Dumbo (60th Anniversary Edition)
by Ben Sharpsteen, Bill Roberts, Clare Baren, Jack Kinney, Norman Ferguson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Billy Bletcher, Edward Brophy, Herman Bing, James Baskett, Sterling HollowayDirector: Ben Sharpsteen, Bill Roberts, Clare Baren, Jack Kinney, Norman Ferguson
Writer: Aurelius Battaglia
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 64 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-10-23
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Movie Reviews of Dumbo (60th Anniversary Edition)
Movie Review: THE 60th ANNIVERSARY EDITION IS AN EXCELLENT WAY TO PRESENT THIS TIMELESS CLASSIC
Summary: 5 Stars
ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR EDITION: 60th ANNIVERSARY DVD
The 60th Anniversary Edition of Dumbo on DVD has been very well restored with the right colors and the sharpness that is more fully appreciated via its DVD presentation through a very high definition transfer.
That would be enough, but there is more to recommend this edition.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
-----> Digitally Remastered & Restored
-----> Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish + Audio Commentary
-----> Michael Crawford Music Video, "Baby Mine";
this is a rendition of the song which was playing in the background when Dumbo went to visit his mother in the Elephant jail [a cart outside of the circus tents that was labeled "Mad Elephant"]. Here Michael Crawford serenades us with this tune while a music video filled with sentimental Dumbo images takes us cascading nostalgicly down memory lane.
-----> Original Walt Disney TV Introduction
-----> Celebrating "Dumbo" Featurette on the Origins and History of Dumbo; all I can say is I wish this one were longer. There are interviews, storyboards and some thoughts about Dumbo as a mute hero of sorts. Most interesting was the idea, at the time, that 'Dumbo' was relatively lighter fare than the Disney
features that had come before [Snow White - Fantasia - Pinocchio] and led up to Bambi the following year [1942]. The emphasis of the featurette was that 'Dumbo' was supposed to be a simple story of injustice and triumph which turned into something of a timeless classic that is very easy to enjoy. The featurette also discusses the motiff of the animation and the pastel colors that are utilized and the pastoral look.
-----> Sound Design - Creating the voice of Casey Jr
-----> Animated Shorts: "Elmer Elephant" & "The Flying Mouse"; These are cartoons from the period of Dumbo which are somewhat related. "Elmer Elephant" suffers and is transformed through a similar plight as Dumbo, and it is a nice cartoon to see. Both cartoons look to have been remastered.
-----> Storybook Read-Along - A New Adventure About Dumbo
-----> Sing-Alongs: "Look out for Mr. Stork," "Casey Jr."
-----> Art Gallery
-----> Dumbo II Sneak Peek
-----> DVD-ROM Content
WHAT IS DUMBO ALL ABOUT? - AGAINST ALL ODDS DUMBO RISES FROM SHAME TO TRIUMPH
*****PLOT SPOILERS BELOW ----- PLOT SPOILERS BELOW*****
Dumbo, because of his oversized ears is ridiculed at birth by the other elephants and immediately and increasingly excluded from elephant activities. When his mother is thrown in a ad-hoc circus lock-up and labeled as a "Mad Elephant" for defended Dumbo from abuse, the other elephants decide to reject Dumbo further and ultimately make the "solemn pledge" that he [Dumbo] "is no longer an elephant"!
UNFAIR - MEAN-SPIRITED & REALLY HEARTLESS BEHAVIOR AGAINST POOR DUMBO
But Dumbo finds a friend in Timothy Q. Mouse and still more in Jim Crow and his cronies. The mouse takes over Dumbo's mother's role, and supports, guides and protects the persecuted young pachyderm while the Crows instruct him in the art of flying with the help of the 'magic feather'.
PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF IN THE END AND THERE IS A HAPPY ENDING
Rather being defeated by his plight, Dumbo, with a little help from his friends, rises above all the rest in the circus [literally] and in the process his mother is freed from jail and Dumbo and Timothy are happy campers.
IN THE END: DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER - THERE'S UNIQUENESS IN US ALL!
Dumbo is a wonderfully uplifting film that does have its sad and disturbing moments. The songs are wonderful, heart-rending and move the story forward, which really books.
***** THE MAJOR VOICES *****
Sterling Holloway - Stork [Voice]
Edward S. Brophy - Timothy Q. Mouse [Voice]
Herman Bing - Ringmaster [Voice]
Verna Felton - Elephant [Voice]
Cliff Edwards - Jim Crow [Voice]
Sarah Selby - Elephant [Voice]
Billy Bletcher - Clown [Voice]
***** THE AWARDS *****
Best Score (win) Frank Churchill 1941 Academy
Best Score (win) Oliver Wallace 1941 Academy
Best Song (nom) Frank Churchill 1941 Academy
Best Song (nom) Ned Washington 1941 Academy
Best Picture (nom) 1941 National Board of Review
10 Best Films (win) 1941 New York Times
Best Animated Film (win) 1947 Cannes Film Festival
BOTTOM LINE: 60th ANNIVERSARY DVD OFFERS A GREAT DEAL
This is a fine animated film which features an excellent lesson in life as its main theme and is still suitable for children and adults. I personally prefer this 60th Anniversary edition because of the features and the excellent transfer which seems clearer to me than in the more recent release. Although the newer DVD release also has the "Baby Mine" sequence as a Special-Feature Music Video, we prefer the Michael Crawford rendition featured in this DVD.
IF YOU ENJOYED DUMBO ALSO CONSIDER SEEING:
*-> BAMBI, [1942, James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, David Hand, Graham Heid]
*-> THE LION KING, [1994, Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff]
*-> BABE, [1995, Chris Noonan]
*-> THE JUNGLE BOOK, [1967, Wolfgang Reithermann]
*-> THE BEAR, [1988, Jean-Jacques Annaud]
Summary of Dumbo (60th Anniversary Edition)
The Dumbo 60th Anniversary Edition was the beneficiary of an electronic film restoration process where every frame of film was scanned into a high resolution computer system, then painstakingly examined and repaired frame by frame to eliminate negative and positive dirt, film scratches and the like. A high definition transfer was done and color correction was supervised by Disney Feature Animation to ensure faithful reproduction of the colors as they were originally intended.A Disney "classic" that actually is a classic, Dumbo should be part of your video collection whether or not you have children. The storytelling was never as lean as in Dumbo, the songs rarely as haunting (or just plain weird), the characters rarely so well defined. The film pits the "cold, cruel, heartless" world that can't accept abnormality against a plucky, and mute, hero. Jumbo Jr. (Dumbo is a mean-spirited nickname) is ostracized from the circus pack shortly after his delivery by the stork because of his big ears. His mother sticks up for him and is shackled. He's jeered by children (an insightful scene has one boy poking fun at Dumbo's ears, even though the youngster's ears are also ungainly), used by the circus folk, and demoted to appearing with the clowns. Only the decent Timothy Q. Mouse looks out for the little guy. Concerns about the un-PC "Jim Crow" crows, who mock Dumbo with the wonderful "When I See an Elephant Fly," should be moderated by remembering that the crows are the only social group in the film who act kindly to the little outcast. If you don't mist up during the "Baby Mine" scene, you may be legally pronounced dead. --Keith Simanton
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