Walt Disney animation studios history - Chapter 4: dumbo - Page 3 (2024)

 
Hundreds of animators joined Babbitt's side to become unionized and picketed outside the studio, which even received help from Disney's competitors like Leon Schlesinger of Warner Bros. What was worse was the tension between Walt and Art as they grew to become archenemies, and they never had a good relationship to begin with
 
It even got to the point that an actual brawl occurred while they were picketing!
 
 
           
 
 

As a way to artistically get back at them, the strikers were satirized in Dumbo as the circus clowns who want to go and "hit the big boss for a raise". It wouldn't be until five weeks later when Disney finally signed a union contract, but the damage of the studio was already done. 
 
What was once an animation powerhouse that had around 1,200 employees now steadily lost nearly half of them, including some of their best artists and animators like Babbitt, T. Hee, Bill Melendez, Maurice Noble, Frank Tashlin, Bill Tytla, and Tyrus Wong. But the biggest consequence was that the strike left Walt with a permanent psychological scar. 
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It was already enough that he was discouraged by Pinocchio and Fantasia's failure, but now the strike made Walt lose a lot of his trust with his own animators and that spark for animation was no longer as strong as it was during the days of Mickey Mouse and Snow White. That and he developed a paranoia-like fear of communism and claimed that was mainly to blame for the strike.
 
While it did delay a bit of the movie's production, Dumbo was finally complete and released on October 31st, 1941, and it was the success that Disney needed. On a budget of between $850,000 and $950,000, the film made over $1.3 million, giving the company some profit for the first time since Snow White. 
 
As for critics and audiences, they loved it as much as Disney's more expensive features falling in love with the humor, the songs, the animation, and especially the heart. It won an Academy Award for Best Original Score and got nominated for Best Original Song for Baby Mine. Dumbo almost got its chance to be on the cover of TIME Magazine and be named Mammal of the Year, but because of the Pearl Harbor attack that occurred that year, his cover spot was taken by Admiral Yamamoto. 
 
 
           
 
 
However, not everything about Dumbo flew high and pretty after its release. The film had often been regarded as a subject of controversy because of the crow characters. Some accused them of being racist for being depicted as African American stereotypes and how the leader of the crows played by the white actor and voice of Jiminy Cricket, Cliff Edwards, is very awkwardly named Jim Crow. 
 
On the other hand, many have also stepped in to deny these claims stating that while Jim may be voiced by a white guy, the rest of the crows' voices were black and the way they are depicted in the film are not as stereotypes, but rather as free spirits and a smart group of birds that know how to give Dumbo the confidence to fly. 
 
In 1955, the film became the inspiration of one of Disney's most popular attractions Dumbo the Flying Elephant which now can be found at every Disney park and the train Casey Junior also appeared in the parks as a ride at Disneyland and Disneyland Paris and as a float for the Main Street Electrical Parade. 
 
In 1985, a live-action puppet series aired on the Disney Channel called Dumbo's Circus, which featured Dumbo running his own circus with his new animal friends that ran for one whole year
 
In 2006, there were plans on making a direct to video sequel to the flying elephant
 
 
           
 
 
Which would have dumbo and a few other young animals get lost in the streets of New York and would have to find a way back to the circus while trying to escape animal control, and would give an explanation of what happened to dumbo's long lost father
 
 
           
 
 
But after new management in 2006, those plans were unfortunately canceled
 
In 2017, the movie was added to the National Film Registry and two years later, Disney released a live-action remake or more of a reimagining directed by Tim Burton and starring Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, and Michael Keaton
 
 
           
 
 
The result became quite the opposite of the animated feature where the 1941 film was short, simple, had a small budget, beloved by the public, and was a hit for Disney, the remake was nearly twice as long, overly complicated, got mixed reactions, over-budgeted at $170 million, and ended up as a box-office flop
 
While it may be a lot simpler than Disney's previous films, it is also the reason why many to this day state that Dumbo is simply perfect