Hello & welcome back. Today on Showcase, we are taking a look at story that appears a lot throughout not just Disney's library but animation in general. The story of being different and using that difference to your advantage. And I gotta say I'm not sure, that I cared for it. Also, I think the animation may have been too cutesy for my liking.
The Plot
The plot is rather simple. The plot is we have our main character, Elmer who is different and because of that he is made fun of. Here's the issue, I have with this. Elmer for all intents and purposes has no true difference that I see. Why is he made fun of, because of his trunk. But it's not even a big trunk to begin with. I have no issue with stories of characters who are different. That's usually my favorite type of story. I mean, Dumbo, which is my favorite film also deals with a young elephant that is made fun of because of his difference. But with Dumbo, we can see that he has unusually big ears for an elephant whereas with Elmer, his trunk isn't that big. It seems to be average size. Now if the short had made it to where Elmer's trunk was so big that he tripped over it just walking, that would've been a great idea. Because giving Elmer a bigger trunk would've not only made him stand out more and it would also think that it would instill the difference. Now if there is one thing, that the short did right is the older mentor with a tall giraffe that let Elmer know that he used to be made fun of for being taller then everyone else.
Characters
Elmer Elephant
Elmer was likable and again as I said, I don't see anything that really makes Elmer stand out. Sure, I know kids can be cruel and pick on each other just because. But I still think that this short could've done more to work with this angle. I'm sorry but Disney has done this story in many ways that are better than this. Dumbo with the big ears. A tiny moose and so on and so on.
Old Giraffe
The Old Giraffe as I'm calling him was likable and helped Elmer realize that it's okay that he has a difference.
Tillie
Tillie was sweet but I didn't really care for her voice. If I can give her any amount of credit, she actually cared for Elmer and didn't make fun of him. And Elmer did save her from a fire that was caught on fire from her birthday cake. Oh, yeah forgot to mention that but there was a fire and Elmer used his trunk to put it out.
The Other Kids
The Other Kids, I understand the purpose that they served but again, I feel like this could've been handled better. I mean I didn't hate them but I just wish this short would've explored this idea more.
My Final Thoughts
I wanted to like this short. I really did because it seemed like a short that would be up my alley with my favorite type of story with a character having to deal with having a difference that they have to live with but the short does not explore the full poetnial of this story. It's not bad, it's an okay short. If I don't compare it to the other Disney shorts and films that use this story and are so much better. Do I suggest checking this short out? Uh, maybe but I don't think I'll be watching this short again anytime soon. Peace!
The Plot
The plot is rather simple. The plot is we have our main character, Elmer who is different and because of that he is made fun of. Here's the issue, I have with this. Elmer for all intents and purposes has no true difference that I see. Why is he made fun of, because of his trunk. But it's not even a big trunk to begin with. I have no issue with stories of characters who are different. That's usually my favorite type of story. I mean, Dumbo, which is my favorite film also deals with a young elephant that is made fun of because of his difference. But with Dumbo, we can see that he has unusually big ears for an elephant whereas with Elmer, his trunk isn't that big. It seems to be average size. Now if the short had made it to where Elmer's trunk was so big that he tripped over it just walking, that would've been a great idea. Because giving Elmer a bigger trunk would've not only made him stand out more and it would also think that it would instill the difference. Now if there is one thing, that the short did right is the older mentor with a tall giraffe that let Elmer know that he used to be made fun of for being taller then everyone else.
Characters
Elmer Elephant
Elmer was likable and again as I said, I don't see anything that really makes Elmer stand out. Sure, I know kids can be cruel and pick on each other just because. But I still think that this short could've done more to work with this angle. I'm sorry but Disney has done this story in many ways that are better than this. Dumbo with the big ears. A tiny moose and so on and so on.
Old Giraffe
The Old Giraffe as I'm calling him was likable and helped Elmer realize that it's okay that he has a difference.
Tillie
Tillie was sweet but I didn't really care for her voice. If I can give her any amount of credit, she actually cared for Elmer and didn't make fun of him. And Elmer did save her from a fire that was caught on fire from her birthday cake. Oh, yeah forgot to mention that but there was a fire and Elmer used his trunk to put it out.
The Other Kids
The Other Kids, I understand the purpose that they served but again, I feel like this could've been handled better. I mean I didn't hate them but I just wish this short would've explored this idea more.
My Final Thoughts
I wanted to like this short. I really did because it seemed like a short that would be up my alley with my favorite type of story with a character having to deal with having a difference that they have to live with but the short does not explore the full poetnial of this story. It's not bad, it's an okay short. If I don't compare it to the other Disney shorts and films that use this story and are so much better. Do I suggest checking this short out? Uh, maybe but I don't think I'll be watching this short again anytime soon. Peace!
No comments:
Post a Comment