- “You wanna make the elephant fly, don't ya?...Use the magic feather! Catch on?”
- ―Dandy Crow to Timothy Q. Mouse[src]
The Crows are supporting characters in Disney's 1941 animated feature film Dumbo. They are a wisecracking chorus of anthropomorphic crows who pride themselves in having "seen everything". The crows initially heckle and mock Timothy Q. Mouse and Dumbo, but later become sympathetic of their plight and are responsible for teaching Dumbo how to fly.
Background
Dandy Crow[1][2][3][4][5] (also known previously as Jim Crow) is the classy, cigar-smoking leader of the flock. Donning his signature vest, spats, and derby hat, Dandy carries himself with a self-assured flair. He has a commanding presence and does most of the talking amongst the group. He is intelligent, being learned in the field of psychology. He is also implied to be well-traveled, as "When I See an Elephant Fly" alludes to a colorful history.
Fats gets his name from his rotund appearance. Donning an open-front red vest and blue hat, Fats speaks in a baritone and has a jolly deposition. He is not particularly smart, as he was unsure as to whether or not dead people can snore. He tends to hold his belly when he laughs.
Deacon gets his name from his attire, which resembles that of a church deacon. He is refined and subdued, and the tallest of the crows. Deacon is often seen with his wings firmly tucked behind his back.
Dopey lives up to his namesake with his sloppy posture and clothing—his signature ensemble includes a yellow straw-hat with a missing top, which is held up by his beak (the hat typically obscures his eyes). Dopey's often-unorthodox posture suggests that he is the most eccentric of the group.
Specks is the shortest of the crows, named for his oversized, pink-lensed glasses. Additionally, he wears a red sweater and a blue cap. Specks' small size makes him the frequent butt of the crows' jokes. He has a childlike deposition and a high-pitched voice. He is zestful and often looks to the other crows to cure his curiosity, as a child would to their elders.
Development
The original story treatment for Dumbo by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer featured a "large, rusty-looking crow" that Dumbo and Timothy encountered in their adventure.[6] This was later expanded to a chorus of crows. Ward Kimball, one of Walt Disney's Nine Old Men, supervised animation of the crows. Early storyboards and model sheets depict the crows as physically identical, but Kimball was inspired by audio tracks of the Hall Johnson Choir to differentiate the crows as unique personalities.[6] As was the case with 1938’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, live-action models were used to assist in animating the characters. In this case, Freddy and Eugene Jackson (also known as the "Jackson Brothers") were called into the studio. The Jacksons were a song-and-dance team, famous for their vaudeville and film work. They provided Kimball with various routines and poses that would be incorporated into the animation of the "When I See an Elephant Fly" sequence.[7][8][9]
While the crows went unnamed in the film, model sheets, the film's scripts, and publicity material referred to the characters as Jim Crow, Specks, Dopey, Deacon, and Fats (although Specks was, at one point, also referred to as “Little Guy”). The name "Jim Crow" was derived from a racist caricature that originated in the 19th century minstrel shows, popularized by Thomas Dartmouth Rice. The Jim Crow caricature portrays African Americans with exaggerated demeaning features and behaviors, cementing racist stereotypes. Over time the name became synonymous with the segregation laws and discriminatory practices the institutionalized racial inequalities in the United States.[10] Jim's name was officially changed to "Dandy Crow" in the 1950s in an attempt to avoid controversy.[11][12] However, both the "Jim Crow" and “Dandy Crow” names have since been used interchangeably. “Fats” was a common stage name used by black jazz artists during the 1920s and 1930s, such as Thomas “Fats” Waller and Theodore “Fats” Navarro.
