Dumbo: Discussion Guide for Parents

Walt Disney Pictures, 1940

All information below is general suggestions and ideas. 

Always adapt to your family’s situation and beliefs and the needs of individual children. 

Content Warnings:

• Animal violence
• Alcohol, drunkenness, tobacco (cigars)
• Some scenes may frighten or trouble more sensitive viewers. 
• Dumbo and Timothy Mouse get drunk (a clown pours alcohol into the animals’ water, the two drink it unknowingly) and hallucinate “Pink Elephants on Parade.” 

Discussion Questions

1. How do the animal parents feel when the stork drops off their babies? 

• Talk about how children are a blessing and gift. The Bible says, “Children are an heritage of the Lord.”

2. How did Dumbo’s Mother feel when the stork brought babies to the other animals but not to her? How did she feel when the stork finally came with the baby elephant? What was a time you had to wait for something you wanted? How did it feel to wait and to receive what you had waited for? 
3. It doesn’t take long at all for people to start making fun of Dumbo for the way he looks. How do you feel when people tease you? Why is it important to think about the way we treat others? 
4. How does Dumbo’s Mother react when others tease Dumbo? We might feel angry when we witness unkindness or injustice. When we feel angry, we must be careful to avoid hurting others. How can we use our anger to help others? 
5. One theme of Dumbo is equality/inequality and justice/injustice. Talk about examples of this theme in the film and in your own life. Ideas from the film include:

• The opening song, “Look of for Mr. Stork” includes these lyrics: “He'll come along and drop a bundle in your lap. You may be poor or rich; it doesn't matter which -millionaires, they get theirs like the butcher and the baker.” What things are similar among all people, despite differences in social class? 
• The stork drops off babies to all the different animals. Later, when they board the train, each animal has a different car, designed just for them. With younger children, discuss how each animal’s car is different. With older children, discuss equity versus equality (equality aims to provide equal treatment to all, while equity provides different accommodations so all have equal opportunities for success).
• The circus master profits by depending on laborers who work long hours for little pay and animals, both of which are treated poorly. What examples do you see of this in the film and in real life? 
• The adult elephants often tease Dumbo and exclude him from their groups. How do you see this happening in real life? Think about small-scale examples (like the group of elephants excluding one person) and large-scale systemic examples (like segregation). 
• The adult elephants decide Dumbo is “no longer an elephant.” What happens when we decide humans are “no longer humans”? What examples can you think of of dehumanizing others, individuals or groups? 

6. Timothy Mouse is a friend to Dumbo when no one else is. How does it feel when someone is a friend to you? Who do you know that might need a friend? How can you be a friend to them? 
7. Consider the crows. What is the controversy about the crows? The crows are stereotyped blacks (dialect and accent, plus the leader’s script name is Jim Crow). How have depictions of ethnicities and races changed since this movie was made? Can people still enjoy movies that contain dated stereotypes? What stereotypes and prejudices do you see in our world today? How can we confront stereotypes and prejudices?
8. How do the characters in Dumbo demonstrate courage and empathy? Why are these important character strengths?

Scripture Connections

• Children & Family. Gen 1:28; Ps 127:3-5; Mt 18:10, 19:14; 3 Ne 17:11-24, 18:21
• Equity. 2 Sam 8:15; 1 Chron 18:14; Ps 9:8, 33:5, 98:9, 99:4; Prov 1:3, 2:9; Eccl 2:21; Isa 11:4
• Patience. Rom 2:7, 8:25; Gal 5:22; 2 Thes 1:3; Alma 7:23, 26:27, 34:40; D&C 24:8, 67:13
• Kindness & Friendship. 1 Sam 18:1; Prov 17:17, 18:24; Matt 7:12; Luke 10:25-37; 1 Cor 13:4; Eph 4:32; 1 Pet 1:7; D&C 4:6

Ideas for Further Study

• Choose an animal from the movie to learn more about. What does this animal need to have a happy and healthy life? Compare to how you see the animals in the movie. Do you think the circus is doing a good job of caring for the animals? 
• The Casey, Jr. men sing while they set up the circus tent: "We work all day, we work all night . . . When other folks have gone to bed, we slave until we're almost dead . . . We don't know when we get our pay . . . Muscles achin’ back near breaking . . . Boss man houndin’ Keep on poundin’ . . . There ain't no let up, must get set up. Pull that canvas! Drive that stake! Want to doze off, Get them clothes off but must keep awake.” Research Labor Day and unions that fight for fair working conditions, in the past and today. Teens might read Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. 
• Dumbo’s mother was put into solitary confinement as a “mad elephant” after she tried to protect Dumbo. Sometimes people today are put in jail for standing up for others (examples include members of civil rights movements, Martin Luther King, Jr., Joseph Smith, Dakota Access Pipeline protesters, DACA and immigration reform protesters, and more). Find an example that interests you and learn more about them.  Research justice issues in your area and see how you can get involved in standing up for what’s right. 
• Research the Jim Crow laws and era. Find primary source documents from African-Americans living in Jim Crow South. Visit a museum or find someone who lived under those laws to learn more about what it was like. 
• There are many examples of harmful stereotypes and prejudices in our world today. Research a group to dispel stereotypes about them. Visit a cultural or religious event different from your own.

References

Brett Willis, “Movie Review: Dumbo,” Christian Spotlight on Entertainment. <https://christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/pre2000/dumbo.html>.

Nell Minow, “Dumbo,” Common Sense Media, <https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/dumbo>.