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 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Uncredited cast:
James Baskett	...	Fat Crow (voice) (uncredited)
Herman Bing	...	The Ringmaster (voice) (uncredited)
Mel Blanc	...	Dumbo (uncredited)
Billy Bletcher	...	Clown (voice) (uncredited)
Edward Brophy	...	Timothy Q. Mouse (voice) (uncredited)
Jim Carmichael	...	Straw-Hat Crow (voice) (uncredited)
Pinto Colvig	...	Clowns (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)
Hall Johnson	...	Preacher Crow (voice) (uncredited)
James MacDonald	...	Roaring Lion (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.

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Plot Keywords:

florida | pink | ear | circus | elephant | 

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Taglines:

U...Is For The UNIQUE Circus-Train Engine, CASEY JUNIOR ---That Talks Like A Human, Balks Like A Mule!

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Family | Musical

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Certificate:

G

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)

Gross USA:

$1,600,000, 23 October 1941

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

As mentioned in the film, Dumbo's real name is Jumbo Jr., implying his father was named "Jumbo". While his mother is featured prominently, his father is otherwise unseen and unheard of.

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Goofs

Right before Timothy rises as a ghost again while he tricks the ringmaster into using Dumbo as the circus climax, the sheets change color. (This was corrected in the Blu-ray version.)

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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.

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Crazy Credits

The RKO logo is in gold on a blue background within a stylish gold border; all of this is on a red background.

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Alternate Versions

To secure a "FSK 0" rating, four seconds were cut from the German video version: when the elephant tower collapses, you don't see how a crying elephant splashes on the ground with a pain distorted face.

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Connections

Referenced in Die schlechtesten Filme aller Zeiten: Sharknado 6: The Last One (2018)

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Soundtracks

When I See an Elephant Fly (Reprise)
(1941) (uncredited)
Music by Oliver Wallace
Lyrics by Ned Washington
Sung by a chorus

User Reviews

A wonderful film from Disney's classic era

As a kid, I would watch over and over several Disney features: Pinnochio, Peter Pan, Bambi, Alice in Wonderland, Lady and the Tramp, and Dumbo. When I come back to those films now, I recognize that they are all marvelous films and gave Walt Disney much deserved success. It's truly sad how far Disney has fallen. All kids' flicks now are awful. I revisited Dumbo, by the way, on the same night that I first watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, destined to be one of the most successful films of all time. It is execrable, and it is simply pathetic how bad films like it are nowadays. I say, bring your kids back to Dumbo, Pinnochio, Bambi, and the like. They may not be as harmless as the kind of movie Disney and others shove out today. You shouldn't be afraid of your children showing emotion. I can remember more than anything being profoundly affected by the "Baby Mine" number from Dumbo, where he visits his imprisoned mother. Films like these will mould your children's emotional stability instead of keeping them at a safe distance and selling them toys.