The personalities and mannerisms of the crows — specifically their fast-paced, back and fourth dialogue—has been likened onto the backchat found in the band records of African-Americans artists of the time, such as Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong.[8] Animation historian John Canemaker thematically relates the crows to the struggles of African-Americans of the time period, “As an alienated group, themselves, they sympathize with Dumbo’s plight—being ostracized because of his physical being.”[8]
Voice
The Hall Johnson Choir, an all-black gospel group based in Los Angeles, provided both the speaking and singing voices for Fats, Deacon, Dopey, and Specks. The leader of the crows was voiced by Cliff Edwards, who had previously voiced Kimball’s Jiminy Cricket character in 1940's Pinocchio. Kimball was responsible for Edwards' casting, stating, "Cliff Edwards doing the voice of Jim Crow really made the whole sequence, because he was quite adept at doing kazoo solos on his old records, and he could vocally imitate other instruments".[6] The casting of Edwards and the Hall Johnston Choir inspired Kimball when designing the crows and establishing their personalities. Kimball recalled, "The voices we used for the other crows were from the Hall Johnson Choir, a group from a well-known black church in Los Angeles. That's why the development and differentiation of the characters really began on the night that we started recording. After listening to the voices, I decided that maybe the squeaky, high voice might be the little crow with the kid's cap and pink glasses, and Jim Crow would be the big, dominating boss crow with the derby. Later, I began to graphically redesign the characters to make them emphatically different types."[13]
Appearances
Dumbo
The crows first appear in the woods where they spot Dumbo and Timothy sleeping in their tree. Fats, Deacon, Dopey, and Specks are utterly confused at the sight, and so their leader, Dandy Crow, flies down to investigate. Jim wakes up Timothy with his smoking. The minute Timothy mentions "pink elephants", Dandy and the crows fall into a knowing fit of laughter. Timothy remains too dazed to realize his predicament, until Dandy notes that the former and an elephant are in a tree. Upon noticing, Timothy and Dumbo plummet into a pond, garnering more laughs from the crows. As Timothy, thinking out loud, wonders how they ended up in the tree, Dandy jokingly suggests they flew. After a moment of thought, Timothy believes it and deduces that Dumbo used his giant ears to fly. The crows laugh at Timothy's wild theory, and start to sing "When I See an Elephant Fly" as a mock. Furious with the crows' heckling and teasing, Timothy rebukes their behavior. He shares Dumbo's background with the crows, who are saddened to tears and feel remorse for their mockeries.
Ashamed of their behavior, Dandy tries to make amends and offers to help Dumbo fly. Through the use of psychological trickery and a feather from Specks, Dandy grants Timothy a "magic feather", which they claim will make Dumbo fly. In reality, it is merely a token to encourage and increase Dumbo's confidence. The crows take Dumbo to a nearby cliff, where he attempts to take off. After the dust clears, Timothy finds that Dumbo is actually flying, while the Crows fly beside them and excitedly proclaim that they've seen everything—thus, singing a reprise of their song, "When I See an Elephant Fly". The crows see Dumbo back to the circus and openly anticipate the audiences' reaction to a flying elephant.
Afterwards, Dumbo's ability to fly makes him a national icon. His fame and fortune (headed by his manager, Timothy) allows for the release of his mother, Mrs. Jumbo. While preparing to ride off on Casey Junior with his mother, Dumbo takes flight with the crows flying escort during a final reprise of "When I See an Elephant Fly". Once Dumbo and Mrs. Jumbo are reunited, the two elephants wave goodbye to the crows. While seeing them off, Dandy laments having never gotten Dumbo's autograph, until Fats assures him that he himself got his autograph, to which Dandy joyfully replies to Dumbo, "Well, so long glamour boy!"
House of Mouse
In the animated series, the Crows appeared as recurring guests. They were most frequently seen flying with Dumbo near the club's screen in crowd shots.
Their most notable role is in the episode "Donald Wants to Fly", where Donald Duck spends the show trying to fly. After taking a failing a lesson from Dumbo and Timothy, Dandy (voiced here by Kevin Michael Richardson) jokes with the other crows that he's seen just about everything fly, including a dragon (Elliot from Pete's Dragon) and a horse (Pegasus from Hercules), but doubts that he would ever see Donald fly.
Other appearances
The Crows make a cameo appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. They are seen as employees of the Ink and Pink Club, performing the instrumentation for Jessica Rabbit's song "Why Don't You Do Right?". Dandy, Deacon and Specks can also be spotted during the final scenes, hidden amongst the crowd of toons.
In the Mickey Mouse episode "New Shoes", the Crows are seen riding Casey Junior along with Dumbo, Timothy and Casey Jones.
In Ralph Breaks the Internet, a screenshot depicting the Crows with Dumbo can be seen around the Sorcerer Hat at the Disney Animation pavilion in Oh My Disney.
Video games
Nurie Daisuki! Dumbo no Waku Waku Circus!
