Dumbo Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Ostracized from the rest of the circus animals, poor Dumbo the elephant is separated from his
mother, who is chained up in a separate cage after trying to defend her child. Only brash-but-
lovable Timothy Mouse offers the hand of friendship to Dumbo, encouraging the pouty
pachyderm to exploit his "different" qualities for fame and fortune.
For more about Dumbo and the Dumbo Blu-ray release, see the Dumbo Blu-ray Review
Ask a sample of people old enough to have an opinion about which Disney animated classic is most
impressive on a technical level, and you'll hear a variety of responses—Snow White for its
innovation, Pinocchio for its moody lighting, Fantasia for stretching the boundaries
of what the medium could and couldn't do, Bambi for its fluid and realistic animation, or
Sleeping Beauty for the detail and complexity of its artwork. Ask which film provokes the
greatest emotional response, however, and you're likely to hear one title over and over:
Dumbo. At a trim 64-minutes long, it's perhaps the simplest of Disney's stories, but
Dumbo's compact narrative is dense with feeling, capturing the longings, humiliations, and
insecurities of childhood with striking acuity. The film's it's okay to be different message is
universal,
and as a kid who had enormous, flag-in-a-taut-wind ears—prone to turn bright red with the
slightest embarrassment—I always identified with Dumbo, an archetypal ugly duckling whose
supposed deformity turns out, in the end, to be to be a gift, a mark of uniqueness.
Disney: The Height of Fluid Animation
When the film begins, that age-old symbolic euphemism for reproduction—the stork—delivers a
hefty bundle of joy to Mrs. Jumbo, a doe-eyed circus elephant who seems to have come late to
motherhood. As Mrs. Jumbo unwraps her delivery, a peanut gallery of tittering female
pachyderms looks on, ready to pass judgment. Jumbo Jr., as it turns out, is born with the biggest,
floppiest set of ears known to elephant-dom, earning him the unfortunate nickname of Dumbo.
Maternal love knows no bounds, however, and Mrs. Jumbo cares for her innocent young son—
bathing and cradling him—with all the tenderness that a new mother can muster. Unfortunately,
her protective instincts go into overdrive when a young circus-goer mocks Dumbo's ears—she
smacks the red-haired kid repeatedly with her trunk—and the ringmaster condemns her to a
padlocked "Mad Elephant" cage. The sequence is terrifying—whips crack and Mrs. Jumbo rears on
her hind legs, her eyes red with fear and fury—and as Dumbo is left to fend for himself, an
elephant-sized tear rolling down his cheek, the situation seems almost unbearably unfair. Enter
Timothy Q. Mouse, the film's Jiminy Cricket-type character, who befriends Dumbo—now painted
as a clown, forced to do a high-dive routine—and with the help of a few fine-feathered crows,
gives him the confidence to soar, quite literally, over his mean-spirited aggressors.
Unlike the films of Disney's second golden age in the 1990s, which tend, with a few notable
exceptions, to play up the feelings of whimsy, goofiness, and fun, the studio's mid-century
masterpieces are unafraid to tackle head-on the stuff of real childhood nightmares: abandonment
and loneliness, rejection and shame. Dumbo's story, for all its bright, big-top colors, is
remarkably dark. What's more frightening to a child than the loss of his mother? And what's
more heart-rending for a parent than to be separated from a child? And this isn't even counting
the notorious "Pink Elephants" sequence, in which Dumbo and Timothy accidentally get drunk on
champagne that's been spilled into a water bucket and hallucinate a horrorshow world of twisting,
morphing, and ghoulish elephantine forms, yet another example of Walt Disney dabbling in a pop
version of Salvador Dali's surrealism. Like the morbid canal scene in Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory, this shape-shifting segue is both horrifying and entrancing. Though it has little do
with the actual narrative, it gives the animators free reign to establish an unsettling mood that's
necessary in order for the film's climax—which has a flying Dumbo machine-gunning peanuts at
the peanut gallery and finally reuniting with his mom—to feel appropriately
triumphant.
An equal triumph is the story of Dumbo's production. After the massively expensive
1940 double-header of Pinocchio and Fantasia failed to recoup any losses at the
box-office, Disney was in a financial bind and needed a hit, fast. Based on a little-known children's
book and scripted by trusted Disney screenwriters Joe Grant and Dick Huemer, Dumbo's
storyline was locked down quickly so that the studio could avoid a lot of the money-draining, trial-
and-error experimentation that plagued their previous films. Envisioned as a short, relatively low-
budgeted expansion of Walt Disney's brisk, Silly Symphonies aesthetic, Dumbo
downgraded the technically complex and time-consuming oil paint backgrounds of Snow
White and Pinocchio to breezy, simplified watercolor panels. This allowed the
animators to focus more intently on investing their characters with personality. And it shows.
