Dumbo
Dumbo | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ben Sharpsten |
Produced by | Walt Disney |
Written by | Helen Aberson (book) Harold Perl (book) Otto Englander (story direction) Joe Grant Dick Huemer |
Starring | Edward Brophy Herman Bing Margaret Wright Sterling Holloway Cliff Edwards |
Music by | Frank Churchill Oliver Wallace |
Production company | |
Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date | October 23, 1941 |
Running time | 64 minutes |
Language | English |
Budget | $813,000 USD |
Box office | $1.6,000,000 |
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated movie. It was produced by Walt Disney Productions. It was first released on October 23, 1941 by RKO Radio Pictures. The fourth movie in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, Dumbo is based upon a child's book of the same name by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Perl. The main character is Jumbo Jr., a baby elephant who is cruelly nicknamed Dumbo. He is ridiculed for his big ears, but in fact he is capable of flying by using them as wings. Throughout most of the movie, his only true friend aside from his mother is the mouse Timothy, making fun of the stereotype between mice and elephants. Dumbo was made to make up for the damages of Pinocchio and Fantasia. The movie has been criticized as being racist (the leader crow in the movie was named "Jim Crow" and the name stuck), yet is also considered to be one of Disney's best movies. It was an attempt to be simple and make profits for the Disney studio, is now generally regarded as a classic of animation. At 64 minutes, it is one of Disney's shortest animated features.
Contents
The story[change | change source]
Mrs. Jumbo sadly looks on how babies are delivered by the stork to other circus animals. As even a baby elephant makes a pretty heavy package, hers is the last to arrive, but soon becomes the laughing stock of the others because of his big ears, getting meanly named "Dumbo" by the others. When Mrs. Jumbo can not take the public making fun of her son, she is locked up as "mad elephant", and Dumbo finds himself all alone. A mouse named Timothy comes and scares the mean herd. He encourages Dumbo and tells the circus director to make Dumbo the top (literally) of an elephant pyramid stunt which ends up literally bringing the house down, and Dumbo is given the job of clown. To cheer Dumbo up, Timothy brings him to go see his mother. The next day, they find themselves in a tree with a bunch of crows, who discover that Dumbo can fly.
Cast[change | change source]
- Dumbo is the mute title character.
- Edward Brophy: Timothy Q. Mouse
- Herman Bing: The Ringmaster
- Margaret Wright: Casey Junior
- Sterling Holloway: Mr. Stork
- Cliff Edwards: Jim Crow
- Hall Johnson Choir: Crow Chorus
- Verna Felton: Elephant Matriarch, Mrs. Jumbo (uncredited)
- Bea Benaderet: Elephant Giddy And Elephant Prissy
- Jean Vander Pyl: Elephant Catty
- John McLeish: Narrator
- The Sportsmen: Themselves
- Note: These actors were not credited in the opening credits of the movie.
Crew[change | change source]
- Based on the Book by: Helen Aberson & Harold Pearl
- Supervising Director: Ben Sharpsteen
- Screen Story by: Joe Grant & Dick Huemer
- Story Direction: Otto Englander
- Sequence Directors: Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Bill Roberts, Jack Kinney, Sam Armstrong
- Animation Directors: Vladimir Tytla, Fred Moore, Ward Kimball, John Lounsbery, Art Babbitt, Woolie Reitherman
- Story Development: Bill Peet, Aurie Battaglia, Joe Rinaldi, George Stallings, Webb Smith
- Character Designs: John P. Miller, Martin Provenson, John Walbridge, James Bodrero, Maurice Noble, Elmer Plummer
- Music: Oliver Wallace and Frank Churchill
- Lyrics: Ned Washington
- Orchestration: Edward Plumb
- Art Direction: Herb Ryman, Ken O'Conner, Terrell Stapp, Don Da Gradi, Al Zinnen, Ernest Nordli, Dick Kelsey, Charles Payzant
- Backgrounds: Claude Coats, Al Dempster, John Hench, Gerald Nevius, Ray Lockrem, Joe Stahley
- Animation: Hugh Fraiser, Harvey Toombs, Milt Neil, Hicks Lokey, Howard Swift, Don Towsley, Les Clark, Claude Smith, Berny Wolf, Jack Campbell, Walt Kelly, Don Patterson, Cy Young, Ray Patterson, Grant Simmons, Josh Meador, Bill Shull, Art Palmer
Uncredited:
- Story: Vernon Stallings
- Art Direction: John Hubley
- Animation Director: Frank Thomas
- Cel Painter: Phyllis Bounds Detiege
- Animators: Eric Larson, Retta Scott
- Singing Voice for "Look Out for Mr. Stork": Thurl Ravenscroft
Characters[change | change source]
Dumbo the Flying Elephant[change | change source]
Dumbo is the main character in the movie. He is a fictional anthropomorphic elephant who has really big ears. He can fly using his big ears. Similar to Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Gideon in Pinocchio, Dumbo has no spoken dialogue. However, in the live-action/puppet television series Dumbo's Circus, Dumbo was voiced by Katie Leigh.