The Crows appear in the Japanese game adaptation of the movie. Dumbo and Timothy encounter the flock atop a tree in a grasslands region. Interacting with each of the Crows triggers different animation; Dandy smokes his cigar, Dopey tips his hat, Deacon flies around, Fats stomps the branch thus causing the tree to rumble, and Specks flaps his wings. The crows also lead a gameplay segment, in which they teach Dumbo how to fly by having the player match shapes.
Pigg Life
In a limited time Dumbo event for the online Japanese game Pigg Life, Dandy Crow appeared alongside Dumbo, Timothy, Mrs. Jumbo, Mr. Stork, and the Pink Elephants as a garden figurine that can be placed throughout the map. He is depicted as perched atop a circus podium while holding the magic feather.
Disney Parks
Disneyland
In the 2015 rendition of World of Color at Disney California Adventure, the crows briefly appear alongside Dumbo during the segment celebrating the history of Disney's animated films.
Tokyo Disney Resort
An exhibit at the The Disney Gallery at Tokyo Disneyland's World Bazaar featured statuettes of various Disney characters, including Dandy and Timothy.
During Tokyo Disneyland's Easter celebrations, an Easter egg inspired by Dandy can be found in the Baby Mine Baby Boutique beside a statue of Mr. Stork.
The crows appeared alongside Dumbo in the nighttime fireworks show, Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
The Crows are alluded to in the various iterations of the carousel-style attraction in Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland. The Magic Kingdom version of the carousel features murals that depict various scenes from the movie, one of which include the crows bidding farewell to Dumbo and Mrs. Jumbo. The black feather appears throughout the attraction as a visual motif; most notably with Timothy, who stands atop the ride while wielding the feather, thus "granting" the ride vehicles the ability to fly.
Gallery
Trivia
- The movie opens with white storks flying, and closes with the crows flying in a similar V formation, thus closing the circle.
- When they are laughing after "When I See an Elephant Fly", the chief crow's clothes are incorrectly colored as brown and purple.
- Artist Floyd Norman was inspired by the crows when developing and storyboarding the vulture sequence in 1967’s The Jungle Book.[14]
- The crows have been the subject of controversy, being criticized as racist African-American stereotypes. Amidst the controversy, however, several critics, scholars, and media personalities have defended the film’s depiction of crows.
- Floyd Norman, one of the earliest African-American animators at Walt Disney Productions, has staunchly defended the crows in several interviews and written editorials.[15][16] According to Norman, “The reason the head crow is named, ‘Jim,’ is Disney taking a cartoony jab at the oppressive South. Walt Disney’s animated classic is not racist, nor were the people who made the movie".[14]
- When accepting her Disney Legends award in 2017, Whoopi Goldberg expressed her desire to see the crows appear in more merchandise by Disney.
- Other notable defenders of the crows include are Leonard Maltin,[17][18] Micheal Wilmington, Alex Wainer,[19] Eric Goldberg, John Canemaker,[20] John Grant,[21] and the characters' chief animator, Ward Kimball.
- Writer John Grant, in his book Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters, stated that, "It seems strange that racial offense should be discovered in their depiction: is it somehow alright to caricature whites but not blacks? That surely is a very deep racism, far deeper than anything in the friendly portrayal of the crows, although perhaps naming back then one of them 'Jim Crow' was a little questionable."
- Film and animation historian and critic Leonard Maltin in his book The Disney Films stated that, "There has been considerable controversy over the Black Crow sequence in recent years, most of it unjustified. The crows are undeniably black, but they are black characters, not black stereotypes. There is no denigrating dialogue, or Uncle Tomism in the scene, and if offense is to be taken in hearing blacks call each other 'brother', then the viewer is merely being sensitive to accuracy."
- The crows, like Timothy and other animal characters, do not appear in Tim Burton's live-action reimagining of Dumbo, but they are alluded to.
- The Crows' act of giving Dumbo a black feather and teaching him to fly are transferred to the characters Millie and Joe Farrier.
- When introducing Dumbo, the ringmaster of the Dreamland amusement park barks, "You've seen a horsefly, you've seen a dragonfly, you've even seen a housefly, but you haven't seen anything until you've seen an elephant fly!" This is a nod to the crows' banter in the intro to their song "When I See An Elephant Fly".
- A big band version of "When I See An Elephant Fly" is played during the film's end credits.
- In the read-along audio adaptation from 1977 (reissued in 1990), the Crows are voiced by Bob Holt.
