With Disney’s live action Dumbo flying into theaters this weekend, our Gurus and Contributors have assembled the top ten movies featuring elephants. Let us know what movies we missed!
The original Jumanji is a testament to the exponential power of Robin Williams firing on all cylinders. Sure, the movie is over the top and ridiculous, and yeah the effects weren’t even great for 1995, but this manic man child, lost in the jungle for decades makes everything just fun enough to enjoy the expedition. To watch these four try to survive giant mosquitoes, mischievous monkeys, sudden swamps, and yes stampeding elephants, made board games seem like they might actually be cool. (Aaron Dicer)
Burt Reynolds, Jerry Reed, Sally Field, and Jackie Gleason are all back after the success. It’s a Burt Reynolds road movie- with an elephant- what more could you want? How about Dom DeLouise? Like the first it’s a Hal Needham stunt show, but with a slightly sillier execution. Like so many Burt Reynolds movies (especially with Dom DeLouise) much of the joy is seeing how much joy they themselves must’ve had filming. (Joshua Childs)
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle has a lot going for it. There is a great cast, fun action, a new spin on an old story, awesome visual effects, and great themes. It takes the story of Mowgli from The Jungle Book and creates a darker, more grounded story where Mowgli has to grapple with his humanity and his jungle upbringing. And even for a movie where the majority of the characters are animals, they were brought to life via motion capture (naturally, with Andy Serkis at the helm), and it anthropomorphizes them in such a way that you can recognize the actor’s face in their character. But it’s all held together by the lead, Rohan Chand, who is the vessel for the audience to experience the story and the hero for us to cling to. (Robert Bouffard)
A selfish motivational speaker inherits an elephant from his deceased dad. He then embarks on a cross country road trip to get rid of it. It’s a Bill Murray road movie- with an elephant- what more could you want?! Turns out- plenty, but in the elephant featured sub-section it definitely carries more weight. Here’s the deal, even a bad Bill Murray movie still has Bill Murray, ergo it contains some comedy gold. And this isn’t a bad movie. It’s just not the Bill Murray-ist Bill Murray movie around. It also features Matthew McConaughey in a bold character role, and Janeane Garofalo underused in a tame one. At the end of the day it politely pays off on the premise. (Joshua Childs)
Has any movie ever started off so strong only to be dragged through the mud by its subsequent sequels? Seriously, tell me if so because that’s a Best Ever list I’m ready to make. Seeing Ice Age at #6 on the list here may make you doubt our judgement, but you have to take yourself back to the beginning before there were four more movies with each going down the slippery slope in quality. The first movie has a great deal of charm, heart, and imagination. The acting cast is top notch and the vibe is fresh. On the off chance you’ve never seen any of the Ice Age movies and have only learned of them from peoples’ disdain of the franchise as a whole, give this first one a go sometime. (Blake Hodges)
If you’re into martial arts movies you are no doubt familiar with Tony Jaa and the Ong-Bak franchise. Ong-Bak 2 is actually a prequel to Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003). 2 puts Ting (Tony Jaa) as a student learning to master his martial arts skills. And elephant-wise, I don’t know how else to say it other than there is one ridiculously cool fight scene using a cooperative elephant to defeat a band of masked assassins. (Joshua Childs)
Of any Disney animated film, Aladdin is high up on my list. It’s got great music from the great Alan Menken, an impossibly perfect performance from Robin Williams as the Genie and a great joke that lasts about half the film with Abu the monkey being magically transformed into an “Esalalumbo, shimin dumbo!” Yes! An elephant. The hilarity of this from a conceptual level is off the charts. From the moment Abu realizes he’s grown from a foot tall shoulder riding monkey to an Elephant so large he probably wouldn’t fit in the castle view hideaway he shares with Aladdin. From trying to climb a palm tree, to him embracing it and strutting down the streets of Agrabah, Aladdin makes having an monkey turned elephant sidekick look awesome. (Evan Lucken)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom takes on the tough role of being the second movie in a trilogy. You have to deal with the resolution (or lack thereof) of the hero’s journey and expound upon that. What great adventure