Elmer Elephant (1936) User Reviews (10)

Cute underdog story

[Horst_In_Translation · 8/10 · 18 November 2017]

"Elmer Elephant" is an American 8.5-minute cartoon from 1936, so a bit longer than usual and this one had its 80th anniversary last year already and even if it is in color, this means it is certainly among the earlier days of the Golden Age of Animation. But this Disney production nonetheless includes several big names like director Wilfred Jackson and voice actors Nash and Colvig who were really defining for both the genre and the company for many years to come. This one here may not include the ducks and mice and dogs everybody loves until today, but it includes a little elephant. He visits his little tiger friend for her birthday and he brought her flowers. But sadly, the other visitors aren't friendly to him at all and make fun of his nose and ears etc. So he leaves the party, but meets some real friends who give him solace and eventually also help him when a fire puts Tillie's life at risk.

That's one thing I liked that it was not some kind of superhero performance, but that the giraffe and pelicans etc. made it a team effort for Elmer. And honestly animation-wise this was way ahead of its time, certainly a contender for best 1936 short film. On a side-note: This was the year that the Olympics were held in Berlin. Anyway, back to the film: I also liked the love to detail, such as the ways in which the animators breathed life even into those little fire creatures and it was also smart as this takes away from the tension and drama and makes sure it's not too serious for younger audiences to watch too as after all most of the characters in here are their age. Many anti-bullying films from recent history can learn a lot from the heart put in this one and maybe if the filmmakers actually would have watched this one, then their work would not have turned into such forgettable mediocrity (in the better cases). And finally, also a word on the really sweet ending that shows us that we should not pay too much attention to what breed everybody is in here. A cute kiss and little Elmer could not be any happier. His ears finally serve a purpose too. A strong cartoon with a slightly superior second half, I very much recommend checking it out to everybody. For cartoon lovers, it is a must-see and such a shame Elmer was forgotten quickly. I would have loved to watch more films starring him, no matter if short or long. Such a cute, charming and likable character.

A nice Silly Symphony with a good lesson.

[OllieSuave-007 · 8/10 · 22 June 2018]

Nice little Silly Symphony about Elmer, the kid elephant, who was making fun of because of his trunk by the other animals during their friend's birthday party. However, they soon had to have a new viewpoint of the elephant because of his courageous acts during a fire.

A pretty exciting plot and a good lesson to be learned here about appreciating what you have been given in life and about treating everyone with kindness.

Grade B

America's tykes have been wondering for nearly a century . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 11 April 2019]

. . . about whether and when the pelicans are going to get their "thank you" kiss. After all, without these fearless water carriers tanking up at the nearby pond and flying toward the face of the inferno then consuming "Tillie the Tiger's" treehouse, title character ELMER ELEPHANT would have nothing but Hot Air to blow on the attacking flames. But Tillie does not give any of the three avian super heroes so much as a peck on their live-saving pouches in gratitude for their stalwart aerial exploits. It's as if Tillie is blind to anyone lacking an alliterative moniker. If a more accomplished bunch (judged NOT by "Oscars" won--everyone knows that the "animated shorts" category was up for auction during its first three or four decades--but by the Actual kids of Today and Yesteryear)--such as the Looney Tune guys--had animated ELMER ELEPHANT, we'd certainly know a whole lot more about the pelicans' Back Story. They might even become triplets if tended at "Termite Terrace," designated as "Peter, Paul, and Pinky." (The last-named bird fantasized about growing up to be a flamingo.) Surely the Merry Melodians would not have left the triplets to serve as mere afterthoughts, or props, to an often pink elephant's checkered Love Life!

Cute Characters Make This Watchable

[Michael_Elliott · 27 June 2015]

Elmer Elephant (1936)

*** (out of 4)

A cute little tiger is having a birthday party and everyone is having a blast. A sweet elephant shows up and gives her flowers, which steals her heart but the rest of the kids there plan on picking on the elephant due to his large nose. This is another good Disney short that falls just short of being a classic but it's still worth watching. There are quite a few good things here with the highlight certainly being the characters who are just downright adorable. Both the tiger and elephant make for a cute couple and there's no question that the ending is extremely sweet. I thought the bullies were all done well and especially the hippo and that wonderful voice. The animation is quite good as you'd expect and overall it's a pretty good movie even if its story isn't all that great.

Kids can be real jerks!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 17 January 2014]

Elmer Elephant heads to Tillie Tiger's birthday party cutesy characters other animals make fun of him ostriches heads

"Elmer Elephant" is an exceptionally well-animated cartoon but it suffers from a case of the ultra-cutesies. It is just too cute and tries so hard at this that it's a tad cloying. Still, compared to the output of other studios of the day, it's still a pretty decent short.

