Operation Dumbo Drop (1995) User Reviews

The positive side of Vietnam

[Wuchakk · 5/10 · 11 January 2016]

Released in 1995, "Operation Dumbo Drop" is a Disney flick inspired by the real story of the US Army supplying an elephant for a village during the Vietnam War. Danny Glover and Ray Liotta star as the two officers in charge of the mission assisted by Denis Leary, Doug E. Doug and Corin Nemec. Dinh Thien Le appears as the boy, Linh, companion of the elephant Bo Tat.

An NCO indirectly linked to the real operation said the movie was much more interesting and fun than the actual event as the mission was pulled off without a hitch with little entertainment value. Being a Disney flick, the combat situations are "Yeah, right" and no one gets hurt, but that's to be expected. Other than this, it's a straight forward dramedy/adventure.

While I'm generally not into Disney flicks, it's nice to see a more positive side of the war after watching movies like "We Were Soldiers," "Platoon" and "A Rumor of War." Believe it or not, there WERE fun, comedic and altruistic occasions over there, every day. Many good Americans perished directly attempting to prevent harm to Vietnamese people. Many risked their lives not in combat, but in aiding civilian villagers in tasks they could not accomplish themselves. Many worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the Vietnamese, providing food, cooking utensils, clothing and other necessities to those displaced by the conflict. Yes, I realize you could argue that they wouldn't be in such a predicament if there was no war, but don't forget that, generally speaking, the South Vietnamese didn't want communistic rule and the conquest-minded NVA were no angels. Look no further than the incredible killing fields of Cambodia.

I love elephants, so I also appreciate this element. What's most enjoyable, besides the great cast, are the exceptional Thailand locations. Although there are a few eye-rolling parts, like all Disney movies, a lot was put into making this film. It's a fun adventure reminiscent of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." Unfortunately, there are no key female parts and the "Yeah, right" moments are too painful to give a higher rating.

The movie runs 107 minutes.

GRADE: C+ or B- (5.5/10)

The Good & Bad Of 'Operation Dumbo Drop'

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 1 July 2006]

This movie had some typically-good Disney aspects to it but also some typically- bad Disney agendas in here that just about made me puke.

With modern-day Disney films - or at least the ones in the 1980s and 1990s - you can expect the following "good" and "bad:" This movie proves to be no exception.

GOOD - Slick-looking photography with beautiful Vitenamese scenery; low profanity; an interesting story that moves well.

BAD - Political-correctness run amok......an annoying kid who knows more than the adults; an ending that's always drawn out too long; a reverence for Eastern religions or anything that is not Christianity; a black and a white lead character in which the black is always the better of the two, etc. etc.

A SURPRISE - Danny Glover and Ray Liotta losing their tempers but not swearing a blue streak. Wow, now that's different!

Jumbo sized

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 19 October 2014]

Operation Dumbo Drop stars Ray Liotta, Danny Glover and Denis Leary, it is set during the Vietnam war and is a Disney family comedy-drama rather implausibly based on a true event.

Liotta is a US soldier who lands in a remote Vietnamese village to replace Glover and his actions leads to their sole working elephant to be killed. In order to safeguard the strategic interest of the US military, Glover and Liotta decide to locate another elephant as a replacement and bring it to the villagers as a gift.

Withe the help of Leary they find an old elephant who is accompanied by a young boy but the elephant does not like flying in planes and they have to use various means to take the elephant back to the villagers.

The story has enough humour and warmth to keep the kids entertained, they will enjoy the elephant going on a rampage inside a plane or in the marketplace. It is rather ludicrous despite being based on true events but Liotta and Glover look like they are having fun in a Disney movie.

This operation was real. I was "there."

[trickymisfit · 13 February 2011]

In 1968, I was the CA NCO (Civil Affairs Noncommissioned Officer) for Co. C, 5th SFG(A), 1st SF, HQed In DaNang, RVN. I was not directly involved with the mission but had a front row seat and the officers I worked under kept me apprised of the progress. These facts might be of interest:

1. "Our" Top Secret operation had two elephants called Bonnie and Clyde.

2. The elephants were not dropped in slings or standing up as depicted in the movie. They had to be tied down to airdrop cargo pallets. If they were hung in slings, their own weight would have suffocated them. If they had been dropped standing up, their weight would have caused fatal physical harm upon landing.

