Happy Birth-a-day, Jumbo Jr. (You Can Call Him Dumbo)

John Nolte at Big Hollywood has an excellent review up for the 70th anniversary DVD/Blu-Ray release of Dumbo. I've been meaning to review Dumbo myself, not because of the new disc, but because my little son has been watching it over and over in the last couple months and I've been rediscovering what a masterpiece it is. Unlike some of the other early Disney animated features like Snow White, Pinocchio, and Bambi, Dumbo doesn't seem to be pushing the visual envelope; it basically looks like a long Disney cartoon, the opposite of what Disney was going for in those earlier feautres. As Nolte points out, Dumbo celebrates marginalized characters without being preachy, something that modern movies can't seem to pull off. I love how the movie celebrates small-town, blue-collar Americana, and yet there's also the psychedelic and unsettling "Pink Elephants on Parade" sequence that adds a whole other, visually ambitious dimension to the film. And can you imagine the two lead characters getting drunk in a G-rated movie today?

11/7/11 update: How cool to see that Brian Wilson covers "Baby of Mine" on his new Disney-themed album. It's one of great Disney songs that tends to get overlooked.

Chumlee Was Right

On tonight's episode of "Pawn Stars," Chumlee got made fun of for saying that Bugs Bunny was in Roger Rabbit. Maybe he got the two rabbits confused, but he was actually correct. Bugs did have a cameo in Roger Rabbit alongside Mickey, no less.

Embarrasing Songs That Get Stuck In My Head #3

Before Disney had their latter-day renaissance beginning with The Little Mermaid, Don Bluth was my favorite animation filmmaker. He was a former Disney animator who broke away and made The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, and The Land Before Time. He also made Anastasia and All Dogs Go To Heaven, both of which my wife is still a fan of.

(Film version)

One of his later and less worthy projects, Thumbelina, featured songs by Barry Manilow. "Let Me Be Your Wings" is actually one of the better songs in the film, and is basically Manilow's version of Aladdin's "A Whole New World." It's not even that bad considering that it's a Manilow toon ballad, but it's not the kind of tune you want creeping into your head. At any time or under any circumstances.

(Live, Manilicious version)

P.S. Speaking of "A Whole New World," have you noticed that "I See The Light" from Tangled resembles it? The music for both was written by Alan Menken.

Compare the line "But when I'm way up here, it's crystal clear" from Aladdin ...

... with "If she's here it's crystal clear" from Tangled.