*** Welcome to piglix ***

Dumbo (film)

Dumbo
Dumbo-1941-poster.jpg
Original theatrical release poster
Directed by Supervising director:
Ben Sharpsteen
Sequence directors:
Norman Ferguson
Wilfred Jackson
Bill Roberts
Jack Kinney
Samuel Armstrong
Produced by Walt Disney
Story by Otto Englander
Joe Grant
Dick Huemer
Based on Dumbo
by Helen Aberson
Harold Pearl
Starring Edward Brophy
Herman Bing
Margaret Wright
Sterling Holloway
Verna Felton
Cliff Edwards
Narrated by John McLeish
Music by Frank Churchill
Oliver Wallace
Production
company
Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • October 23, 1941 (1941-10-23) (New York City)
  • October 31, 1941 (1941-10-31) (U.S.)
Running time
64 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $950,000
Box office $1.6 million

Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The fourth Disney animated feature film, it is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a novelty toy ("Roll-a-Book"). The main character is Jumbo Jr., a semi-anthropomorphic elephant who is cruelly nicknamed "Dumbo". He is ridiculed for his big ears, but in fact he is capable of flying by using his ears as wings. Throughout most of the film, his only true friend, aside from his mother, is the mouse, Timothy – a relationship parodying the stereotypical animosity between mice and elephants.

Dumbo was released on October 23, 1941. Made to recoup the financial losses of Fantasia, it was a deliberate pursuit of simplicity and economy for the Disney studio. At 64 minutes, it is one of Disney's shortest animated features. Sound was recorded conventionally using the RCA System. One voice was synthesized using the Sonovox system, but it, too, was recorded using the RCA System.

A flock of storks deliver babies while circus animals are being transported by train from their "Winter Quarters". Mrs. Jumbo, one of the elephants, receives her baby who is soon tormented by the other (female) elephants because of his large ears, and they nickname him "Dumbo".

Once the circus is assembled, Mrs. Jumbo loses her temper at a group of boys for tormenting Dumbo, and is locked up and deemed mad. Dumbo is shunned by the other elephants and with no mother to care for him, he is now alone. Timothy Q. Mouse, who feels sympathy for Dumbo and becomes determined to make him happy again, appoints himself as Dumbo's mentor and protector.

The circus director makes Dumbo the top of an elephant pyramid stunt after being secretly encouraged by Timothy, but Dumbo trips over his ears and misses his target, injuring the other elephants and bringing down the big top. Dumbo is made a clown as a result, officially having the other elephants deem him no longer one of them, and plays the main role in an act that involves him falling into a vat of pie filling. Despite his newfound popularity and fame, Dumbo dislikes this job and is now more miserable than ever.


...
Wikipedia

...