Art Notes

The message of Disney’s Dumbo resonates with us all. Dumbo is really two stories. The first is a story of a young elephant born with unusually large ears. Teased and taunted for his deformity, Dumbo finds strength in a magic feather and later in himself to soar happily through the air.

The second is a story of a mother who teaches, encourages, and champions her son. Many of us have moms like Dumbo’s, people who are our number one fans and strongest advocates. Despite our stumbling from time to time, our moms pick us up and nudge us on.

One of our favorite scenes in the animated film is with the dancing pink elephants. Paying tribute to the talented animators, pink elephants were painted into the clouds. Maybe you can also spot four little peanuts in this painting. They were added to represent the artist’s three kids and wiener dog, Indi.

Dumbo is the star of the circus. And this is no ordinary circus. All eyes in this scene are on Dumbo, admiring him for his courage and for making the most of his unusual talent. We hope Dumbo inspires you to believe in yourself, as he has inspired us.