Pink Elephants on Parade
Encyclopedia
Pink Elephants on Parade is the name of a segment, and the song played therein, from the Disney animated
feature film
Dumbo
in which Dumbo and Timothy Q. Mouse, after accidentally becoming intoxicated (after drinking water
spiked with champagne), see pink elephants
sing, dance, and play trumpets during a hallucination
sequence.
The song was written by Oliver Wallace
and Ned Washington
and sung by the Sportsmen. The segment was directed by Norman Ferguson
, laid out by Ken O'Connor and animated by Hicks Lokey
, Frank Thomas
and Howard Swift.
The Dumbo the Flying Elephant
ride at Disneyland was originally going to be based on this scene, but the idea was scrapped and the ride creators changed it to the friendlier titular elephant from the movie.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
Dumbo
Dumbo
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released on October 23, 1941, by RKO Radio Pictures.The fourth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Dumbo is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a...
in which Dumbo and Timothy Q. Mouse, after accidentally becoming intoxicated (after drinking water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
spiked with champagne), see pink elephants
Seeing pink elephants
"Seeing pink elephants" is a euphemism for drunken hallucination, caused by alcoholic hallucinosis or delirium tremens. The first recorded use of the term is by Jack London in 1913, who describes one kind of alcoholic, in the autobiographical John Barleycorn, as "the man whom we all know, stupid,...
sing, dance, and play trumpets during a hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
sequence.
The song was written by Oliver Wallace
Oliver Wallace
Oliver George Wallace was a British composer and conductor. He was especially known for his film music compositions, which were written for many animation, documentary, and feature films from Walt Disney Studios....
and Ned Washington
Ned Washington
Ned Washington was an American lyricist.-Biography:Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962...
and sung by the Sportsmen. The segment was directed by Norman Ferguson
Norman Ferguson
William Norman "Norm" Ferguson was an animator for Walt Disney Studios and a central contributor to the studio's stylistic development in the 1930s. He is most frequently noted for his contribution to the creation of Pluto, one of the studio's best-known and most enduring characters, and is the...
, laid out by Ken O'Connor and animated by Hicks Lokey
Hicks Lokey
William "Hicks" Lokey was an American animator. He is best known for his work at Fleischer Studios.Lokey was born in Alabama...
, Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas (animator)
Franklin M. "Frank" Thomas was an American animator. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators known as the Nine Old Men....
and Howard Swift.
The Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Dumbo the Flying Elephant (ride)
Dumbo the Flying Elephant is a carousel-style ride located in Fantasyland at five Disney parks around the world. The original attraction opened at Disneyland in October of 1955, three months after the park opened...
ride at Disneyland was originally going to be based on this scene, but the idea was scrapped and the ride creators changed it to the friendlier titular elephant from the movie.
Covers
- The song was covered by Sun RaSun RaSun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
. A recording of this arrangement is available on Stay AwakeStay Awake (album)Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films is a 1988 tribute album recorded by various artists performing songs from Disney films...
, a tribute album of Disney tunes played by various artists, and produced by Hal WillnerHal WillnerHal Willner is an American music producer working in recording, films, TV and live events. He is best known for assembling tribute albums and events featuring a wide variety of artists and musical styles...
. The song was also covered by Circus ContraptionCircus ContraptionCircus Contraption is the name of a one-ring circus, vaudeville and dark cabaret troupe based in Seattle, Washington. The troupe, which employs about a dozen performers, uses live, original music paired with old-style circus performances, heavily influenced by cabaret and vaudeville acts...
and Lee Press-on and the NailsLee Press-on and the NailsLee Presson and the Nails is a swing band that formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in October 1994 during the late '90s swing revival. It disbanded in 2004 and reformed in 2006...
.
- Daladubz samples the song in his dubstep song entitled Pink Elephants VIP.
Appearances in other media and theme parks
- Part of the song is played during "HallowishesHalloWishesHalloWishes is a fireworks show that takes place during "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party" at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom theme park...
" at Walt Disney World's Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween PartyMickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween PartyMickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a separate-admission Halloween-themed event held annually during the months of September and October at the Magic Kingdom theme park of the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, outside Orlando, and at Disneyland Paris Resort outside Paris,...
. - In Enchanted, the song can be heard briefly as Prince Edward watches television.
- This song is parodied in the Bob's BurgersBob's BurgersBob's Burgers is an American animated television sitcom, which premiered on January 9, 2011 on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series was created by Loren Bouchard and focuses on the Belcher family, who runs a hamburger restaurant. On April 7, 2011, Bob's Burgers was renewed for a second season...
episode "Art CrawlArt Crawl"Art Crawl" is the eighth episode of the first season of the animated television series Bob's Burgers. The episode originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 20, 2011....
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