In the movie, Dumbo is delivered by Mr. Stork, and is made fun of for the strange size of his ears. As his mother, Mrs. Jumbo, beats up the bullies who pick on her baby, the ringmaster has his helpers chain her up and lock her up in a trailer, which says: "MAD ELEPHANT". It is then that Timothy Q. Mouse looks after Dumbo. The two of them try to make Dumbo famous and get his mother free. Thanks to the help of a "magic feather" from some crowss, Dumbo flies to fame, and gets his mother free.
Timothy the Mouse[change | change source]
Timothy Q. Mouse is a mouse who became the only friend of elephants Dumbo and his mother Mrs. Jumbo. He teaches Dumbo how to become the ninth wonder of the universe, and the only flying elephant in the whole world.
Mrs. Jumbo[change | change source]
Mrs. Jumbo is Dumbo's mother. Deeply depressed at not having her baby delivered, she loves her son more than anything. She becomes angry when the boys pick on him.
Other characters include the other elephants who also make fun of Dumbo, the Ringmaster, Mr. Stork and the crows.
Release[change | change source]
Even though World War II was going on, Dumbo was still the most financially successful Disney movie of the 1940s. This was one of the first of Disney's animated movies to be broadcast, albeit severely edited, on television, as part of Disney's anthology series. The movie then received another distinction of note in 1981, when it was the first of Disney's canon of animated movies to be released on home video and also was released in the Walt Disney Classics Video Collection in 1985. That release was followed by remastered versions in: 1986, 1989, 1991 (Classics), and 1994 (Masterpiece). In 2001, a 60th Anniversary Special Edition was released that has original RKO titles. In 2006, a "Big Top Edition" of the movie was released on DVD that also has original RKO titles. A UK Special Edition was released in May 2007 and was a successful Disney release.
Country | Premiere |
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October 31, 1941 |
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November 17, 1941 |
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December 24, 1941 |
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February 8, 1942 |
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March 31, 1942 |
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May 23, 1942 |
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June 4, 1942 |
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June 5, 1942 |
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July 9, 1942 |
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August 10, 1942 |
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November 30, 1942 |
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September 16, 1946 |
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April 25, 1947 |
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October 25, 1947 |
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December 26, 1947 |
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June 25, 1948 |
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August 19, 1948 |
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September 16, 1948 |
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October 1, 1948 |
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October 2, 1948 |
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October 23, 1949 |
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July 25, 1951 |
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April 8, 1952 |
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May 22, 1953 |
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March 12, 1954 |
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May 14, 1968 |
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October 14, 1986 |
Theatrical release history[change | change source]
United States[change | change source]
- October 23, 1941 (original release)
- May 25, 1949 (the final RKO release)
- June 6, 1959 (the first Buena Vista release)
- June 3, 1977
Worldwide[change | change source]
- Brazil: November 17, 1941
- Argentina: December 24, 1941
- United Kingdom: February 8, 1942
- Canada: March 31, 1942
- Australia: June 4, 1942
- Mexico: July 9, 1942
- Portugal: January 27, 1944
- Spain: September 25, 1944 (Madrid)
- Spain: December 14, 1944 (Barcelona)
- Sweden: September 16, 1946
- Netherlands: April 25, 1947
- Belgium: April 25, 1947
- France: October 25, 1947
- Norway: December 26, 1947
- Denmark: June 25, 1948
- Hong Kong: August 19, 1948
- Colombia: September 16, 1948
- Finland: October 1, 1948
- Italy: October 2, 1948
- Poland: October 23, 1949
- West Germany: April 8, 1952
- Austria: May 22, 1953
- Japan: March 13, 1954
- Philippines: September 28, 1955
- Israel: January 21, 1967
- Lebanon: May 14, 1968
- Iraq: October 18, 1979
- Kuwait: October 14, 1986
- Chad: January 12, 1989
- China: July 12, 1989 (Beijing)
Home video release history[change | change source]
- June 1982, 1981 (VHS and Betamax)
- June 1982 (Laserdisc)
- December 3, 1986 (VHS and Betamax - 45th Anniversary- Walt Disney Classics)
- July 13, 1990 VHS and Laserdisc -walt Disney Classics
- May 3, 1991 (VHS and Laserdisc - 50th Anniversary Edition - Walt Disney Classics)
- October 28, 1994 (VHS and Laserdisc - Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection)
- August 17, 1999 VHS Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection
- October 23, 2001 (VHS and DVD - 60th Anniversary Edition)
- June 6, 2006 (DVD - Big Top Edition)
- February 2011 Blu-Ray and DVD- 70th Anniversary Edition
Reception[change | change source]
The movie received good reviews and did well at the box office despite being released less than 2 months before World War II.