3. Two veterinarians were flown from England to sedate and revive the animals.

4. The purpose was not for a ceremony but for a much more practical reason. A sawmill had been built in the village to help its economy. The mountain trails were much too narrow to use bulldozers to drag the trees to the mill and someone came up with this idea.

5. The mission ultimately was a failure. The elephants were juveniles (weight!!!) and were much too small to drag the large logs. Growing elephants eat a lot. The village chief complained that the villagers were being forced to travel deeper and deeper into VC controlled territory to collect banana trees for their fodder. I don't know how this problem was resolved.

The movie was much more interesting and fun, as the actual mission was pulled off without a hitch and had little entertainment value. My credibility could be verified on my website which I am required not to include, but I'll be glad to provide it to anyone who is interested. There is a direct contact link available.

For those reviewers who chose this forum to again knock a war over 36 years gone, SHAME ON YOU! You have only exposed your own ignorance. As all soldiers in every war , some Americans conducted themselves better than others. As this mission actually went (and as depicted in this DRAMATIZATION), many of us worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the Vietnamese.

I am most proud of my days in Vietnam when I was privileged to provide food, cooking utensils, clothing and other necessities to peoples displaced by the war. Many good American lives were lost directly attempting to prevent harm to Vietnamese people. I risked my life more than once, not in combat, but in aiding "common" villagers in tasks they could not accomplice themselves. My OIC (Officer in Charge) was shot down and killed while attempting to evacuate refugees from a besieged A-Camp. HE DID NOT HAVE TO BE ON THAT AIRCRAFT.

You are welcome to your opinion and can state it per the First Amendment but, ethically, you should study and actually know a little bit about the topic before you share an opinion. And for Heaven's sake, keep political opinions on political forums. "Dumbo Drop" hardly glorified warfare. It just exposed the truth that a little bit of good can be found in most things, even things as tragic as warfare.

And to the reviewer who doubted that anything funny ever happens in warfare: You too, speak out of ignorance. I spent two years in country and had many genuine good times, often with the fine Vietnamese soldiers with whom I worked.

Vietnam as a Disney family war

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 26 November 2016]

It's 1968 Vietnam. Capt. T.C. Doyle (Ray Liotta) arrives in a Montagnard village to meet up with Capt. Sam Cahill (Danny Glover) who has been cultivating relationship with the locals. They are in NVA territory monitoring the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The kids steal Doyle's candy bar which is later discovered by the NVA commander. In retaliation, he kills the village's only elephant. Cahill promises to replace the elephant before an upcoming festival. Doyle is unconvinced. They recruit scheming supply officer David Poole (Denis Leary), short-timer Harvey Ashford (Doug E. Doug), and Lawrence Farley (Corin Nemec). They buy the elephant Bo Tat along with his handler Linh who lost his father in the war.

It is such an odd tone. This is one of the few Vietnam war movies where fighting happens but nobody ever dies on screen. It tries to be funny but the odd sensibility strips it of its humor. All the elephant vomit and suppositories are not funny when there is an expectation of death and the movie avoids death like the plague. The whole tone is weirdly family-friendly but it could never be a kiddie movie. I wonder if Disney expects little kids to go see this movie for Dumbo. The whole thing is a bit off-putting.

Absolutely the worst movie ever

[kekeating · 1/10 · 11 January 2019]

It really doesn't matter whether the events in the movie were fictional or not. It was a horrible movie. Over 20 years later I still remember how bad it was. I took my then fiance to it at a drive in and she almost dumped me over it. "Sweetie, it's just a movie" I said, but she saw it as an omen for how horrible our marriage might be.

I convinced her to marry me anyway but promised to refrain from any movies with Danny Glover again, especially those with animals. The marriage has turned out okay but I still have nightmares about the movie. Did I mention it was horrible?

Enjoyable, however caught on those contrived actions!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 5/10 · 5 February 2020]

The Walt Disney studios made marvelous movies through the time, this one certainly isn't one of them, starts as supposedly a true story set on Vietnam circa 1962 where many elephants were killed at river, six years later the US's Army controlled a small village on the mountains as strategic position against the Reds, until the Vietnamese's Army finds a prove that the people there were collaborating with the US forces, then they decides to kill their most precious and loved animals, the elephants, the new commander Ray Liotta and his old predecessor Danny Glover make a promise, bring a new Elephant to the village, the plain was perfect and easy, bringing the animal by plane, however all sort of unlucky situations collapse the whole project, until here the things were developed normally, therefore some specific scenes the producers go too far, on scene when they drop the elephant on giant parachute is too outrageous, defying our intelligence, how Liotta jumping in the sky almost flying into the heavy animal is be painful the brains, what a crap, sadlt it brings irredeemable damages to the picture itself, nevertheless has secondary funny character to give some relief on this mess the nasty person David Poole (Denis Leary) who supplied clever moments, sorry for Disney dared put this awful offer on the big screen, just to killing time!!

