Dumbo 70th Anniversary is available to owon Bluray!! The scene in Dumbo in which the circus is set up. Comment, rate, and subscribe!! I OWN NOTHING!! COPYRIGHT OF DISNEY!!
They’re clearly black here, but weren’t they more “shadowy” looking in non-HD versions? I also thought they looked that way because it was dark out.. 😝
And they do live up to it too. The style of tent that the big top is, even scaled down to a size suitable for a family get together, is still a lot of work by a lot of people to set it up. In good weather, they had to do it in a thunderstorm.
I’ve had my try at that type of labor and it’s fucking hard, it makes you feel like shit and question everything. As a kid I thought it was a fun cool scene, but now I understand it. Damn just imagine kids out there like Dumbo growing up in that life with possibly no future.
I actually think this is a great song that shows what hard work is really like. Some people may say it's racist, but black Americans really did do a lot of hard labor back then, and they still do (along with plenty of other races too). It's more about showing hard labor and working together. As a man who has spent time working in construction, it actually strikes a cord with me.
You are right! I didn't think about this. I'm an italian young man and so I can't go at Walmart but I saw butchers carrying the meat to the fridge and it actually was quite similar. I apologize.
I think it makes the workers the most sympathetic humans in the film, too. The elephants are the main characters of this story, and most of the human characters either take advantage of them (the ringmaster) or make fun of them (the mean kid, the clowns). These guys, though, work alongside them in the rain while everyone else rests. I think that's pretty cool.
The reason why some people is racist is because the black people make a few references to slavery "When other folks have gone to bed, we SLAVE until we're almost dead" - Slaves worked extra long hours. "We never learned to read or write" - Slaves didn't get an education "We don't know when we get our pay" - If a slave was paid at all, they might not have had any idea when they would get paid I'm not complaining because this song was made in 1941, a time when it was considered normal for whites not to care about blacks that much, but you really can't deny that the makers of this film were likely thinking about slavery when they wrote this song.
This is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. I like the contrast of moods, between the warm atmosphere of the train and the cold of the storm. The hammers and chanting add to the mood. Notice also how the vocals, trumpets, and wind goes together. This always gave me chills.
When I was younger I thought these guys were so badass. I didn't even remember this scene until I stumbled upon it and it all came back to me as I watched it. What a nostalgic movie
if that's the case they've likely got very long and detailed memories, when you can read and write, you externalize info you need to remember, when you can't, you learn to retain what you know like a steel trap
I always loved how these guys worked so hard with help from the elephants (and a camel!) during a huge storm! It’s pretty inspirational to see the teamwork of men and animals!
Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! We work all day, we work all night We never learned to read or write We're happy-hearted roustabouts Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! When other folks have gone to bed We slave until we're almost dead We're happy-hearted roustabouts Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! We don't know when we get our pay And when we do, we throw our pay away (When we get our pay, we throw our money all away) We get our pay when children say With happy hearts, "It's circus day today" (Then we get our pay, just watching kids on circus day) Muscles achin' Back near breaking Eggs and bacon what we need (Yes, sir!) Boss man houndin' Keep on poundin' For your bed and feed 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 Hep! Heave! Hep! Heave! Hep! Heave! Hep! Heave! Hep! Heave! Hep! Heave! Hep! Heave! Hep! Swing that sledge! Sing that song! Work and laugh the whole night long You happy-hearted roustabouts! Pullin', poundin', tryin', groundin' Big top roundin' into shape Keep on working! Stop that shirking! Grab that rope, you hairy ape! Poundin'! poundin'! poundin'! poundin'! Oh...
hey man, it was the 1900's, there was still problems with the white and black people than they were today. i mean the black people weren't even suppose to go to the same school as the white people. besides i'm pretty sure they signed up to do this. so it can't really be that racist
A sad reality of that time, especially in the South, perfectly and uncowardly depicted in a children movie, a very powerful, deep and great scene that also really establishes the Ringmaster as a villain. I hope under Timothy's and Dumbo's management in the end things got better.
