DVDizzy Forum

Big Disney Fan wrote: And I thought Bill Tytla, not Bill Peet, animated Dumbo in the bath. This is the very same Tytla best regarded for animating big, powerful, villainous characters like Stromboli in "Pinocchio" or Chernabog in the Bald Mountain scene of "Fantasia". Maybe that's why he was less enthusiastic about animating something so simple as this.

you may be right. im a huge peet fan and spent some time googling him a while back which is where i read the bit about him doing the bath scene as the artist assigned to it couldnt get it to his personal standard or something along those lines. theres nothing about it in peets autobiography. either way its a cute scene no matter who the artist is.

I would say that they're both around the same level, but I'd choose Dumbo. It definitely doesn't have the production values of the films directly before and after it, but it has a certain type of raw emotion that seems to hit a good chord in me. It's a simple yet ultimately winning fable and doesn't need to look as polished as Pinocchio or Fantasia. I can understand why some people find it too depressing, but the fact that Dumbo gets so put upon makes his triumph all the more satisfying. The only problem storywise that I have is with the Pink Elephants scene. It is a good sequence on its own, but it comes across as blatant padding when viewed as part of the film. But even so, it's a wonderful film.

I will say that Bambi is a wonderful film, too, though, and reiterate that Dumbo only very marginally beats it. It's a quiet film, with subdued colours and soothing music, but that helps makes it what it is: a window into a hidden part of our world, with the circle of life acting as the narrative (more so than with The Lion King, which is for the most part a clear narrative as opposed to a simple series of chronological events). I especially like how, as in Pinocchio, it shows characters simply keeping calm and carrying on in a world of danger and unpunished villains, as it seems more realistic than simply having the single villain in what is practically a utopia fall off the edge of a cliff.

Bambi has never done anything for me. I recognize it for its artistic achievement, but other than that, I couldn't care less. All the characters leave me totally indifferent; the love-scene is cringe-worthy; the songs are not that special; the old stag (Bambi's father) is laughable; only the scenes where the dogs come after Feline and the one with the forest fire are really engaging.

While not my favorite, Dumbo is much better. I have come to appreciate it only the last few years. Most people immediately think of 'Baby Mine' and how poor Dumbo was teased and had his mother taken away, but it's a very funny movie as well. Those women elephants have given me some of the biggest laughs ever watching a Disney movie! And even in this more conventional movie (compared to the other 4 pre-war pictures) there's a great piece of innovative animation that is still unmatched, 'Pink Elephants on Parade'.

They're pretty even in my mind. They both have very appropriate animation (you can feel the frost in Bambi, but you can also smell the hay in Dumbo) and charming messages, but I'd have to say that Dumbo is more perfect. I like Bambi's mix of sweetness and sadness, but Faline and The Prince of The Forrest don't hold up well as characters (she does very little, and he's unintentionally funny) and there are plot problems after Bambi's Mum dies (how is her absence felt after that scene?, what is the point of having Bambi fight with the other stag? what are the dogs for?) I still love Bambi for it's overall feel, but I find myself doing less 21st century nitpicks on Dumbo. The crows and the rousabouts song are cringeworthy and Pink Elephants on Parade is just but these flaws are a smaller part of the film than Bambi's. Both films are among my favorites, but with a choice in mind, Dumbo.

Dumbo, by far. The only thing that Bambi has going for it is the animation. There is almost nothing other than that that I enjoy.