Parents should not allow their small children to watch Dimples any more than they should allow them to watch excessively violent, sexually explicit or profane movies, as they would be exposed to egregious stereotypes of Black people. The movie should be viewed by students of film, sociology and American history so they might have a better understanding of the negative, demeaning attitudes toward Blacks so prevalent in the U.S. until relatively recently, traces of which still exist. The picture has Stepin Fetchit playing a servant to Frank Morgan as if he has an IQ of 10. It has a "play-within-a play" performance of scenes from Uncle Tom's Cabin featuring Whites in ludicrous black-face complete with white sugar donut lips. It's ironic that the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was intended as an abolitionist work, and indeed did arouse sympathy for Blacks, (so much so that President Lincoln called its author, Harriet Beecher Stowe, "The little lady who started the Civil War") while this movie, in which Uncle Tom's Cabin plays a prominent part, is, by enlightened standards, crudely racist.
If you can overlook the above racism, and I I'd like to know who can, Shirley Temple is adorable as usual, dancing wonderfully, though her singing voice, albeit cute, leaves something to be desired, as always. Frank Morgan gives an admirable performance as a charming con man thief.
But, all in all, Dimples is a children's movie that is no longer, if it ever was, suitable for children. If you doubt this, Just picture the Obamas screening it for their daughters.