Dumbo is a mute character, but his emotions are spoken through his body language and
expressions in ways that words could never approximate. See as his face turns from naive joy to
utter devastation as he realizes that he's being laughed at, or watch as he nuzzles his mother's
trunk with a palpable mixture of love and pain. The other characters are just as expressively
animated. Timothy Q. Mouse's courageousness is as unforgettable as his drunken, bubble-
hugging stupor, the gossiping female elephants are impossibly prim, and, of course, there are the
controversial crows, who have been seen as racial stereotypes because of their Harlem-in-the-
1930s song 'n' dance swagger, but who also represent freedom and are catalysts for Dumbo's
sudden boost in confidence. Though the animation may not present Disney at its technical best,
it's certainly emotionally effective, which is much more important to good storytelling than mere
technique.
Disney animation really hasn't had a miss yet on Blu-ray. Though the studio's characteristically
slow release schedule may try the patience of fans eager to fill their shelves with animated
classics in 1080p, if there's one thing Disney doesn't do, it's rush jobs. Like Pinocchio,
Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White, Dumbo is a revelatory experience in
high definition, especially if you grew up watching it, like I did, on a worn out VHS tape. The film
has been granted a fantastic Lowry Digital frame-by-frame restoration, resulting in a 1080p/AVC-
encoded transfer that's absolutely pristine. As with the previously mentioned Disney releases,
grain has been almost completely removed here, and while I'm usually a virulent anti-DNR
campaigner, noise reduction actually makes a lot of sense for 2-D cell animation. The rationale is
that film isn't really animation's intended medium—graininess, then, is a technical limitation—
and to truly represent the work of the artists, the image should look as close to the original
drawn and painted cells as possible. Hence, grain free. And with no adverse effects like smearing
or softness apparent, it's clear that this grain-removal process has been very carefully undertaken
so as not to spoil the integrity of image. Banding, blocking, and errant compression-related
artifacts are also nowhere in sight.
Dumbo has never been regarded as one of Disney's most impressive technical
achievements—grace of the animation aside—but that doesn't stop it from looking gorgeous here.
Though there are occasional signs that Dumbo was a lower-budgeted production—you'll
frequently see color overextending the bounds of black outlines, for instance—the 1.33:1-framed
image is truly impressive for a 70-year-old film. Dumbo forgoes the gouache and oil paint
backgrounds of most Disney movies for bright watercolor washes that are softer and less detailed,
but beautifully impressionistic at times. All of the character work, though, tends to be quite crisp.
Outlines are tight, with a few exceptions, and when compared to the 2006 Big Top Edition DVD,
clarity in general is greatly improved. The storybook colors are bright and bold, with lots of
soothing pastels and clean primaries—a look straight out of a baby's bedroom. You will notice
some slight color fluctuations in the characters, but these are inherent in the animation, and not
some transfer-related byproduct. Disney and Lowry Digital have done it again, and I have a
feeling Dumbo fans will be wowed.
Disney has given an English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track to each animated classic
the studio has released so far, and that trend continues with Dumbo. Purists may raise
their eyebrows over the fact that the film's original mono track isn't included here—not even in
lossy form—but few others will have any complaints. Considering the dated source materials, the
film sounds as good as could be expected, possibly better depending on your expectations. If you
see "7.1" and think your surround sound set-up is going to get a serious workout, you'll probably
be disappointed, but Disney has effectively separated the film's mono stems and constructed a
satisfying and largely unembellished soundfield. Channel movements are few—off the top of my
head, I can only think of the stork swooshing through the rears—but the narrative's ample
stormy weather gives the rear speakers a chance to broadcast wind and rain and thunder.
Though the music has the somewhat thin dynamic range that's characteristic of many mid-
century recordings, it's never tinny or brash, and there's a surprising amount of detail to be heard
in the various sound effects. Dialogue is mostly clean, clear, and easy to understand, and while
there are a few moments when the music and effects overwhelm the voices a bit, I was never at
a loss as to what was being said or sung. I'd love to have a lossless mono track for comparison,
but otherwise, I'm quite happy with Dumbo's audio presentation.
Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo (1080p, 28:08)
Disney was in financial hot water after Fantasia underperformed at the box office, and
this excellent making-of documentary chronicles how Dumbo's streamlined approach to
animation and narrative in essence saved the company. Features interviews with Disney
historian Didier Ghez, Disney Supervising Animation Editor Eric Goldberg, Jim Capobianco of Pixar,
and many others.
Cine-Explore
In this picture-in-picture commentary, Pixar director Pete Docter, Disney historian Paula Sigman,
and Disney animator Andreas Deja carry on a spirited and incredibly informative discussion about
all aspects of Dumbo, from its graceful animation and narrative compactness, to
historical, behind-the-scenes stories and facts. The track makes great use of its picture-in-picture
real estate, showing early production artwork, photographs, and even interviews with a few
Disney employees who worked on the film.
DisneyView Presentation
If you select this option before viewing the film, the black pillarboxes on the sides of the 1.33:1-
framed image are replaced with tasteful paintings of sky, planks of wood, tent canvas, and other
textures that complement the image. Though I'm perfectly fine with the black bars, this feature
works surprisingly well and should placate those viewers who want to use every inch of their flat-
panel screen without the usual pan-and-scan nonsense.
Deleted Scenes (1080p) Dumbo's story went through very few changes during production, but Disney archivists
have dug up two excised sequences that never got beyond the preliminary artwork stage. Here,
they're recreated using still sketches with a little bit of animation thrown in. The Mouse's
Tale (5:37) is Timothy's story of why elephants are afraid of mice, and Are You a Man or
a Mouse? (3:56) is a deleted song about not giving up.
The Magic of Dumbo: A Ride of Passage (1080p, 3:09)
The Dumbo ride at Disneyland is one of the oldest in the park, so this featurette hones in
on the ride's multi-generation appeal.
Sound Design Excerpt from "The Reluctant Dragon" (SD, 5:57)*
A vintage featurette that takes us inside one of Disney's foley studios, showing us how various
sound effects are actually made.
Celebrating Dumbo (SD, 14:53)*
Film critic Leonard Maltin, Roy E. Disney, and others reflect on Dumbo's creation and
legacy. Covers a lot of the same ground as Taking Flight, but the more the merrier, I
say.
Original Walt Disney TV Introduction (SD, 1:05)
"It was really a happy picture from the very beginning to the end," says Disney, who had always
claimed that Dumbo was his favorite of his films.
Trailers (SD)*
Includes the Original Theatrical Trailer (2:13) and the Theatrical Rerelease Trailer
(1:18).
Art Galleries (1080p)
Includes brilliant galleries for Visual Development, Character Design, Layouts & Backgrounds,
Storyboard Art, Production Pictures, Publicity, and even the Original Dumbo Storybook
(1941). All of the galleries are self-directed and easy to navigate.
Bonus Shorts (1080p)*
Included here are two of Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies, The Flying Mouse (9:21) and
Elmer Elephant (8:31).
Disney Family Play (1080p)
Here we have two remote-controlled games. "What Do You See?" is a picture matching game,
where you have to quickly guess the subject of a blurred still from the film. "What Do You Know?
" is a trivia game that asks questions about the film, as well as more general questions about
elephants, etc.
Sneak Peaks (1080p)
Includes trailers for Genuine Treasure: Tinker Bell, Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy
Rescue, Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition, and The Princess and the
Frog. There's also a brief promo for Toy Story 3.
DVD Copy
This appears to be a newly pressed DVD, presumably a downscaled version of the new high
definition restoration, and is Region 1 and 4 compatible.
A U.S. release date for Dumbo has yet to be announced, so more impatient stateside
Disney fans may want to shell out the extra few bucks for the instant gratification of having this
classic before everyone else. If you don't mind having the Spanish language packaging, it's not a
bad option, as I can't imagine Disney changing anything for the U.S. version. Plus, this disc is
completely import-friendly for those in Region A territories. Once you select "English" on the disc's
initial set-up page, all of the menus and sub-menus are changed to English, so there's no fumbling
guesswork involved. Personally, I'd wait for the U.S. release, but regular importers will have no
trouble here. Recommended.
After having appeared on Blu-ray in a number of countries around the world, Dumbo (1941) has finally received an official release date for the U.S. market: September 20th. Blu-ray.com has already reviewed the Mexican Blu-ray release of Dumbo, which contains a number ...
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