbo is in her top 20 somewhere.
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