Resume:

First watch: 2000 / How many: 2 / Source: Cable-TV-DVD / Rating: 5.5

The most upbeat Vietnam movie ever

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 22 October 2021]

If you're in the market for the most upbeat Vietnam War movie ever made, rent Operation Dumbo Drop, a silly but true story of an unusual mission to make a small village happy. As you might be able to guess from the title, this is a Disney movie.

Because of Disney Studio's unlimited budget, you'll also hear tons of 1970s songs to keep you in the mood. And the mood is comedy. There are no battle scenes, no "buy the farm" speeches from soldiers you've grown to love, and no real suspenseful plot points besides whether or not they'll get an elephant transported to the village. Ray Liotta plays the new captain who's by-the-book approach clashes with the already established captain, Danny Glover. When Ray first arrives, he finds Danny wearing a Vietnamese robe and meditating with the locals!

This is one of those movies that is truly "family friendly". The kids in the audience will love any scene with the elephant in it, and the adults will like the cast. Men will appreciate the wartime setting and macho soldiers as the only characters. Women will appreciate how nice Danny Glover and Ray Liotta look in their uniforms. Does Danny's shirt have to be unbuttoned? Does Ray's hair have to be quaffed in every scene? Yes.

Feel good for flying elephants

[emdragon · 7/10 · 10 March 2005]

In something Walt Disney would actually have been proud of, Operation Dumbo Drop carries the old Disney tradition of making the audience feel good without regard to it's lack of plausibility. Danny Glover and Ray Liotta, along with Dennis Leary walk a tightrope of comedy in a real war-zone situation and carry this off with a real blend of comedic and acting talent. The acting in this movie is terrific. The cinematography and all the little things that go the extra mile. . like setting, direction, musical score, sound, etc, all come together nicely. And the elephant is a great character actor! The only problem is, of course, it is a terrible war and nobody is dying. This is something traditional with the Disney family genre, but in this picture it really becomes completely implausible and will probably turn off some viewers. That said, if one can ignore the actual ridiculous nature in this total lack of plausibility, I found this picture quite easy to like.

100% Eleph-FUN!

[johnny-w · 10/10 · 3 February 2010]

Back in the mid-90s, my wife and I decided we needed to spice up our marriage, so we began doing a bi-weekly "date night." We'd go out to eat at the local Golden Corral then go to the theatre to see a film. On our first "date night," we chose to see Disney's Operation Dumbo Drop, mainly based on the cast. I'm a huge lifelong fan of Danny Glover (Predator 2, anyone?!) and my wife absolutely loves Ray Liotta (a little too much, I might add - hence the need to spice up our marriage - wocka wocka!).

So we walked into the theatre with high expectations, and they were exceeded. This film takes place during the Vietnam War (and is by far the most accurate depiction of wartime I've seen since M*A*S*H*), but if you're not a war-film buff, don't let that hold you back. The characters played by Liotta, Glover, and Denis Leary (Who's the Man?, Demolition Man) are on a mission to - get this! - deliver a live elephant across South Vietnam. Hilarity ensues.

I won't give the rest of the film away, but let me leave you with this: Liotta, Glover and Leary deliver the finest acting of their respective careers. My wife and I absolutely adored this film. We laughed, we cried, we held hands the entire time. Had it not been for this breathtaking film, my wife and I might have gone our separate ways by now, and who knows who she'd be with today (maybe Ray Liotta!).

So what are you waiting for? Add this to your Netflix queue or take a trip to your local video rental center, because this movie is Operation MUST-SEE!

The value of one's word

[Freddy-38 · 7/10 · 2 June 2001]

Linh reminds us of a younger brother of a dear friend. After hearing so many tragic stories about Vietnam, it is heartwarming to be reminded that the true American spirit was alive and well during that awful time. We hear of the beauty in that country and of the wonderful people who reside there -- this was just a glimpse into that world.

This movie presented a good account of some of the Americans and some of the Vietnamese.

We found ourselves rooting for a successful mission and a keeping of one's word. What can be of more value than a person's word? That is what this very entertaining movies is all about. The value of one's word.

Dumb Fun.

