Goliath II is a tiny elephant calf and the titular character of the animated short of the same name.
Role in the short[]
In this short, Goliath II is a 6-inch tall Asian elephant, only as big as his father, Goliath I's toenails. Because of this, Goliath is too small and too weak to do all of the things his father does, like topple trees (he can't even knock over a daisy), and his father considers him to be a tremendous blow to his enormous pride. His small size also causes the elephant to be a troublemaker among the herd. Goliath II's mother, on the other hand, deeply cares for her little son, but unfortunately for him, because of the many dangers in the Indian jungle, his mother is very strict and overprotective of him. His mother's 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. Other worries according to his mother include being eaten by other animals like a crocodile (resembling Tick-Tock) and being trampled by other elephants like Eloise.
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 wandering off and being a nuisance to the other elephants and to stop being a pest. After she puts him in a bird's nest as punishment, and 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 his mother stops the tiger and grabs him by the tail, thus, forcing Raja to surrender Goliath II. Goliath's mother then sends the wild cat flying into the same crocodile's (that nearly ate Goliath II 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 severely bigger punishment from his parents: he is spanked by his mother with a tree branch for trying to desert the herd, because according to the elephant law, deserting the herd is a major offense, and the deserter is branded a scoundrel, a rogue, and a traitor to the high and imperial order of pompous pachyderms, thus disgracing his great father worst of all. 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 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's mother and father's shock and worry. Goliath II, not willing to give up, stays put and the mouse attacks him anyway. A fight breaks out between the two animals; ending with Goliath II dangling the mouse by the tail over the lake just as the same crocodile (that nearly ate Goliath II 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 wins and he'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 annoyance.
In the end, Goliath II 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 II and that he is, indeed, important to them after all.
Comics[]
He makes a little cameo in the last panel of the story This is your life, Donald Duck, drawn by Tony Strobl (INDUCKS W OS 1109-02), with other Disney characters like Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Bongo, Lumpjaw, Jaq and Gus, or Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck…
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Goliath II and Dumbo from the film of the same name share a few common things: they're both protagonists, they're both elephants with unique appearances, they have mothers who love them no matter what (Big ears, small size, or not), they're considered as freaks by other elephants, they have the same trumpet squeals, they prove themselves as true heroes in the end, they earn respect from the other elephants who reform at the end, and they're Asian elephants. But unlike Dumbo, he and his family are not circus animals, he is 9 years old (while Dumbo is just a baby), he can talk (while Dumbo remains a silent character), he isn't separated from his mother at all, and he has a father named Goliath I.
- The scene where Goliath II gets caressed by his mother is recycled animation from Dumbo, where the title character gets caressed by his mother during the Baby Mine song.
- The scene of Goliath II holding his mother's tail then falling into a puddle is also recycled from Dumbo.
- Goliath II's trumpeting was later reused on Colonel Hathi's son, Hathi, Jr. from The Jungle Book.