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Dumbo Overview:

Dumbo (1941) was a Animation - Family Film directed by Samuel Armstrong, Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts and Ben Sharpsteen and produced by Walt Disney.

Academy Awards 1941 --- Ceremony Number 14 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Music - ScoringFrank Churchill, Oliver WallaceWon
Best Music - SongMusic by Frank Churchill; Lyrics by Ned WashingtonNominated
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Dumbo BlogHub Articles:

Classic Films in Focus: DUMBO (1941)

By Jennifer Garlen on Dec 2, 2013 From Virtual Virago

Disney classics are probably the one group of “old” movies that many people see even if they aren’t particularly enthusiastic about film. After all, these movies surround us throughout our lives, thanks in part to relentless Disney marketing. They inspire theme park rides and count... Read full article

Classic Films in Focus: DUMBO (1941)

By Jennifer Garlen on Dec 2, 2013 From Virtual Virago

Disney classics are probably the one group of “old” movies that many people see even if they aren’t particularly enthusiastic about film. After all, these movies surround us throughout our lives, thanks in part to relentless Disney marketing. They inspire theme park rides and count... Read full article

Classic Films in Focus: DUMBO (1941)

By Jennifer Garlen on Dec 2, 2013 From Virtual Virago

Disney classics are probably the one group of “old” movies that many people see even if they aren’t particularly enthusiastic about film. After all, these movies surround us throughout our lives, thanks in part to relentless Disney marketing. They inspire theme park rides and count... Read full article

March to Disney: What Bolt and Dumbo Share

By Bernardo Villela on Mar 12, 2013 From The Movie Rat

This is a series of posts this month wherein I will focus on Disney films. For more on my background with Disney films and about the timing of this focus please read the introductory post here. What’s been great is that I have through sheer luck managed to come across titles I had previously ... Read full article

Dumbo (1941)

By Kristen on Sep 22, 2012 From Journeys in Classic Film

Back with another edition of Journeys in the Disney Vault.  I should mention we’ll see this series next week but once October hits we’ll only see it once as there’s a Halloween themed Disney animated film I’ll be including (astute viewers should know what it is).  After Oct... Read full article

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Dumbo Quotes:

Timothy Q. Mouse: I know how you feel, Dumbo, but you'll hafta pull yourself together. What would your mother think of ya, if she saw you cryin' like this? Remember, you come from a proud race. Why, you're a... a pachydoim, and pachydoims don't cry. What'll cryin' get ya anyhow? Nuttin' but the hiccups.
[Dumbo hiccups]
Timothy Q. Mouse: There, ya see?
[Dumbo hiccups again and Timothy glances toward a bucket of water]
Timothy Q. Mouse: Well - ain't nuttin' a little water won't cure.
[he scoops up Dumbo's trunk]
Timothy Q. Mouse: Ups-a-daisy. We'll get ya fixed up in a jiffy.
[Dumbo hiccups one last time]
Timothy Q. Mouse: Come on.
Timothy Q. Mouse: [after Dumbo pelts the other elephants with peanuts; shouts joyfully] You're makin' history!
[the elephants think that Dumbo with his big ears is the reason Mrs. Jumbo has been locked up]
Timothy Q. Mouse: What's the matter with his ears? I don't see nothin' wrong with 'em. I think they're cute.
Timothy Q. Mouse: [after the reprise of "When I See an Elephant Fly", when Dumbo, Timothy, and all the crows land on a telephone wire] Dumbo, I knew you could do it! Wait'll we get to the big town!
Jim Crow: Boy, them city folks is sure in for a surprise!
[all laugh]
Timothy Q. Mouse: [quietly at first, then lighting up excitedly] Climax?... climax! Dumbo, *you're* a climax. I'll be back in a minute, I'm gonna take care of your future.
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Dumbo Facts
Walt Disney's distributor, RKO Radio Pictures, had qualms about releasing this 64-minute feature as a major motion picture. They tried to persuade Disney to either cut it to short-subject length, extend it to at least 70 minutes, or have it released as a B picture. Disney stood his ground, and the film was released as an A picture as Disney intended.
A very tightly budgeted, scripted, and produced film, because Walt Disney needed the film to bring in much-needed revenue after the expensive failures of Pinocchio and Fantasia. Final negative cost of Dumbo was $813,000 (making it the least expensive of all Disney's animated features), and it grossed over $2.5 million in its original release (more than Pinocchio's and Fantasia's original grosses combined).
Casey Junior made his first appearance in footage that appeared in The Reluctant Dragon when Robert Benchley is touring the sound effects department. The version is slightly different and much longer.
This film and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are the only classic Disney films to use watercolored backgrounds (they were used in this film because they were cheaper than the gouache and oils used for Pinocchio and Bambi) and the last time they were used until Fantasia/2000.
Entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival.
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