[Elbow · 18 September 1999]

Operation Dumbo Drop is one of those movies that despite its' implausible and shallow trappings, is wholely enjoyable.

The movie is set during the Vietnam War, a setting in time not particularly known for its' lightheartedness. The story concerns a group of soldiers who must replace an elephant from a village where one was originally a war casualty. Sound ridiculous? Well, it is. However that does not stop the completely likeable cast including Danny Glover, Ray Liotta and Denis Leary from appearing to have fun with the movie. While the movie is set up as children's fare, there are some relatively intense scenes of war which are inevitable given the setting.

Yet through it all, the story manages to exude humor and warmth which make it easily one of the most pleasant Vietnam-era movies ever. While not necessarily recommended for all kids, this movie is family friendly and entertaining, contrary to popular belief.

Operation: Disney Vietnam

[Slarkshark · 7/10 · 16 March 2022]

Family friendly movie during the Vietnam war. Didn't think such a thing was possible. However, all things considering it actually wasn't too bad. It still has a serious tone with serious implications at moments throughout, and is by no means a goof ball movie.

Actually, you're wrong

[dajex · 7/10 · 11 June 2005]

All objects fall at a constant rate of acceleration (9.8 m/s^2), no matter what the mass is for either of them. If you drop a penny and a 50 pound weight at the same time,from the same height, they will both hit the ground at the same time. Air resistance is what could slow down the acceleration (ie. a piece of paper, or a feather, or the parachutes they used in the movie). So, even thought the elephant is heavier than the guy, they will both accelerate to their terminal velocities at the same rate. What they did in the movie was physically accurate. But either way, the movie was good. I think Denis Leary is hilarious. His new show Rescue Me is pretty good.

Very cute...

[RosanaBotafogo · 9/10 · 25 September 2021]

Very cute, I thought I was related to Dumbo, but it was just an opportunistic title, that same Disney line, American heroes and cute (or not) that save the world from all existing villains... But they kidnap a little elephant from its 'habitat', to put in place of one they "helped" kill... The little boy steals the scenes, and the legend around the elephant is pretty cute... And in the end, the information is based on a true story, by Major Jim Morri for me let it melt even more...

A fair movie but mistake not that bad.

[Solly-1 · 6/10 · 31 May 2003]

While it seems a little far fetched to fall out of the plane with an elephant, Galileo proved long ago that heavy objects and light objects fall at the same speed. The only factor which changes is the wind resistance. A very light object (cardboard box) presents more wind resistance and so will fall slower. What's more, falling objects reach terminal velocity and so it is possible for an object with less wind resistance to "catch up".

Disney goes to Vietnam

[coverme6 · 15 August 2001]

The Vietnam War makes a really unorthodox setting for a Disney movie, but this movie goes along quite well, thanks to its performances. Danny Glover and Ray Liotta star as the leaders of a rag-tag American platoon in charge of guarding an elephant and its young Vietnamese trainer on a trip to one part of the divided country to another.

Because of its family-friendly base, OPERATION DUMBO DROP plays it

safe with it's war violence. But who says you need bloody, graphic action in order to make a good war-oriented film? As long as the

performances are stellar, the film wins. Case in point is OPERATION DUMBO DROP.

Despite its reputation for being a "Disney" take on Vietnam and featuring a gimmicky title, Operation Dumbo Drop is better than its reputation suggests

[IonicBreezeMachine · 6/10 · 23 December 2022]

Set in 1968 during the Vietnam War, Green Beret Captain Doyle (Ray Liotta) reluctantly takes his assignment in a Montagnard village which is of strategic importance due to its proximity to the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Captain Sam Cahill (Danny Glover), the man whom Doyle is replacing has grown an affinity for the Montagnard people which is not shared by Doyle who voices his frustration with the position. When the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) learns of the village assisting the U. S. Army, Colonel Nguyen (Hoang Ly) orders the village elephant shot as punishment. As the elephant was of ceremonial importance to the village that poses a threat to the village's cooperation with the military Cahill proposes the Army provides the village with a new elephant that they will transport much to the annoyance of Doyle. With arrangements made by acquisitions officer David Poole (Denis Leary) who accompanies them as well as Specialists Harvey "H. A." Ashford (Doug E. Doug) and Lawrence Farley (Corin Nemec). The team acquires the elephant Bo Tat (tai) who is accompanied by a North Vietnamese orphaned boy named Linh (Dinh Thien Le) who is the only one who can command Bo Tat with the group reluctantly taking him along as they try to transport the elephant and elude the interference of the NVA.

Operation Dumbo Drop is loosely based on the true story of Operation Barroom (so named for the flatulence noises of the elephant) where in 5th Special Forces Captain John Scott Gantt devised a scheme to fly a pair of Indian Elephants cross-country to a remote mountain top village (for reasons involving lumber collection. The story was detailed in a chapter of former Green Beret Jim Morris' book Fighting Men a collection of stories from the Frontlines of the Vietnam war that Morris transcribed as sections of his book with Gantt's operation Barroom detailed in one such chapter. The Walt Disney Company optioned the book (hence why Morris is given a story credit) with writers Gene Quintano and Jim Kouf adapting the film for Walt Disney Pictures. Given the animal centric premise of the project the movie was part of a mandate by Michael Eisner's era of Disney where he stressed producers to pursue more animal based stories inspired by the success of The Lion King and the Homeward Bound remake and given Disney's prior success with Cool Runnings and Good Morning, Vietnam with Operation Dumbo Drop playing like a friendly mixture of the tow you can see why Disney was attracted to the concept. Released in July of 1995 the film opened at number 6 behind some summer holdovers and the opening weekends of Waterworld and The Net and was largely lost in the shuffle. Critical reception tended to run negative with many critics dumbfounded by the concept of a making a family friendly comedy set in the Vietnam War. Despite Operation Dumbo Drop becoming a minor punchline in the annals of film history, upon actually seeing the movie it really isn't that bad.

While the movie lacks the edges of other Vietnam War films such as Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, or even Good Morning, Vietnam, the cast and crew are largely still treated the movie like you would a Vietnam War story and despite a lot of the violence being bloodless or off camera the movie does place take an anti-war stance focusing on the collateral damage brought about on innocents in the war. Even Gantt who was loosely adapted as Danny Glover's character said the movie got certain details pretty accurate and hitting close to home despite some, by his words, "Keystone Cops" moments littered throughout. I actually did find myself somewhat endeared to the characters with Glover's Cahill whose very much "gone native" with his posting in the village a likable eccentric and Ray Liotta's Doyle makes a good straight man to the journey involving transporting the elephant. Denis Leary is also very fun as Poole and despite Leary's trademark motormouthed 4 letter word rants slightly handicapped by the film's PG rating they do give him enough of a swear budget that he inhabits his character quite well as a master of the ins and outs of military requestion processes that he can get anything he wants with seemingly little to no effort.

The biggest issue with the movie is in balancing the more dramatic or war film like elements with some of the more family-oriented moments but despite many critics pointing this out and these elements along with the Disney branding being responsible in part for the film's reputation they really aren't as in your face as you might think. Yes, there are low brow gags involving the elephant's posterior and the products thereof, but for every moment like that there are at least four others that do try and mostly succeed at building our characters with even Doug E Doug's superstitious character playing his seemingly over the top role with more subtlety than you'd typically expect from a Disney family film. Had the film wanted to be more accurate to the real life story it probably should've been a PG-13 at minimum but when you think of Walt Disney Pictures' take on the Vietnam War you're probably expecting something much more pandering and dopey (and the film's marketing certainly didn't alleviate that expectation) and the end result is actually pretty decent.

Operation Dumbo Drop does the difficult task of making a PG rated family friendly Vietnam War movie and pretty much does the best you could possibly hope for from such a concept. It's not fully successful and takes some liberties with the original story, but it does do its job in introducing children to the concepts of warfare and the Vietnam War itself.

Funny

[epichiphop · 6/10 · 4 March 2019]

It had its moments but very cheesy dialogue. Looking forward to the upcoming dumbo

Great entertainment

[signlady · 9/10 · 20 January 2022]

This is another little known movie, otherwise I believe it would rate an easy 7+.

Very loosely based on a true story, it tells about American GIs finding & bringing an elephant to a small village during 'Nam.

The cast is exceptional - Liota, Glover, & Leary embody their characters perfectly.

Leary does a great job as the conceited req officer who has really put himself out blackmailed into this journey. Liota puts his ability to express anger to excellent use here, somewhere between a gung-ho soldier & learning a lot really quickly, as well as showing humility as he is often the butt of jokes or events. Glover portrays an easy going nature having spent time to understand his surroundings & survival on a human level.

The other two guys are perfect comedy relief as the quirky helpers of the mission. The child Lin is perfectly cast - an amazing little actor - as the elephant's handler & the elephant being really his only remaining family.