It also has been known as both classic and a masterpiece,and has received a Special Edition 60th Anniversary Disney DVD on October 23, 2001, exatly 60 years after its first release. That release featured a sneak peek of a direct-to-video sequel called Dumbo II.The preview showed a lot of sketches and storyboard ideas. The main story has to do with Dumbo and his new friends getting separated from the rest of the circus as they wonder into the big city. Dumbo's new friends are Claude and Lolly the twin bears who leave chaos everywhere they go, Dot the curious zebra, Godfrey the hippo who is older and wants to do things for himself, and Penny the adventurous ostrich. Timothy returns as well. The story was supposed to be as if the first Dumbo ended and this one started the next day. The project seems to have been canceled,as no further announcements have been made since, plus the fact that The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, Tinker Bell, and its sequels, were to be the last projests for DisneyToon Studios.
The crow characters in the movie are seen as African-American stereotypes. The leader crow was originally named "Jim Crow" for script purposes, and the name stuck. The other crows are all voiced by African-American actors, all members of the Hall Johnson Choir. Despite suggestions of racism by some, many historians such as Zoe Pritchard reject these claims. For instance, the crows are noted as forming the majority of the characters in the movie who are sympathetic to Dumbo's plight (the others are Timothy Q. Mouse and Mrs Jumbo), are free spirits who serve nobody, and intelligent characters aware of the power of self-confidence, unlike the Stepin Fetchit stereotype common at that time. Furthermore, their song "When I See An Elephant Fly" is more orientated to mocking Timothy Mouse than Dumbo's large ears.
Soundtrack listing[change | change source]
- Main Title (01:47)
- Look Out For Mister Stork (02:16)
- Loading The Train / Casey Junior / Stork On A Cloud / Straight From Heaven / Mother And Baby (04:58)
- Song Of The Roustabouts (02:38)
- Circus Parade (01:28)
- Bathtime / Hide And Seek (01:31)
- Ain't That The Funniest Thing / Berserk / Dumbo Shunned / A Mouse! / Dumbo And Timothy (03:23)
- The Pyramid Of Pachyderms (01:58)
- No Longer An Elephant / Dumbo's Sadness / A Visit In The Night / Baby Mine (03:34)
- Clown Song (01:00)
- Hiccups / Firewater / Bubbles / Did You See That? / Pink Elephants On Parade (06:07)
- Up A Tree / The Fall / Timothy's Theory (01:32)
- When I See An Elephant Fly (01:48)
- You Oughta Be Ashamed (01:10)
- The Flight Test / When I See An Elephant Fly (Reprise) (00:57)
- Save My Child / The Threshold Of Success / Dumbo's Triumph / Making History / Finale (02:14)
- Spread Your Wing (Demo Recording) (01:08)
Songs[change | change source]
- Baby Mine (Betty Noyes)
- Casey Junior (The Sportsmen)
- Look Out for Mr. Stork (The Sportsmen)
- Song of the Roustabouts (The King's Men)
- The Clown Song (A.K.A."We're gonna hit the big boss for a rise") (Billy Bletcher,Eddie Holden,and Billy Sheets)
- Pink Elephants on Parade (The Sportsmen)
- When I See an Elephant Fly (Cliff Edwards and the Hall Johnson Choir)
- When I See an Elephant Fly (Reprise)
Media and marketing[change | change source]
Dumbo's Circus[change | change source]
Dumbo's Circus was a live-action puppet television programme for preschool audiences that aired on The Disney Channel in the 1980s. Unlike in the movie, Dumbo spoke on the show. Each character would perform a special act, which ranged from dancing and singing to telling knock knock jokes.
