MUSICAL MONDAY PRESENTS:
DISNEY FANATIC #4 DRUGS & ELEPHANTS
DISNEY FANATIC #4 DRUGS & ELEPHANTS
Dumbo would be a rather forgettable film, if not for one somewhat scarring to a child, somewhat trippy to an adult, and somewhat technically impressive for anyone with an eye for animation. The scene begins with poor Dumbo drinking from a water bucket that, unbeknownst to him, has been laced with absinth, a strong alcohol with a hallucinogenic ingredient, and he basically begins to see the most incredible and somewhat scary thing I've ever seen in a Disney movie. I think, besides the seen with the racially charged crows, this is probably the most memorable scene in the film. The animation here is actually quite impressive, with a lot of interesting ideas for the motions of the characters involve, and really speaks to Disney's strengths, which began with animated song numbers. And, of course, the pink elephants are a reference to those you're supposed to see while blitzed.
Then, a quarter of a century later, we basically get the spiritual sequel; except our victim of a hallucination is poor Winnie the Pooh. After eating some honey, falling asleep during a storm, he has a phantasmagorical dream of elephants and weasels or "heffalumps" and "woozles". This one shows the evolution of animation that has moved away from the rubbery-style of old and this one focuses more on using bizarre combinations of colors, having as many things going on screen as possible, and ends with a big bang.
Watch the videos and enjoy the Disney nostalgia.
