Search - Dumbo [60th Anniversary Edition] on DVD

MPAA Rating: G Content Advisory: Child Classic, Scary Moments Movie Release: 1941 DVD Release: 10/23/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 4 mins Studio: Walt Disney Video Members Wishing: 174 Genres: Fantasy, Children's/Family, Children's Fantasy, Animated Musical See Also: Dumbo [Big Top Edition]

The shortest of Disney's major animated features Dumbo involves a baby elephant with unusually large ears. Ostracized from the rest of the circus animals, poor Dumbo is even 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. After trepidatiously indulging in a vat of booze, Dumbo awakens in a tall tree. Goaded by a group of jive-talking crows, Dumbo discovers that his outsized ears have given him the ability to fly. The musical score by Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace won Oscars for them both. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sterling Holloway - Stork
Edward S. Brophy - Timothy Q. Mouse
Herman Bing - Ringmaster
Verna Felton - Elephant
Cliff Edwards - Jim Crow

A Disney masterpiece, Dumbo is the story of a shy little elephant with some really big ears. The 1.33:1 full frame transfer of this classic cartoon looks very good, though there are still some noticeable flaws in the image. Overall, the colors look bright and well-saturated with only a small amount of bleeding present. While a small amount of grain shows up in the picture, it is never intrusive enough to distract from the viewing. The audio is presented in a newly remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack in English, French, and Spanish. It is certainly nice to have a new 5.1 remix on this disc, though, because of the age of the film, many of the effects and surround usage sound forced. However, the bulk of the soundtrack is free of any distortion or excessive hiss. Also included on this disc are English captions. Dumbo has been given the royal treatment for its first time on DVD when it comes to special features. To start off this disc, there is a screen-specific commentary track by historian John Canemaker. This is a great commentary for fans to listen to, as it gives much information about the history of the film. A "Dumbo Art Gallery" is a collection of 120 stills that has everything from conceptual designs to rare photos from the film. "Celebrating Dumbo" is a featurette that includes interviews with everyone from Roy Disney to critic Leonard Maltin discussing their thoughts on and the impact of Dumbo. Two animated shorts are included that should please both children and adults alike. A "Sound Design" featurette focuses on the recording of some of the actors voices for the film. There is another featurette about the making of the sequel, Dumbo II. Finally there are original trailers for Dumbo's 1941 premiere, as well as the 1949 re-release, some DVD-ROM features, and a few "Sing-Along-Songs" for the kids. All age groups should readily enjoy this DVD release of the classic animated Dumbo. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide