Dumbo

Plot synopsis:
As a circus train makes it's way to the first of many show stops, a stork arrives with a baby for one elephant, named Mrs Jumbo. The other female pachyderms are charmed by the little baby, until he sneezes, revealing that he has a pair of oversized ears. Their words take on a different tune as they make fun of the little baby, giving him the ridiculing name of Dumbo. Dumbo's Mother just ignores their taunts and still cares for her child.At the circus' first venue, the elephants are put on exhibition for a number of people. However, one young boy makes fun of Dumbo, and also ends up pulling on his ears. This causes Mrs Jumbo to protect her son, but her actions cause the Ringmaster and the other circus people to claim her to be a mad elephant, and she is locked away.After this incident, none of the other elephants show any compassion or want to help Dumbo after his Mother is taken away. The only one who comes to his aid in friendship is a little mouse named Timothy. Dumbo is at first scared of Timothy (as he is a mouse), but Timothy's words of wanting to help get Dumbo's Mother released makes him realize the little mouse also means well. Timothy feels that Dumbo just needs to prove himself, and while the Ringmaster is asleep, whispers the idea for an elaborate performance by the elephants.The elephants climb on top of each other, and the plan is for Dumbo to be launched to the top, holding a little flag. However, Dumbo trips over his ears, and ends up toppling the stacked elephants, which causes the circus tent to collapse.After this, Dumbo is given the rather embarrassing role of being painted as a clown, and put into a rather degrading circus act. Dumbo just feels even worse, but Timothy manages to take him to see his Mother, which cheers him up a little. Later on in the evening, Dumbo develops the hiccups, and Timothy finds a tub of water in the clown's tent. However, one of the clowns has knocked some liquor into it, and Dumbo and Timothy end up getting tipsy, and soon start hallucinating, seeing pink elephants.The next day, Dumbo and Timothy find themselves up a tree, and badgered by a gang of crows. Timothy is at a loss as to how they got up in the tree, until he hits on the obvious reason: Dumbo's ears act like wings, making him a flying elephant! However, the idea of this is ridiculed by the crows, who laugh and sing a mocking song about Dumbo.This causes Timothy to lose his temper, and he relates to the crows everything that Dumbo has been through. The crows then change their tune, and give Dumbo a 'magic feather,' to give him the confidence to fly. Sure enough, Dumbo can fly, and Timothy plans to have him surprise the audience that night when they do their performance with the clowns.Dumbo goes through his performance, but on his freefall to the ground, loses the magic feather. With Dumbo in a panic, Timothy pleads that he can fly even without the feather. In the nick of time, Dumbo manages to fly, and ridicules the clowns, before pelting the other elephants who made fun of him with peanuts.In the aftermath, it is shown that Dumbo's fame spreads, and he soon becomes famous. The last scene shows Dumbo's mother having been released, in the rear of a special train car, as Dumbo lands in her arms.

Tags: psychedelic, cute

Review:
Timothy Q Mouse is a great character, the animation is so concise and perfect, great songs, the message that if you believe you can overcome your handicaps you will so inspiring and beautiful, and the movie so short and sweet it will forever retain its appeal..
(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.
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.
Walt may have been, according to some people, a fascist and an anti-Semite, but he was also a genius.Things that make this movie great: The animation (I used to work at a zoo, and while the real elephants did little talking or singing the animators captured their body language incredibly well.)"Pink Elephants on Parade".Effective but not over-the-top heartstring tugging.The musical crow number ("When I See an Elephant Fly").
From the heartwarming deliverance scene at the beginning, when the stork brings the newborn babies to all the animals in the circus, through the hilarious and trippy Pink Elephants on Parade sequence (which still holds well to this very day), to the heartbreaking scene when Dumbo's mother is in chains and she rocks him with her trunk from beyond the bars.True, I've seen it first at the tender age of 4 or 5, so maybe the nostalgia factor has it's weight on my affection for this film - but I still think it's one of the most sweet and sentimental films ever made (even at the "old" age of 30)..
Our main character is a baby elephant named Dumbo who is ridiculed by fellow circus animals and humans for his enormous ears.
Dumbo was the first, but certainly not the last, time in history when the Walt Disney Animation Studio was struggling to make ends meet and thus was forced to churn out a subpar movie in terms of quality.
Still after watching this classic many years later you see it's a film that's a joy due to it's spirit of being different and touching is the emotions and love that Dumbo feels from a mother's love to a friendship with a little mouse it's all feel good enjoyable entertainment.
This tale is just so heartfelt Dumbo the little baby who's different with those big over-sized cute and lovable ears soars to fame with the help of circus mouse Timothy Q.
'Dumbo' is one of Disney's classic films featuring an elephant with enormous ears who lives at a circus and who finds an unlikely-but-typical-pairing-for-Disney friend (a mouse, which elephants are supposed to be frightened of).
Some wonderful tunes in here as well, including the quite beautiful "Baby Mine", while a surreal hallucination sequence (Pink Elephants On Parade) that plays out as Dumbo and Timothy accidentally drink liquor, is remarkable.
(The "Pink Elephants on Parade" sequence is stunning in its imagery.) And it sure does have a great message about self esteem and finding ones' way in the world.Mrs. Jumbo, an elephant in a circus, gets a delightful present from Mr. Stork: a little bundle of joy who just so happens to have oversized ears.
The classic Dumbo is a short movie about a cute little elephant who has self-image issues because of his big ears.
Years ago when I seen a documentary about how Disney was using computers to clean up their classic animated films frame by frame I wasn't sure how the result would be, but the movie looks like it was just made, and not in a bad way.
A huge improvement over the DVD release from 2001.The movie if you are one of the few people on earth not familiar with the tale, is about a baby elephant with extremely large ears, named Jumbo Jr, but after being mocked the name "Dumbo" sticks.
There is also a Cine-Explore experience, with historians and animators taking you through the movie, a deleted scene and song, a documentary on the making of the film, a feturette called Celebrating Dumbo, and one on the ride at Disney Land, an audio commentary, a pair of classic Disney Shorts "The Flying Mouse" and "Elmer Elephant" (both in HD as are most the special features), and some games for the kids.
It's visually stunning (typically for a Disney movie) I also love the sub story of the mouse and his friendship with Dumbo..and the crows!
Made to recoup the big budget of "Fantasia", it's only fitting that Disney, by making its first and only original story, created the most representative illustration of the Disney spirit through the adorable little circus elephant.Indeed, on the surface, "Dumbo" is the Disney film with the most cartoonish feel, it is inferior to "Snow White" as far as animation is concerned and had nothing to be compared to "Fantasia", as for the animals' design, they can't even be seen as a draft for the next masterpiece "Bambi".
And in one second, Jumbo Jr. Is renamed Dumbo by the mean-spirited gossipy female elephants of the circus troop, in one frame; Walt Disney created the character that would embody the sort of benign handicap that would crystallize all the mockery and cruelty of the world.My ears are not big, they're even smaller than average but I know many kids who were given the terrible nickname of 'Dumbo', or other meaner ones.
The film works as a wonderful tribute to the purity and indivisibility of a mother's love, incarnated by the song "Baby's Mine" that echoes the beginning where the storks send all the kids to their mothers."Dumbo" carries a powerful message about love as the only true sacred element in life, love and friendship, incarnated by the protective figure Timothy the Mouse, Dumbo's only friend, funnier and less patronizing than Jiminy Cricket.
Created during a simpler, more innocent time in America when cynicism wasn't as rampant as it is today and sentimentality wasn't as shunned on screen as it is now, DUMBO remains one of Disney's simpler animated classics with a perky score and a number of catchy songs.Among the numbers that I found delightful: "Look Out for Mr. Stork", "Casey Junior", "When I See An Elephant Fly", "Baby Mine", and the two standouts in animation technique: "Pink Elephants on Parade" (the film's most sophisticated bit of animation) and "The Song of the Roustabouts" which shows the men struggling to put up the circus tents during an oncoming storm.The animation itself is more cartoon-like than Disney's earlier classics but intentionally so.
In the brief span of 74 minutes, a lot of ground is covered in the story of an elephant with over-sized ears, his biggest defect, which is turned into his biggest asset by the film's end, thanks to a clever mouse named Timothy (voiced by Ed Brophy).The "Roustabouts" number and the "Pink Elephants" sequence are two of the film's high points, thanks to masterful work by the artists and the clever background score.While not in the same class with other Disney works of that era, DUMBO remains a consistently entertaining little film that should find a huge audience with its appeal to the very young as well as their elders.
With its impossibly cute title character, positive underlying messages (it's okay to be different, believe in yourself), a handful of memorable songs, and some wonderful animation, Dumbo is classic Disney fun from start to finish.When Mrs. Jumbo's new baby is delivered by the stork, she is delighted, despite the fact that his ears are a tad larger than normal.
However, with the help of a mouse named Timothy, and a gang of crows, Dumbo discovers he has an unusual talent: he can fly.This heartwarming tale is told brilliantly by Walt's talented animators, and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face, whatever your age.
The story, despite being only 64 minutes long, crams in an awful lot: comedy, tragedy, spectacle, and even a rather trippy Fantasia-style segment about pink elephants.If I had to find a fault with Dumbo, it would be in its pacing: the film starts rather slowly and then feels quite rushed at the end, with the flying elephant's eventual fame and success relayed via a rather nippy montage of newspaper headings.
It is a very sweet, fun film for the whole family to enjoy, just running over an hour, it's quick and very easy to follow, but you will also find yourself very connected to these characters, the adorable elephant, the witty mouse, the charismatic crows, it's a great ride.
However, the plot is slim, there is little story, we mainly follow Dumbo as he learns how to fly, but nothing really happens, in comparison to Disney's two films prior to this, Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio, development is thin.
Dumbo is a good Walt Disney animated film classic that has a deeper story to tell than what is on the surface.
To say that Dumbo "is about an elephant with big ears in a circus" is only the start of what Dumbo is about.A closer look at Dumbo - it's about having physical abnormalities and over coming the fear of others shunning or making fun of you because of it - the movie shows you can still 'shine' no matter what you look like.
This fourth full-length feature film from Walt Disney is one of the most memorable and lovable stories from Disney, about a little elephant named Dumbo with big ears.
Shunned by the other elephants, he is forced to be a castaway until he is befriended by a little mouse and enters the circus with his new trait - ears that can make him fly.There are some depressing moments in this movie, especially the scene where Dumbo's mother is in confinement.
Though the animation is colorful, characters are lovable and the story is pretty compelling, this movie overall is little on the short side, with just over one hour in length, and I think it lacks the majesty you would see in many of Disney's classics.
Mere months before the U.S. entered World War II, Disney released its fourth major animated film, "Dumbo." At an unusually short 63 minutes, "Dumbo" tells a simple story of an elephant separated from his mother and picked on for his over-sized ears, who with the help of a circus mouse, must learn to love and believe in himself."Dumbo" is really a short film padded by artistic sequences set to moving, Oscar-winning music.
This sets the tone for the alienation both she and her soon-to-arrive child, Jumbo Jr., will experience throughout the film.When Mr. Stork (Sterling Holloway) eventually delivers Jumbo Jr., he and his mother become a laughing stock when the other lady elephants see his gigantic ears, nicknaming him "Dumbo." At one point at a circus stop, several spectators tease Dumbo and Mrs. Jumbo goes mad with rage.
The way light flashes and the wind whips water all about creates a fascinating mood, but the juxtaposition of circus animal labor and the presumed labor of free but unequal blacks makes it a strange scene to wedge into the beginning of the movie."Pink Elephants on Parade" later in the movie is a visually daring and impressive sequence, but it's wildly inappropriate and arguably unnecessary.
It may be only a minor classic, but this family favorite from the Golden Age of Disney animation was made with the understanding that adults could be just as charmed as their children by the adventures of a baby circus elephant.
I've seen the film on tv several times in the past years but it's sooo much better on DVD!The movie is now almost 61 years old but it's still one of Disney's best classics in the line of Bambi and the 101 dalmations..
USA 1941 English (Colour); Animation (Walt Disney); 64 minutes (U certificate)Crew includes: Ben Sharpsteen (Director); Joe Grant, Dick Huemer (Screenwriters); Walt Disney (Producer)Voices include: Edward Brophy, Verna Felton, Cliff Edwards (all uncredited)Academy Award: Scoring of a MusicalEncouraged by an enterprising mouse (Brophy), an isolated baby elephant with massive ears overcomes his "freakishness" to become a circus sensation.Slightest of all Disney classics (conceived as a short), with a cute, dialogue-free title character, and, remarkably, a trippy, alcohol-induced Pink Elephants on Parade sequence; ends quite suddenly once Dumbo realises he can fly..
Dumbo was Disney Animation Studios 4th film after Snow White, Pinocchio, and Fantasia.
The story is simple, entertaining, and incredibly emotional.The film is about a precious infant elephant who is made fun of for his big ears which is where he receives his nickname Dumbo.
Though it is the least ambitious and groundbreaking of the first five Disney films, Dumbo (1941) is nevertheless as much a masterpiece as the rest of them, for in its simplicity lies its greatness.There are no big Broadway numbers, no breathtaking backgrounds or animation, but it is within Dumbo's characters and story that its universal appeal lies.
Dumbo has the lovable circus characters, a funny little mouse and who can ever forget the Pink Elephants On Parade scene?
It is one of the shorter Disney films at just about an hour long, but it is definitely one of the best Disney movies ever.Dumbo is an elephant who has exceptionally large ears.
When I see an elephant fly is a great fun song, Baby Mine is a sad touching song, and Pink Elephants on parade is a crazy song that you cant help but remember.So I would definitely rank this as one of the best Disney movies ever.
Sweet, simple and short, 'Dumbo' is the tale of a baby elephant who is ridiculed and shunned because of his oversized ears, who with help from his friend Timothy Q.
And without a big budget, DUMBO is a showcase of what a Disney film was all about; solid storytelling with solid character animation.
That scene has almost stayed in my memory since I saw it for the first time,probably about 5 or 6 years old.Now,at 22,I still think that this scene is the best scene ever in animation.The way that the song combines with the dances and constant change of characters(Pink Elephants!) is just superb.The way that Disney takes care of every small detail is also beautiful to watch and probably best seen in the train sequence with all the different animals and their ways.The music score is also very very good,with circus music of course but also a couple of great songs(the drunken dream song of course but also the song of the ravens,the scene after the dream.
The message of Disney in this movie is probably their best,the outcast who becomes,with help from a tiny mouse,the great hero!Dumbo is the perfection of animated movies and will always be remembered as one of the all time classics!
However it's a movie that doesn't have the best voice performances and the animation is mostly great but there are one or two scenes in which there are some inconsistencies, like there is a moment in which Dumbo's eyes are black.
DumboWhile human beings runaway to join the circus, wild animals, on the other hand, are more inclined to run away from the circus.Either way, the elephant in this cartoon had no choice as to where he would grow-up.Delivered to a travelling circus via stork, Dumbo, a pint-sized pachyderm with over-sized ears, becomes the target of cruel circus goers.Defending her son's honour, Mrs. Jumbo strikes out at the taunting youths, which lands her in isolation, and Dumbo all alone.Luckily, he meets a motivated mouse (Edward Brophy) that shows him the ropes of big-top living and helps him realize the true potential of his unfortunate, yet aerodynamic, attributes.Though it is considered to be one of Disney's saddest cartoons, Dumbo is also one of its most inspiring.So, if you have a physical deformity like Dumbo, rest assured: There'll always be a place for you in the circus.
i really wanted a baby elephant after watching this movie.All in all, this is truly one of the best Disney films ever made.
The illustrators did a great job showing all animal's emotions in this way.A funny thing is that since I was a kid, I always found the scenes were the pink elephants were shown a little bit of creepy.
Growing up I watched a lot of Disney cartoon movies and Dumbo was one of those films.I watched Dumbo again for making this review and even though I haven't seen it in years it was a eye opener on how well the movie was.And I'm surprise on how a film from 1941 was able to tell a whole story in a hour and four minutes even for an animated movie that is pretty impressive.Dumbo tells the story of a baby elephant who was born with big ears, he perform the circus with his mother at his side however when she is place in a cage for protecting him from a crowd of kids.Dumbo is left alone with the other elephants showing no care for him and putting him down when he is not in the same tent.
Dumbo and Timothy do get their fame in the end, after demonstrating to some crows, and then the circus audience, that his ears are big enough to make him fly, and he gets his mother back too.
The film is short and much more simple in design.The basic story is that of Dumbo, a baby elephant delivered by a stork to a circus train.
Timothy arranges for Dumbo to see his mother and then Timothy and Dumbo get drunk, leading to the best animation of the film, the "Pink Elephants On Parade" sequence.When Timothy comes to the next day to find them both in a tree, he figures out Dumbo can fly using his ears.