could possibly be worth the hero’s time? For Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), it’s trying to escape a crime boss in Shanghai. Or it’s just fun. I mean, we are talking about Indiana Jones here, the originator of the adventure film genre (at least in my eyes). From start to the credit roll, you are locked in on Ford’s performance. But what is Dr. Jones without his trusty crew? Nothing, that’s what. Well, okay, he’s pretty cool in his own right, but Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan) and Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) are just awesome here. Willie Scott is no damsel in distress as they work to figure out just who is trying to kill them and why. (Austin Belzer)
“Spartans! Prepare for glory!” 300 is without a doubt the biggest “man” movie of all time. It’s endlessly entertaining, incredibly re-watchable, and insanely bad ass. Zack Snyder brings this epic comic book to life with his iconic visual flare and style. It’s action scenes are gloriously violent and down right beautiful to watch as it’s just like it jumped off the comic book page. The ending to this film is goosebump in-dosing and something I won’t ever forget as you see these bad ass warriors refuse to bow down to this king against insurmountable odds and prove that even a “God-King” can bleed. (Ben Davis)
Is it cheating if the elephants are humongous and carry legions of men on their backs? I say…why the heck not? The grand finale of one of the greatest trilogies of all time, The Return of the King is an epic of all proportions. This film might be one of the most balanced films ever created. Basically every aspect of the film is firing on all cylinders from start to finish. Epic in scope and emotion, The Return of the King boasts top notch performances from all involved, triumphant and moving music, state of the art effects, breathe-taking cinematography, and thrills from start to finish. What else can I say about this modern classic? Let this majestic film speak for itself. (Shane Conto)
Honorable Mentions
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Ace is at it again in this 1995 sequel to the original, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Elephants crush several cars, cause general destruction at Ace’s command, and serve as a back drop at times to the setting of the movie. In my opinion, this film is funnier than the original and might be Jim Carrey at his slapstick-comedy peak (it’s debatable between this and Dumb and Dumber). The African tribal motif of the movie is very stylized, but this movie is responsible for teaching the world about Bat Guano and it’s many uses (Guano Bowls, collect the whole set). Shikaka!! (Jack Altermatt)
The Jungle Book
Although it may seem too much of a retread of the original animated film, Disney’s live-action remake of The Jungle Book is on point. Jon Favreau is able to breathe fresh, new air in this property despite it being aforementioned, a retread of the original. The visual effects are stunning to put without detail. Without the amazing CGI and performance-capture, this film would not work because you would feel that you have seen the story time and time again. Neel Sethi is able to carry the film as Mowgli unlike the typical kid actor. Bill Murray and Christopher Walken are standouts as usual whenever they are in movies. The Jungle Book is able to do what a lot of remakes struggle to do, a refreshing take on the original. This version of The Jungle Book is a charming, light-hearted journey that it is hard to not like. Side note: who is against Stringer Bell (Idris Elba) voicing Shere Khan? Bring on The Lion King this July! (Eric Moss)
Horton Hears a Who
A Dr. Seuss adaptation that’s a true illustration of the beloved
children’s books. This light-hearted animated feature is a delight
from start to finish. Its colourful, vibrant and humorous, with a
noteworthy voice cast. Jim Carrey portrays the oversized,
extroverted elephant that is Horton, who is overwhelmingly
sweet-natured. Carrey, a comic genius, enhances the source
material with his eccentric, wacky voice performance. You can’t
help but giggle and chuckle at the hilarity of this picture. Unlike
The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who is able to incorporate
key elements from the book that is necessary. To spark
controversy, I didn’t despise The Cat in the Hat, as it had
genuinely funny gags, although can identity the flaws.
Nonetheless, this animated picture is the greatest Dr. Seuss
adaptation to date that surprisingly offers more than one might
anticipate. (Zach Stephens)
Also see:
Water for Elephants, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, Operation Dumbo Drop, Jungle Book (1967).