The humans, including the Ringmaster, had no idea of the animals' sentience so it's no wonder he treated Mrs. Jumbo so badly, especially since he didn't see why she went "mad" on the bratty children. Elephant ARE dangerous animals for good reason. Still doesn't make him a good guy, but it does portray the reality of how little people tend to understand animals as anything beyond entertainment and danger. The clowns are especially good at that. It was SO satisfying watching Dumbo give them their dues for their treatment of him.
@@girl1213 He didn't lock up Mrs. Jumbo for going "mad", but for the humiliating bath in the vat of water after whipping her too much and he separated Dumbo from his mother to avoid it happened again.
Yes, yes he does. I never liked _Dumbo_ , but I agree he is cute. As an above comment says, look him with his little hammer in his little trunk! Ya gotta give him points for trying...
Toaster it’s worse when you stop and realize the fact that they don’t even do it for the money. They say; “we don’t know when we get our pay But when we do we throw our pay away (We throw our money all away) We get our pay when children say With happy hearts “it’s circuit day today!” (We get our pay just watching kids on circus day!)” They are happy throughout the song despite the harsh conditions and they do it because they are rewarded by the joy of the children. If that isn’t commendable, then I don’t know what is! These guys are the second best characters, followed only by Jim Crow’s gang! (Yes, That IS the name of the lead crow. And yes, they are the best characters in the movie)
How is this erasing history when the original is right fucking here, plain and easy to see? Sorry people don't want to post scenes of literally glorified slave labor. Must be SO awful. 🙄
I'm black, and, growing up as a kid, Dumbo and Bambi were my favorite Disney movies... Does that make me racist?!?!? 0.o Nope! If anything you have to look at the art of the past in a different light. Most of the time when I hear my friends (who aren't black) calling something racist I don't think they realize that, at the time, just having black people in the film, play, etc, was a big culture change that HELPED African Americans as time went on. I'm not saying that's the case here, I don't know the history of the song, but bringing things like this to the forefront of peoples' minds is usually a good thing... Until about 70 years later when the culture changes. Then you could get crucified for it. *tongue in cheek* Guys, I don't think Dumbo is racist. If anything, this song is a historic piece that speaks of what happened years ago in America. It should help us look at the history of African Americans in America and realize that things weren't always how they are today; obviously things haven't been looking great the past 6 months, but please exclude that from your memory. Black Lives Matter is doing American culture a disservice in trying to protect criminals from the law and punishments they tend to bring upon themselves. I wouldn't mind following them if they were a peaceful group that was promoting real change; like Martin Luther King Jr. did. But they are no true civil rights movement. Their "heroes" aren't Rosa Parks, and their martyrs aren't Emmet Till. They have no clear leader and their "martyrs" are felons who, for the most part, resist the police and get shot after living a life of crime. Out of all the black men shot that BLM pushes to the forefront, I've seen only ONE that was truly innocent from all crimes and got shot. He didn't die, and the officer is getting investigated. I suppose that doesn't make for a very good story for your movement though, right?. Incidentally, is now a good time to mention that more innocent white men are shot by the police than innocent black men? ... Yep! You know what? While I have your attention, can I mention that the crow song "when I see an elephant fly" isn't racist? The crows may be "black" but that has always been, and in many ways still is, my favorite Disney song. I've always loved seeing the crows in Dumbo; they are a funny, friendly, high spirited group of friends that show up in the film and get the title character to the point where he is confident and can fly. How is that a bad thing? This is very similar to how some people say that Speedy Gonzalez (the mouse) is a racist character, without realizing that he is highly loved in Mexico. Why? ... Ummm... Why wouldn't he? He is a "Spanish" mouse that is courageous, gifted, and looks out for his fellow man. He is put in a positive role repeatedly (actually I've never seen him in a negative role). That in itself is not racist. Context matters. Most people think that if something is being stereotyped, then it must be racist, but I disagree. Stereotypes exist for a reason, and some of us are walking talking stereotypes. I love fried chicken, watermelon, and Kool-Aid. Sue me.
