Dumbo

10.23.41 (released October 2006)/Family-Animation, Rated-G, 1 Disc/~1:44:24
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Crew: Ben Sharpsteen (Dir), .
Details: The fourth film in the Disney animated features canon, Dumbo is based upon a children's book of the same name by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Perl. The most straightforward in narrative of any of Disney's early works, Dumbo is a very simple story. Mrs. Jumbo, a circus elephant, longs for a son and when Mr. Stork finally brings her one, she couldn't be more content. It doesn't take long for her to realize, though, that her son stands out from other elephants in one very big way -- his gigantic ears. The merciless ridicule inflicted on the young elephant invokes Mrs. Jumbo's ire and she's eventually imprisoned, leaving her son defenseless and without a friend in the world until an encouraging mouse by the name of Timothy comes along. The quintessential underdog story. Dumbo is Walt Disney's darkest film. (UD)
Musical Highlights:
1. Look Out For Mr. Stork, 2. Casey Junior, 3. When I See An Elephant Fly, 4. Pink Elephants on Parade, 5. Baby Mine.
Content: (Yahoo) - Extras ~40:39
- Feature Film 1:03:45
- Backstage Disney: 1. John Canemaker's Commentary, 2. Celebrating Dumbo 14:50, 3. Walt Disney TV Introduction 1:04, 4. Thirteen Art Galleries 167 images include; Concept Art (19), Character Development - Dumbo (21), Elephants (12), Timothy Mouse (11), The Black Crows (9), Clowns (11), Casey Jr. (3), Miscellaneous Circus Characters (6), Pink Elephants (9), Story Development (23), Roustabouts (25), Behind the Scenes (9), and Attractions (9).
- Bonus Silly Symphonies Shorts: 1. 1936's Elmer Elephant 8:30, 2. 1934's The Flying Mouse 9:20
- Music & More: 1. Jim Brickman & Kassie DePaiva-Baby Mine Music Video 4:00, 2. Two Sing Along Songs; Look Out For Mr. Stork 2:28, & Casey Jr. 2:27
- Games & Activities: 1. DisneyPedia-My First Circus, 2. DVD Storybook-Dumbo's Big Discovery.
Eggs: (Eeggs, Eggs, DVD Town) None.
Factoids: (IMDB, Moviemistakes)
1. The only Disney animated feature film that has a title character who doesn't speak. Mrs Jumbo (Dumbo's mother) only speaks once when she says Dumbo's original name.
2. This film and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) are the only classic Disney films to use watercolored backgrounds (they were used in this film because they were cheaper than the gouache and oils used for Pinocchio (1940) and Bambi (1942)) and the last time they were used until Fantasia/2000 (1999).
3. In December 1941, Time magazine planned to have Dumbo on its cover to commemorate its success, but it was dropped due to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
4. The name of the circus (seen on a sign as the train leaves the winter headquarters) is WDP Circus (Walt Disney Productions).
5. Cels for Dumbo (1941) are the rarest in the industry. The animators, after the scene was safely "in the can", would strew the used cels in the corridors and go sliding on them. In addition the gray paint (used for so many of the elephant skins) would "pop" when the cel was flexed. Many irreplaceable cels were destroyed this way.
6. Walt Disney's distributor, RKO Radio Pictures, had qualms about releasing this 64-minute feature as a major motion picture. They tried to persuade Disney to either cut it to short-subject length, extend it to at least 70 minutes, or have it released as a B picture. Disney stood his ground, and the film was released as an A picture as Disney intended.
7. When the drunken Timothy is sliding down the staircase-shaped bubble Dumbo has blown, his laugh is actually that of Mickey Mouse.
8. When Jim Crow plucks the "magic" feather off of the little crow's tail, the crow's yell is actually a snippet of dialogue from The Reluctant Dragon (1941). The full line is the dragon saying "Well, that's splendid!"
9. This was the first Walt Disney Animated Classic released on videocassette. Its first video release was in 1981 for rental only, and put on sale in the summer of 1982. Dumbo is the longest running film available, it has not been locked in the vaults out of print.
Comments: A-. (3.16.07, Own) The Big Top Edition is sadly the only current release (no Platinum Edition is set), and does not have the additional supplemental materials Platinum Editions contain (such as a feature-length documentary, pencil tests or deleted scenes, and music demos). Material previously released on the 60th Anniversary Edition (but not available on the Big Top Edition) include these four; 1. Sound Design Featurette - which showed a bit of the audio for "Casey Junior" being recorded inside the Disney Studios. It's actually a short segment from the 1941 film, The Reluctant Dragon available on Walt Disney Treasures: Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio. 2. Exclusive Look at Dumbo II - promotion which was a project at that release time, has since been scrapped. 3. The Original Theatrical Trailer & 1949 Re-Release Trailer. 4. Michael Crawford's-Baby Mine Music Video. By all means, do not debate which version to own, get the Big Top Edition for all of the look and sound enhancements, I am merely noting the missing elements as observed by UD.
My review/ Dumbo is freaking sad. The music is awesome, its memory as a great flick is tremendous. Pink Elephants freaked me out as a kid...but the movie is too powerful even in Dumbo's silence to ignore.