After the box office disappointment of Fantasia, the previous year, Disney then released Dumbo in 1941 as a much shorter and cheaper film. At the time, the film was praised by audiences and even now it is considered a classic. However, it is clearly a product of it’s time as it’s racist depictions of African Americans are seen throughout the movie. Disney+ now includes a Disclaimer recognizing their racism and stating that it was wrong then and it is wrong now. Even if you took out the racism in the movie, the film has other problems, including depictions of animal cruelty. These problems cause the movie to be less of a favorite of mine in the Disney rankings.
That being said, my favorite scene and moments in the movie is that of Mrs. Jumbo, Dumbo’s mother. Disney has an interesting history of multiple movies either having the mother be dead or killed in the movie (as unfortunately we will see in the next film, Bambi). So it was nice to see a mother figure who, despite being imprisoned for over half the film, is still present and alive by the end of the film. There are three majors scenes that feature Mrs Jumbo and Dumbo together. The first is when a bunch of kids pick on Dumbo and Mrs Jumbo comes to rescue him, leading to her being imprisoned. The second is when Dumbo comes to visit his mother and they can only reach out to each other via their trunks. And lastly at the very end of the movie when Dumbo is a star and now can afford to have Mrs Jumbo freed and have her own train car, thus reuniting them again. All three of these scenes are favorites in this movie, but the one I want to discuss is the first one.
Dumbo is a baby “born” in a traveling circus. Throughout the movie, Dumbo is mocked and ridiculed because of his big ears. Only two characters treat him with respect, his mouse friend Timothy, and his mother. One day, a crowd of kids come to see Mrs Jumbo and Dumbo in the pin and the kids start to make fun of Dumbo’s ears. Mrs Jumbo is upset by this and takes Dumbo away from the kids. This causes the kids to enter the enclosure to pick at Dumbo some more, including pulling on his ears. Mrs Jumbo is furious. She takes one of the children picking on Dumbo and gives him a spanking. Of course, the other children run in fear and the circus workers begin to restrain her. As soon as one of the workers grabs Dumbo and takes him out of the tent, Mrs Jumbo’s rage increases and she lashes out to all the workers in order to get her son back. At one point, her blue gentle eyes turn all red to symbolize her fury. The scene ends with the ring master getting dumped into a bucket of water. The following scene shows that Mrs Jumbo is imprisoned in a solitary train cart, with a sign that says, “Mad Animal” on the outside.
This scene simultaneously sparks within me my own anger but also a sense of comfort.
My anger comes from the treatment of Mrs Jumbo. Her actions spark a debate among the other women elephants, who frankly all act like gossipy bitches throughout the whole movie. Many claim that she was a mother protecting her child and some say she should never have acted, “un-lady like”. I can imagine that there are people who may have had similar debates in real life over Mrs Jumbo’s actions. The part that angers me, though, is the human children picking on Dumbo. They should never have been allowed in the enclosure to even be able to touch Dumbo and yet they go completely unpunished. They don’t even have supervision! And then there is the title thrown on Mrs Jumbo as being “mad”.
There is a terrible stereotype of women (especially black women) when they express their anger. Some men respond by asking, “is it your time of the month?” as if that has any relevance. When I served as a hospital chaplain through CPE training, my supervisor had us discuss how we can better provide care to African American women, who are often criticized for being too loud and acting, “crazy” or “unstable”, simply because they are upset. I had a situation in the ER where a patient was dying in one of the trauma rooms. The patient’s daughter arrived and was very upset, crying very loudly and was on the floor. In response, the ER staff called the Chaplain (me)…and the police. When I arrived, the patient was crying uncontrollably on the floor while a white male officer was hovering over her. I asked for some space and I sat on the floor next to her. I didn’t tell her to stop crying, I didn’t tell her to be quiet; because she had every right to respond to her grief and pain in that moment. We need to stop labeling and punishing women for expressing themselves and Mrs Jumbo’s punishment reminds me of this.
The part that gives me comfort is ironically Mrs Jumbo’s anger. In a few ways, Mrs Jumbo reminds me of my mother. Both are compassionate and kind and both will protect their children no matter what. My mother is a fighter. Throughout elementary school, I had an IEP. In the 5th grade, my math teacher refused to follow my IEP for his preferred style of teaching. In response, my mother called the school Principal and demanded that my math teacher follow it or there would be consequences. This wasn’t just said to the principal, but I was present when she told my math teacher to follow my IEP in person. My mother used her anger to fight for me and my sister while we grew up.
A mother’s love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. There is even a line in the book of Isaiah that relates God’s love to a mother’s love. ‘As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you’ (Isaiah 66:13). Mrs Jumbo is the embodiment of a Mother’s love, willing to protect her child at all cost.
I invite you to share your thoughts on Mrs Jumbo and how has a mother’s love affected your life? It doesn’t have to be your biological mother, as many women can provide a mother’s love. I know many women in my life, outside of my mother, who have given me that same love.
Happy Mother’s Day everyone and blessings to all the comforting and protective mothers out in the world.
Peace,
Kevin
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