Books[change | change source]
- Walt Disney's Dumbo
- Happy to Help: (ISBN 0-7364-1129-1) A picture book Disney Press by Random House Disney, written by Liane Onish, illustrated by Peter Emslie. It was published January 23, 2001, this paperback is for children age 4-8. Twenty-four pages long, its 0.08 inches thick, and with cover dimensions of 7.88 x 7.88 inches.
- Walt Disney's Dumbo Book of Opposites
- (ISBN 0-307-06149-3) A book published in August of 1997 by Golden Books under the Golden Board Book brand. It was written by Alan Benjamin, illustrated by Peter Emslie, and edited by Heather Lowenberg. Twelve pages long and a quarter of an inch thick, this board edition book had dimensions of 7.25 x 6.00 inches.
- Walt Disney's Dumbo the Circus Baby
- (ISBN 0-307-12397-9) A book published in September of 1993 by Golden Press under the A Golden Sturdy Shape Book brand. Illustrated by Peter Emslie and written by Diane Muldrow, this book is meant for babies and preschoolers. Twelve pages long and half an inch thick, this book's cover size is 9.75 x 6.25 inches.
- Walt Disney's Dumbo
- Dumbo (My First Disney Story)
- Fly, Dumbo, Fly!
- I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem
Theme parks[change | change source]
Dumbo the Flying Elephant is a popular ride that appears in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom,[1] Disneyland,[2] Tokyo Disneyland,[3] Disneyland Park (Paris), and Hong Kong Disneyland.[4]
Video games[change | change source]
Dumbo appears as a hero in the game Kingdom Hearts. Sora, the main character, flies on him and Dumbo splashes enemies with water from his trunk.[5]
Titles in other languages[change | change source]
- Arabic: دمبو (Dumbo)
- Bosnian: Dumbo
- Bulgarian: Дъмбо
- Chinese: 小飛象 (xiǎo fēi xiàng, or Little Flying Elephant)
- Croatian: Slonić Dumbo
- Danish: Dumbo, den Flyvende Elefant
- Dutch: Dombo
- Finnish: Dumbo - Lentävä Elefantti
- French: Dumbo, l'Éléphant Volant
- German: Dumbo, der Fliegende Elefant
- Greek: Ντάμπο το ελεφαντάκι
- Hebrew: דמבו הפיל המעופף
- Icelandic: Dúmbó: Fíllinn Fljúgandi
- Italian: Dumbo, l'Elefante Volante
- Japanese: ダンボ (Danbo)
- Korean: 덤보 (Dumbo)
- Maltese: Dambow
- Norwegian: Dumbo, den Flyvende Elefanten
- Polish: Dumbo
- Portuguese: Dumbo, o Elefante Voador
- Russian: Дамбо (Dambo)
- Serbian: Дамбо (Dambo)
- Spanish: Dumbo, el Elefantito Volador
- Swedish: Dumbo den Flygande Elefanten
- Turkish: Dumbo
- Thai: ดัมโบ
- Vietnamese: Chú voi biết bay Dumbo
(NOTE: Most of the above titles were later renamed simply Dumbo.)
Directing animators[change | change source]
- Art Babbitt (Mr. Stork, Clowns)
- Ward Kimball (The Crows)
- John Lounsbery (Timothy Mouse and Dumbo)
- Wolfgang Reitherman (Timothy Mouse)
- Vladimir Tytla (Dumbo, the elephants)
- Fred Moore (Timothy Mouse)
- Frank Thomas (Pink Elephants)
- Note:All directing animators were credited on supervising these characters except Frank Thomas.
Sequence directors[change | change source]
- Wilfred Jackson (Dumbo)
- Jack Kinney (The Crows)
- Sam Armstrong (Casey Junior, Mr. Stork)
- Bill Roberts (Timothy Mouse, Clowns)
- Norman Ferguson (Pink Elephants, Circus animals)
References[change | change source]
Other websites[change | change source]
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Dumbo |
- Official website
- Dumbo on IMDb
- Dumbo at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Dumbo at AllMovie