The cartoon begins with adorable Elmer making his way to Tillie Tiger's birthday party. However, the other animals are jerks and make fun of Elmer's trunk. Elmer is a bit thin-skinned and is chased away. However, when fire strikes at the party, Elmer returns and saves the day.

In many ways, this cartoon is like the song "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer". The animals are all jerks and the target of their nastiness eventually proves himself a hero nd all is forgotten. I say that revenge would have been a much more satisfying ending--but it doesn't fit into the whole Disney style. Overall, a mildly entertaining cartoon that isn't bad but seemed a bit too predictable and cute for my taste.

Disney's Cartoon That Failed

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 29 September 2000]

A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short.

Little ELMER ELEPHANT has a crush on Tillie Tiger & his affection is reciprocated (don't try to figure it out). Trouble is, the pint-sized pachyderm is beset by bullies who ridicule his trunk and make his life miserable. Then a conflagration breaks out at Tillie's tree house...

A very cute little film, very nicely drawn, with a sound moral message. It could have been the start of a series of Elmer Elephant shorts, but, alas, that was not to be and Elmer & his friends went into almost immediate cartoon oblivion.

The pelicans, for those too young to know, are spoofs of Jimmy Durante.

The SILLY SYMPHONIES, which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929, are among the most interesting of series in the field of animation. Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount, with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music. There was little plot in the early Symphonies, which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals, all moving frantically to the soundtrack. Gradually, however, the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot, characterization & photographic special effects. The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale, Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed. It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring. In 1939, with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon, Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES; they had run their course & served their purpose.

A great Silly Symphony

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 15 September 2009]

Elmer Elephant is a great Silly Symphony and a wonderful childhood gem. It does have a beautiful story, and very heartfelt and well meaning, though out of the Silly Symphonies Ugly Duckling gets my vote as the most heart-rending. You do genuinely feel for Elmer, who gets bullied for his unusually long trunk,then ends up saving the day in one of my favourite Silly Symphony moments, and although the other characters aren't as significant, other than Tillie, they do serve purpose to the well thought out story that doesn't preach in any way.

The animation is lovely, and so is the music, especially when the theme tune goes into a minor key to portray Elmer's sadness. All in all, if you come across this Silly Symphony, watch it-you won't be sorry! 10/10 Bethany Cox

big nosed geek saves the day; gets the girl too

[spunky-22 · 9/10 · 10 April 2002]

Both cute and clever -- a good combination in a Disney animated Silly Symphony. We see a lot of comedy bits in this cartoon that are similar to gags in later animated stories, but they're somewhat different here. Sure, we've seen the whole anthropomorphic-fire thing, but a lot of the elements are pretty unique. I personally enjoyed way Elmer has all sorts of tricks up his, well, nose when it comes to hitting his targets with good ol' H2O. For the Looney Tunes fans out there, you may the voice of Tillie Tiger as the same voice as Petunia Pig.

I don't think that this cartoon is suitable for kids . . .

[pixrox1 · 5/10 · 4 October 2017]

. . . because even the children of normal Americans might stir up a ruckus with the neighbors' Grope Openly Party (G.O.P.) tykes if they reveal how Walt Disney uses ELMER ELEPHANT to blame these Right-Wing "Conservative" Dumbos for America's then on-going Great Depression. In this animated short, Disney depicts Elmer as a Total Loser, Cluelessly skipping through the daisies while everyone else shows up on time for Tilly's Sixth Birthday Party. When the other critters present mock Elmer for always sticking his Ginormous Facial Appendage into Private Places where it clearly doesn't belong, Disney suggests that Elmer torches Tilly's Treehouse in an Arsonous Fit of Spite. Elmer than does his best to fan the flames toasting Tilly, just as his Real Life cohorts in America's Pachyderm Party did with their deplorable Smoot- Hawley Tariffs Act. Disney implies that Elmer is like the Teflon Don: he could probably gun down Girl Scouts and Brownies at HIGH NOON in Times Square, and get away with it like Gary Cooper!

Why does everyone make fun of big . . .

[cricket30 · 8/10 · 14 October 2021]

. . . noses? Asks ELMER ELEPHANT. It's not as if giraffes are teased constantly about having big necks. No one makes jokes about snakes having large tails (and that's about ALL these slithering miscreants have to offer). Huge shoulders are not even designated as being "big," but rather are rewarded with the more generous adjective of "broad." While it's true that the media occasionally lampooned Mr. Gable's ears as being overly big, this doesn't help Elmer much. (At least carnivals were not constantly enticing people to munch on "Clark's ears.") IF Elmer had a svelte rear, maybe this would turn away his tide of ridicule. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case.