My thoughts on "Dumbo"

My grandparents sent us 2 new Disney movies, some of the older ones. Dumbo, and Robin Hood. I am going to go ahead and blog about what I think of them, since I kinda did that with Aladdin, and I still can't find a site online that critiques them. I checked pluggedinonline.com, that is where I usually go, but its hard to find older movies on there.. However, if you are looking for good critiques and reviews of more modern media, pluggedinonline.com has many good reviews on DVD's and new releases, as well as music.

One thing that I liked about the movie is that Jumbo, the mother elephant is very motherly, and quiet. She is a motherly figure.. Funny how the feminists have not jumped on her. She is also very protective which gets her in trouble. She reminds me of my mom, the things that she did right. She was very motherly, didn't feel the need to be the type of woman society dictated, was content to look motherly, she didn't dress fashionably, but practically. (in the movie there is a dramatic difference between Jumbo and the other female elephants in appearance as well as demeanour.) Mom was also very protective that we were only told things she approved of. She would get upset when we were treated in a way she saw unfit. Which is exactly what Jumbo does.
The other elephants are gossips, and it is portrayed to be a waste of time, and they are seen as the "bad guys" (though there isn't really a scary bad guy in this movie)
The first bad element that I saw is when Dumbo and Timothy get drunk and have a really weird drunken dream about pink elephants. Aside from the dream/vision being weird and odd, I thought it was silly and boring, so I fast forwarded.. The scene is unnecessary and long... And it is irritating that there is always a drunk scene in Disney movies, even when they don't fit.. Like in Dumbo. Along with that, one of the crows that they meet smokes a big cigar. The character would not lose anything without it.. so why put it in? The movie would be better without the drunk scene.. So why? Am I the only one who thinks its odd that this family friendly company, would have these things in their movie for kids? Talk about conflicting messages.
There are some redeeming things about this movie. The crows originally make fun of Dumbo, as does everyone else, and when confronted by Timothy, they show genuine remorse for their former attitude, and change.
At first when Dumbo learns to fly, they tell him its because of a magic feather, (we find out later in the movie that it was just a crutch to get him to try it) But its a magic reference either way.
In conclusion, I didn't see near the problems with this movie that I did Aladdin. Dumbo never forgets his mother, and at the end, she is back in Dumbo's trailer. Free.
As far as allowing my kids to watch it.. The drug and alcohol is something my kids don't need to see, especially when they are young, but I may consider this when they are older, and use it is a teaching tool. I want my kids to be sheltered, but I also want them to learn to discern what they are watching for biblical accuracy.
So, all things considered, I give Dumbo a 87%.. on a scale of 100.

Signing off-
Jennie