Goliath II's mother is a female elephant who has great affection for her son, Goliath II and who disapproves the dislike of her husband, Goliath I from Goliath II.
Role in the short[]
Goliath II's mother is first seen watching her tiny son, Goliath II, get blown away by her pessimistic husband Goliath I, much to her disappointment, stating what kind of father he is and calling him a big overstuffed blimp. You see, Goliath II's mother, like most mothers, was proud of her son no matter what. Goliath II's mother tries to cheer her son up by stating that, "Brute strength isn't everything. You'll amount to something someday. Just wait and see."
But unfortunately for her son, because of the many dangers in the Indian jungle, she is very strict and overprotective of him. Her number one worry is Raja, a crafty old tiger who will stop at nothing to eat Goliath II, and because of the elephant's small size, is a perfect meal for the hungry tiger. Still, Goliath II's mother manages to rescue Goliath II from Raja by throwing (but missing) a boulder at him and scaring him off. Other worries according to her include being trampled by other elephants like Eloise, whom she warns and calls her a clumsy ox; much to Eloise's dismay; stating: "Now, don't you "clumsy ox" me. I can't watch out for your precious little brat. That's your worry. If you think I'm gonna pussyfoot around the rest of my life so that...", and being eaten by other animals like a crocodile (resembling Tick-Tock), whom she manages to save Goliath II from while interrupting Eloise since he wasn't paying attention while playing with a butterfly, stating, "Oh, Goliath, what on earth will I ever do?"
One day, during an afternoon stroll through the jungle, Goliath II is separated from the herd after being distracted by some snails, causing his mother to panic (and causing the other elephants to crash) and go look for him. The mother eventually finds her son stuck inside the snails' hole, but unfortunately for her, Raja is also waiting at the other side of the hole. Goliath II's mother pulls him out of the hole before the tiger can pull him out the other end, and after being freed, she scolds him for being a terrible nuisance to the other elephants and to stop being a pest. After she puts him in a bird's nest as a way of punishing him, Goliath II, realizing that he is about to be eight years old in 8 months, decides that he is better off alone and runs away at night. But just after being scared by the sounds of the jungle during his attempted escape, Goliath II accidentally wakes up Raja by hitting him with a cattail; gaining his attention. Raja tries to catch Goliath II, but Goliath II's mother, hearing her son calling for help, stops the tiger and grabs him by the tail, thus, forcing Raja to surrender Goliath II. Goliath II's mother then sends the wild cat flying into the same crocodile's (that nearly ate Goliath earlier) mouth. Raja eventually crawls out of the crocodile's mouth unharmed and runs off; never to be seen again.
The next morning, Goliath II receives a bigger and more severe punishment from his parents: he is spanked by his mother with a tree branch since according to elephant law, deserting the herd is a major offense and the deserter is then branded a scoundrel, a rogue elephant, and a traitor to the high and imperial order of pompous pachyderms, thus, disgracing his great father. The other elephants then turn their backs on Goliath II only later, for them to be chased off by a bullying mouse, sending them all taking cover in a nearby lake, making Goliath II's mother (the only one hiding on top of a tree branch) forget about her son for the first time in her entire life and leaving him alone with the mouse. The mouse, on the other hand, feels great about what he had done only to find to his surprise and shock that her son, Goliath II didn't run away as well. Goliath II claims that he is not afraid of the mouse at all since he is only the same size as he is, but the mouse states that he's a mouse and elephants are afraid of mice. Then, the mouse gives him a break by threatening him that if he doesn't run away on the count of three, the mouse will hurt him by tearing him to shreds, much to Goliath II's mother's shock and worry. Goliath II, not willing to give up, stays put and the mouse attacks him anyway; much to Goliath II's father's shock and worry too. A fight breaks out between the two animals; ending with Goliath II's mother's son dangling the mouse by the tail over the lake just as the same crocodile (that nearly ate Goliath and Raja earlier) arrives to eat up the mouse. Upon seeing the crocodile, the mouse freaks out and admits to Goliath II that he gives up, Goliath II's the champ, and he'll stop bothering the elephants if he lets him live. Goliath II agrees and the mouse does what he said he would, thus, changing his ways and having his life spared, much to the crocodile's disappointment.
In the end, Goliath is declared a hero and made the new leader of the elephants; with a significant place of honor literally on top of his father's head. His mother's worries are all over since she knows that now, everyone looks after Goliath and that he is, indeed, important to them after all.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Goliath II's mother and Mrs. Jumbo from Dumbo share a few common things: they're both mothers of the stories' protagonists, they're protective of their sons, they love their sons no matter what (Big ears, small size, or not), and they're slender and beautiful Asian elephants. But unlike Mrs. Jumbo, she and her son and family are not circus animals, she isn't separated from her son at all, and she has a husband named Goliath I.
- The scene where Goliath II's mother caresses her son, Goliath II is recycled animation from Dumbo, where Mrs. Jumbo caresses her son, Dumbo during the Baby Mine song.
- Mrs. Jumbo was an inspiration for Goliath II's mother's creation, appearance, and personality.