Andrew Clastic thank you. I agree with about this and i have another point to make about the crows. If they're racist then why are they in who framed roger rabbit. In it they are the backup band for jessica rabbit. Sure they are half hidden but that's a stage lighting effect. I was in school choir and saw what a stage looks like up close. Its not always well lit.
+AfroAngloFrenchie Chick (That Bantu Chick) and asians also have bigger more pointy heads as well while africans are flatter, to go with what you stated which is true as well as wht he said about their trunk characteristics
None of the elephants can be snobs as all have to toil equally in the rain and mud. I never thought of the men as any particular race; I just thought they were faceless, anonymous and shadowed.
I saw these guys as a kid and could only see them as respectable hardworking men you could depend on. They were an unstoppable force in their task which is something you cant deny is admirable..
Idk what it is but between this, Frozen Heart and I’ll Make A Man Out Of You, Disney just has a THING for writing badass work songs sung by a baritone mens choir. And all 3 of them are great for putting on as background music when you gotta go to the gym LOL
@@lightningsar8901 stfu, that's not sad. It just means they didn't pay attention to the lyrics cuz they were a kid with an innocent mind. Plus, they might've just liked the scene since Dumbo was being so damn adorable in it.
I did a disney college program and worked in the Dumbo area at Big Top Souvenirs and we referred to the floorstock cast members as "roustabouts". This song is even better because of that now.
Manliest animated scene of all time, wish this video would've shown the tent up the next morning to show what they achieved. 5 more seconds would've done it.
They have no faces because they're supposed to be "anonymous workers" that are not seen by the public. Black band members in this movie have faces because people see them. This movie is against racism and prejudice. The crows are positive characters that help Dumbo.
Just having black characters in a movie doesn’t make it “against racism and prejudice.” Also, the crow is literally named “Jim Crow” and is performed by a white actor doing the vocal equivalent of blackface. Even if the intention was for this movie to be progressive, which it wasn’t, it was made in 1941 and our cultural norms and standards have changed to the point that it falls short regardless.
@@rhus36 and just having black characters in a movie doesn't make it absolutely racist either. Tommy from Rugrats was voiced by a woman does that make it the vocal equivalent of trangendered? No. Exactly how many black voice actors existed back then, and no actors are not voice actors. Stop focusing so much on the making of the movie and pay attention to the characters and how they're portrayed to the plot.
@@metroidfoosion73 See, if we admitted they were racist, we'd have to deal with it! That's too hard. I'd rather just say it's not racist and destroy the libs.
They were potrayed working alongside elephants, which are the heroes of the story. Ape is a common insult, not nesseceraly tied to the skin colour. The crows were pretty chill and helped the heroes. Circuis leader is white, and he makes his employees work in harsh conditions, and he also imprisoned Dumbo's mom. The kids that bullied Dumbo were also white. I never experienced racism, and Walt Disney might've been racist, but I don't think this movie was.
I was blessed for growing up with the Latin American version, because the guys said that they were working there because they chose not to study; so that movie encouraged me to study a lot and appreciate the effort that people involved in very high physical works do :'D
There's some subtext here that people aren't necessarily getting. Disney's animators went on strike during the production of this. And at the end of it, a lot of animators were fired or resigned because Disney demanded unrealistic hours.
Flying Momentum Probably won't happen since people are sensitive pussies today that get triggered when 1 40's song is "racist" which it really isn't since no one is physically getting beaten or taunted in this scene.
Okay, we can all agree that some scenes in this film are "wrong". But this film should be judged from when it was made, (1941).If we give films a critique from today's standards. Then ALMOST ALL "vintage" films would be looked at differently. So.. Is this film racist in some scenes? : Yes. Should this film be judged by today's standards? : No Is this film racist in 1941? : No Should this film be judged from 1941 standards? : Yes Can you have you're own opinions about this song? : Yes That's all, i hope someone understands where I'm coming from.
Prejudice is the same bad spirit whether in 194o's or today. It's driven by tge same greed and evil, and because this was done "back then" makes it no less RACIST! It's attitudes like this that allows racism to continue. Call it what is was. Racist, plain and simple. He deliberately painted an image in the mind of children that Blacks were ignorant and wasteful. That's a horrible thing to do to children, and it's absolutely a lie.
