Dumbo (1941)

Ridiculed because of his enormous ears, a young circus elephant is assisted by a mouse to achieve his full potential.

Directors:

Samuel Armstrong (as Sam Armstrong), Norman Ferguson

Writers:

Joe Grant (screen story), Dick Huemer (screen story)

Stars:

Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, James Baskett

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Uncredited cast:
James Baskett	...	Crow (voice) (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Herman Bing	...	The Ringmaster (voice) (uncredited)
Billy Bletcher	...	Clown (voice) (uncredited)
Edward Brophy	...	Timothy Q. Mouse (voice) (uncredited)
Jim Carmichael	...	Crow (voice) (uncredited)
Hall Johnson Choir	...	Choral Sounds (uncredited)
Cliff Edwards	...	Jim Crow (voice) (uncredited)
Verna Felton	...	The Elephant Matriarch / Mrs. Jumbo (voice) (uncredited)
Noreen Gammill	...	Catty the Elephant (voice) (uncredited)
Eddie Holden	...	Clown (voice) (uncredited)
Sterling Holloway	...	Mr. Stork (voice) (uncredited)
Malcolm Hutton	...	Skinny (voice) (uncredited)
The King's Men	...	Choral Effects (uncredited)
Harold Manley	...	Boy (voice) (uncredited)
John McLeish	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Storyline

The stork delivers a baby elephant to Mrs. Jumbo, veteran of the circus, but the newborn is ridiculed because of his truly enormous ears and dubbed "Dumbo". After being separated from his mother, Dumbo is relegated to the circus' clown acts; it is up to his only friend, a mouse, to assist Dumbo to achieve his full potential.

---

Plot Keywords:

dumbo | elephant | circus | mouse | ear | 

---

Taglines:

Walt Disney's Latest . . . Most Lovable . . . Funable Characters !

---

Genres:

Animation | Drama | Family | Music | Musical

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Official Sites:

official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Feature Animation - 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$950,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

64 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The vocals for the song "Baby Mine" were performed by Betty Noyes, the singer who dubbed two of Debbie Reynolds' songs in Singin' in the Rain (1952).

---

Goofs

When Timothy Mouse tricks the ringmaster into using Dumbo as his circus climax, he hops on the ringmaster's hat brim while he says, "He jumps from a springboard." As he does, his mouth does not move during the first two words of his line.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Through the snow, and sleet, and hail / Through the blizzard, through the gale / Through the wind and through the rain / Over mountain, over plain / Through the blinding lightning flash / And the mighty thunder crash / Ever faithful, ever true / Nothing stops him, he'll get through.

---

Connections

Referenced in An Evening with Kevin Smith (2002)

---

Soundtracks

Pink Elephants on Parade
(1941) (uncredited)
Music by Oliver Wallace
Lyrics by Ned Washington

User Reviews

A perfect film

A perfect film. The design is beautiful and deceptive in its simplicity. While it may lack the overstuffed quality of `Pinocchio' or the abstract one of `Fantasia,' the style of `Dumbo' is elegant, vivid, and occasionally grotesque in ways that recall not only classic circus posters but also Paul Cadmus paintings and vintage `New Yorker' cover art. In fact, the entire production has a hint of nostalgia about it; for all its dark story elements, the film presents a rosy-hued portrait of old America (with Casey Junior cheerfully pulling his traveling circus through green open fields) that must have seemed very comforting as audiences prepared for the unforeseeable terrors of another World War. (A `Dumbombers for Defense' poster in the film's epilogue is the one joking reference to an increasingly unsteady world situation.) In the midst of this cozy landscape, we find a simple, tender story about acceptance and mother love, with the characters of both Dumbo and Mrs. Jumbo finding a wonderful eloquence in their muteness. These performances are true triumphs of animation. The other characters, both good and bad, are painted with broad, memorable strokes. It's become fashionable to look rather harshly upon the Jim Crow sequence and all its uncomfortable associations, and it can be difficult for a modern audience to watch it without cringing slightly. But it should be pointed out that the crows are not only the film's cleverest characters (both in terms of thought and language), they are also the only ones except Timothy to show any sympathy whatsoever to the little elephant; after all, they are outsiders themselves. The sequence is a play on a stereotype, that can't be denied, but I would argue that it is an attempt to revise that stereotype into something positive and sympathetic. The songs and score are flawless, and the show-stopping, nightmarish pink elephant sequence keeps things from getting too artistically conservative--and, just like the rest of the film, it still thrills us no matter how many times we have seen it. 10 out of 10.