The dialogue is witty & funny. As each scene unfolds you can hardly wait to see what happens next and how they're going to pull off this unlikely venture in the middle of a war.

I dont understand the reviews that blast the idea of this family-friendly dramedy showing an rather non-violent event during the Vietnam war. People, and at least one elephant do get killed in this movie - no, it's not egregiously bloody & violent.

If you liked M*A*S*H - you'll love this. It's a perfect combination of wit & drama, humor & tragedy, a unique story with a great cast executing it perfectly. Direction & locations were excellent.

Just greatly entertaining.

I wore this movie out on VHS - probably will wear out the DVD. Rewatch it at least once a year.

I don't hate it

[r96sk · 6/10 · 4 October 2020]

I don't think it's anything absolutely bad, but 'Operation Dumbo Drop' is pretty lacklustre and a bit slow to sit through.

I do like the cast. Danny Glover (Cahill) and Ray Liotta (Doyle) are solid together, while Denis Leary (Poole) and Doug E. Doug (Ashford) may not give anything memorable but both are alright; as is Dinh Thien Le (Linh). Also interesting to see Raymond Cruz appear, in his early years pre-Tuco.

It seems the trio of Glover, Liotta and Leary really don't rate this, given the latter's comments in later years about it; though it sounds like that's more to do with the filming process, rather than the end product.

I more than likely wont be revisiting this any time soon, but I don't hate it or anything.

Information correction

[bobby24061 · 21 January 2012]

Not to be knit-picky, but, Denis Leary's character was not a lieutenant. He was a "Chief Warrant Officer Grade 3", or "CWO-3" for short. If there is any question of this, one should check out the close-up of Leary to note the bar on his collar with 3 black squares on it.

Should also be noted, wearing of the Beret with colored insignia and flash (patch), was not done during combat operations. The last thing anyone wanted was to be seen because there was something shiny or colorful which could give away one's position to the enemy.

Aside from those inconsistencies, Disney did a great job of putting this motion picture together.

The people chosen, did a fantastic job of being as authentic as possible. Of course, much about the real story had to be quieted down for the sake of the audiences viewing pleasure. Since the real truth of the war was the horror of confrontation.

This was an awesome film, which helped to show an aspect of people in the military, as people. And not the mindless drone killers, some in the population would have the world believe. There was much humanity by the armed forces, but, those are the news stories which the networks DIDN'T show, because it didn't have the flair and sensationalism that was desired by the various network news casts.

Didactic as it was, the ending was nice

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 3 September 2020]

Operation Dumbo Drop isn't based upon the best plot in the world. The sentiment of it was noble, kind, and altruistic. The execution however, didn't quite evoke those feelings. It was too simplistic most of the time, almost like an early sitcom in which errors of one's ways are discovered easily and with simple didactic prompting.

Still, the ending was good. U.S. soldiers weren't all there to kill, nor did they all break their promises. And even the VC wasn't made up of fanged animals with no regard for life.

even better the 2nd time

[Sandy_Barnett959 · 10/10 · 12 July 2006]

I had seen Operation Dumbo Drop when it first came out and thoroughly enjoyed it. I just watched it for the 2nd time and enjoyed it even more. The love shown between humans and animals deeply touched me. We hear horrible reports of our military personnel and form a profoundly negative opinion. Then a movie like this comes along and shows the heart and soul of the majority of our soldiers. I can't imagine living in a secluded village like that one. What's even harder to grasp is how they actually got the elephant and the boy back to the same village. The lengths they went to just to keep a promise speaks volumes about keeping your word. And it's even more unbelievable that it actually happened in real life. I could watch this movie 100 times and take something new from it each time. EXCELLENT STORYLINE AND MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Underrated

[vballbabi757 · 4 July 2004]

Operation Dumbo Drop was actually a nice movie in my opinion. Based on a true story it had a nice flowing story line full of action and family-appropriate material. Great actors such as Danny Glover helped the film come alive and send out strong messages. Not the best motion picture.. but it was fun and definitely did/does not deserve the type of criticism I often see it getting. It is a great film for a family movie night or even when you're alone and simply bored. Children and Adults alike can appreciate the exciting action (accompanied with only occasional mild violence), cute humor, and expressed morals and the importance of human kindness. History bluffs would also enjoy this since it takes place during the Vietnam War and shows some interesting details. Overall I believe the movie as a whole deserved at least a 7/10 rating.

-Amanda, Miss Movie Bluff