I'm reading these comments and I'm dismayed by how people constantly think "happy-hearted" automatically means racism. They say they are "happy-hearted" yet everything about the scene shows how oppressive and bleak their reality actually is. This is what you call irony. The workers here are not saying they are happy to be where they are, especially when their back-breaking labor is being juxtaposed with that of the elephants, who are all wearing begrudging faces. They are either trying to keep their spirits up or they are being plain sarcastic. We don't know because the film never really focuses on any of their individual emotions or thoughts, just this collective thought. Dumbo is about an individual who is ostracized for his appearance, and this scene places it in a broader context of the widespread oppression of the times, giving the film a subtle commentary. Walt Disney himself had to deliver milk bottles during snowy winters as a young boy, meaning he knew what difficult labor was like, and America had just gotten over the Great Depression when Dumbo was released. It makes no sense that this scene is demeaning these African American workers, especially when everything about the film consistently condemns oppressing others different from you.
This is not racist this is just accurate. In those times black people were just worker's without real human rights or other rights. This is accurate depiction of their suffering at work in my opinion.
Oh this scene was highly racist, but they didnt thicken the fact those were black people which left this scene open for interpretation. But the intention for this scene was racist for sure.
@@koek1122 glad you were able to interview Walt Disney and ask him if this was meant to be racist or at least, depict the black community in a negative light. And obviously, since this is racist, that means that all the white characters are the good guys, right?.
@@Cloudstrife112233 dude.. it's 1941 we're talking about. Racism was well and alive during that period. You want to deny history now? In a few more years slavery was hoax as well. Check yourself.
@@koek1122 A movie about slavery wouldn't be inherently racist. A movie justifying slavery would. It's true that slaves often had little or no education. It's true that many labour overseers would use racial bigotry when issuing commands. We see this here. Interpretations of actual occurrences aren't racist.
@@koek1122 Yeah that makes sence so becouse racism was a thing in 1941 USA everybody was obviously racist. How dare they include other race people in their movie right? No disrespect but you are probably ten years old or uneducated twat.
Although yes I can see how people can find this offensive and the crows as well but I'm half black and my sister's a quarter black and we love Dumbo and the characters. The crows were our favorite part because they were helping Dumbo learn to fly. It's allowing yourself to see that yes this is History and we can't forget it but how it was written and done, You got to admit it's pretty good. At least they weren't saying the full-blown n-word lol And also it was a 1940s, of course there's going to be a little bit of racism. Civil rights movement began gaining in the 1960s.
Man, those camels and elephants and human workers were pretty dedicated. They put up the circus tent during a thunderstorm. I'll bet they were pretty ticked off that the other animals didn't have to do anything (especially where they were pushing the tigers' cart off). And no, I don't see how this is racist. It looks like the workers are both black and white, and the chorus definitely sounds like mostly white guys. If anything, it's actually showing these men in a positive light for their good work ethic!
if you look at the lyrics they make I think to racial slurs during the song and if you notice with all the black worker there is little to no detail about them while the white character have face hands more detail to make them look human while the black men are barely shaped like a human have no real detail and no face
+Anthony villalobos I didn't see any white people in this clip and it's a night time setting durring a storm. I didn't hear any racial slurs either. Jim Crow was an obvious parody, although the carnies saying they can't read or write might be considered a slur, it could also be taken as a jab against carnies.
Globally Anonymous Except the crows weren't given any honors for doing so. The crows were nowhere to be seen when Dumbo was performing. They didn't take on any kind of active role in Dumbo's circus career, follow him around or make headlines with him, only Timothy did. The crows stayed right atop that tree. It's kind of amazing watching the lengths people will go to in order to convince themselves and others that something is not deeply intentionally racist, when it obviously is. Yes, the year was 1941, but that doesn't mean that this movie was released in some racist period of time that no longer is, because it continued. The racism was just more *blatant* back then. Regardless of the colour of the person speaking, with a line like "Grab that rope, you hairy ape" it's clear who it was aimed at.
