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In fact, Disney came to see the federal government, under Roosevelt, as a subversive force in its own right. With the outbreak of World War II, the government required Disney to surrender much of the creative control he had previously wielded over his projects. His subsequent efforts, for the next four years, consisted mainly of short cartoons commissioned by the government to boost wartime morale. Ironically, by serving his country in this manner, Disney was no longer able to engage in his own peculiar brand of patriotism.
Dumbo marked the end of an era in which Disney imposed his personal views on movie audiences everywhere. In retrospect, it is perhaps for the best that these views go largely unnoticed today. Were this not the case, Dumbo might become a subject of controversy like another Disney film, Song of the South. This could lead to a decline in Dumbo's audience, which would be a great loss to us all. For, whether one chooses to see Dumbo as a sweet story about an elephant or as a covert platform for Disney's controversial views, it remains among the most moving and powerful of all animated films.
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