The parents guide for this film on IMDb does say that it should be noted that it was made at a time when it was considered funny for cartoons to be racist and degrading
You have a point. I dont think you could have made a more racist crow in movie of you tried. The lead crow is Jim Crow and he is voiced by a white man. Its actually kinda impressive
Fucking sick of hearing "Racist racist racist racist"...if I were a black bloke I wouldn't give a feckin' sh'it about this, as a matter of fact I'd be proud of them fucking hard workers.
And before you pull the "I bet yo're a white liberal" bullshit I am black and I just think that even if the song has racist roots in it you can't change it and there's no point in being angry about it for today's worth but is important to recognize that it is racist. "When other folks have gone to bed We slave until we're almost dead" "We work all day, we work all night We never learned to read or write" Honestly can you really even argue this? They talk about being dumb and over-worked.
Wanted to share my thoughts on this scene as an adult now that I'm old enough to take in and understand all of the components. It's the black men that are singing the song, that mention things like "we work all day, we work all night. We never learned to read or write" and other things that are uncomfortable while showing them working on putting up the circus tent in the dark with slippery, muddy ground beneath them in a thunderstorm. Most of the scene that the song is playing is showing the elephants working with the men's song playing in the background. Maybe it was just because our titular character is Dumbo, but I think that maybe instead of being "racist" even as a product of the era it was made that perhaps this was a clever way to show the difficulties and harshness of circus life for the animal performers of the time and how those difficulties were the equivalent of that that for the "unskilled" laborers who generally had limited if any education or work opportunities that didn't involve back-breaking labor. I could just be overthinking it too, but... I don't know, rewatching it, this movie feels more like a clever social commentary of the times.
I noticed that the elephants in the clique, particularly the leader, all look unhappy, like it is beneath them to do this manual labor, but Mrs. Jumbo seems to be enjoying her work and it looks like she's smiling the whole time.
I myself loved this movie as a kid and even though I'm not black but ya know what I loved as a kid then and I still do today. To me this film shows that even despite everything and almost everyone being against you there's still some people who are on your side no matter who they are and despite disabilities you can still prove the naysayers that their view of you isn't how your true friends see you as those characters being the crows and Timothy J. Mouse
they're all black men lmao. And the crows are all dressed like black men with black accents and crows are black and the leader of the crows is called "Jim Crow" and the men riding the camels are all black as night.
@@wazard5772 I think you need to listen in history more often. Slaves were not treated as equals: its literally in the name. slaves were looked down upon all the time, literally the reason why they were slaves is because white people looked down on them.
I do have African American friends about my age at my elementary school. I’m from Atlanta Georgia. And we got along well. I think they’re at their jobs or in college.
as much as i adore this scene and how adorable Dumbo is, i finally understand, first of all, what a roustabout is, and how soberingly true the lyrics are. other than that, i still really love this scene - and movie! thanks so much for posting
When I little I didn’t pay too much attention to the song and was too focused on how adorable and precious Dumbo was in this scene. But now listening carefully to it, bothers me. Makes me feel very sorry for those poor men
I don't understand the claims of racism. Yes, the workers are black, and the song is sung in a vaguely upbeat tone. But the lyrics, animation, harsh strings in the background, and general mood of the song and movie clearly point to a tone of bleakness and harshness. The "roustabouts" are worked like slaves, don't know when their next meal is, and are paid so little they may as well throw their money away. Their bodies are breaking down from all the wear and tear and all they want to do is sleep, but they have to work, because otherwise they won't have the terrible wage that barely keeps them alive. Using that context, all the lyrics about being "happy-hearted" and "laughing and working all day" are pure verbal irony. You could make a case of the crows being racist because they took from Jim Crow and minstrel show stereotypes, but in this case, it's a brief, serious portrayal of the exploitation that black people in the South actually faced, and in many cases, still do face.
Chamia`s Lane It's not racist, but the reason why is because people like you throw little hissy fits and call everything racist for being historically accurate.
Nephi Nelson this is racist AF!! Black people that never learned to read or write that are just happy to work all day, that don't know when they will get paid, but when they do they just throw it away??!? Are you kidding me?!?!?
elephant35e but what about films primarily focusing on racism, those films are historic films by nature and the characters in them have said much worse, would that make the actors, producers or writers racists? No, because those kinds of films are made to show how awful discrimination is. I have no idea if everyone who made this film wasn't racist, some of them were bound to be, but the lyrics and the environment are meant to strike a nerve in my opinion, you automatically sympathise with the elephants because they have to set the tent up, so you also sympathise with the people doing it as well, at least that's how I felt
I love the animation on this scene. You can actually feel the massivness and power of these animals who, by the way, actually do help set up the tent in real life. or at least they used to...stupid PETA
@@kennethsatria6607 I agree. Unlike a dog that is much smaller, and only needs a yard/walk for exercise, animals like tigers and elephants can't just be put on a leash in public cities. Not only are they more difficult to handle, but can do damage to other people and property. Worse, they cannot be tamed or domesticated in the same way. It's all the more reason they belong in the wild and not in cages/chains.
When I first saw this movie the resolution was so low so I never saw them as black. I always thought they were like silhouette, since they were working at night. Also I could never really understand what they were singing, I just liked the tune. But when I got older I just saw it as a song for working stiffs, black or white.
Racist stereotypes aside, this number was a great depiction of the more intense and overlooked parts of show & circus business. Even watching this as a little girl I could sense the inherent danger and physical exhaustion of pitching a circus tent in the dead of night during a rainstorm, and being an adult woman now, the dread takes over when you consider the constant hours, the threat of electrocution from the thunderstorm and how the rain had to have made the tarp even heavier as well as exacerbated the already dangerous work involved in setting up (i.e. slips, hypothermia, equipment getting stuck, less solid foundation). Easily one of Disney’s most underrated musical sequences, even though much of the elements obviously aged very poorly.
Because the workers were black, a lot of people are offended by it. They kind of forgot that this movie was made in the 1940's when people didn't know any better.
Take note that, at 0:47, the light by which they are working illuminates brown skinned people, rather than white or peach tones. That makes it hard to argue that these are not black workers. Someone one here also stated that one way we can tell is that they are singing with "white guys' voices". Maybe so, but it could still mean that the images were stereotyped as black people as they were viewed at the time of the drafting of Dumbo. A look at other toons of the era will reveal similar ideology of people of color. In fact, a look at Star WarsEpisode I: The Phantom Menace may show the more modern version of the same ideology in its casting and alleged ethinicity-based characterization of various people on Tatooine. Now this is just a rumor I heard once, but the workers in Dumbo may not actually be black Americans, but rather the men are possibly modeled after black Cubans of the time. This allegation should be further looked into, I think. Either way, no one can argue the fact that this is one scene that sparks much controversy.
This scene was so sad as a kid. I'm glad Disney was able to show how exploitative the circus is. This is my first time actually listening to the lyrics, and the song is pretty disturbing.
+arielartista How exactly is this a sad scene? This was my favorite part of the movie because of the cool song. And how is it exploiting the circus if that's how it was?
bigoldinosaur the animals are working hard in the rain. They obviously look unhappy. And the roustabouts are treating them as tools rather than as animals.
arielartista The only animals working are the elephants and they don't look unhappy at all. The roustabouts are working just as hard as the elephants. Animals are usually stronger then humans so why not use them. Horses used to pull wagons for firefighters and carry people to hospitals. Riddle me this...does that mean that the horses shouldn't have been used and just have people pull the wagons?
+bigoldinosaur Sad world we live in today, isn't it. I don't know the reality behind what these kind of guys had to deal with back then, or any racism involved, but it seems like now-a-days people wanna consider anything that's a bit tough, or any type of good work ethic to be "abuse" or "oppression". And well said, I mean, are we gonna feel the same way over oxen ever being used to pull carts... (problem is liberals will read that last part and take it as another idea of something to be upset about)
