Now celebrating 70 years since its 1941 release, Disney’s classic Dumbo is now available in a 70th anniversary Blu-ray, DVD and digital download release. This soaring, yet simple film has captured hearts for decades and will certainly continue to do so with this excellent reissue.

Based on a 12-page children’s book written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl, Dumbo is set within the world of a traveling circus.  Dumbo is delivered to his mother as an infant by the mythological Stork.  Like the other circus animals celebrating the distribution of their stork-delivered babies, all the elephants reveled in his arrival.  However, when it’s discovered that he has monstrously-oversized ears, he is shunned and ridiculed by others in the circus.  One elephant takes it upon herself to calling him “Dumbo”, instead of “Jumbo Jr.”  His mother loves him unconditionally, and protects him from that harm and ridicule, to the point that she is locked away and labeled a “mad elephant”.

Depressed and insecure due to his circumstances, Dumbo eventually meets the plucky little Timothy Q. Mouse.  Together they inadvertently discover that Dumbo’s huge ears give him the ability to fly.  Through a few adventures, mishaps and a little bit of faith, Timothy Q. Mouse finds a way to show Dumbo the value of his ears and how to triumph over adversity. To quote one of the Blu-ray commentators, his “biggest problem turns into his greatest success”.

At 64 minutes, Dumbo is much shorter than most animated films.  In the excellent bonus features on the Blu-ray, viewers will learn that Walt Disney Studios was struggling in the years following Pinocchio and Fantasia, as they did not perform well at the box office.  This led to the simpler-drawn and shorter production of Dumbo.  The creators were still able to tell a rich and meaningful story, however.  Dumbo is a touching tale of a mother’s love and self-acceptance that resounds within the hearts of all who see it.

Given the year of its release, Dumbo does show its age in some ways.  While it certainly is a children’s movie, certain elements would probably not be in place should it be made today.  The Dali-esque “Pink Elephants” musical sequence is the product of Timothy and Dumbo accidentally getting drunk off of spiked drinking water.  It’s definitely an art piece, but looks more like an LSD trip and isn’t needed to tell the story.  Likewise, the crows that encourage Dumbo to fly also happen to smoke cigars–hence the anti-smoking PSA in the preview section of the Blu-ray.  These elements are more indicative of the era in which the movie was made, and certainly aren’t reasons to keep it from children.  Parents may want to be prepared to discuss these issues with their families, however.

Like all animated features of that time, Dumbo is hand-drawn, and this animation was once again cleaned up for this year’s release.  Disney has done a wonderful job of restoring the film to its original condition.  The lines are crisp and clear, with the colors of the circus world shining bright and vibrantly.

There are also quite a few bonus features within the Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack, including the very enjoyable Cine-Explore option, which is a mixture of the full movie, commentary and bonus featurettes all built into one production.  My children also enjoyed the bonus games and “Silly Symphony” shorts.

My family has always loved Dumbo, but with this newest release I’m seeing it for the first time in years, and with a new respect for the story and the production that went into it.  This classic is a must-own for Disney fans, and is certainly worth seeing for all.  Dumbo is a little elephant, but like his big ears, this film enables him to soar and bring much enjoyment to decades of viewers.

Dumbo DVD Features:
Deleted Scene – “The Mouse’s Tale”
Deleted Song – “Are You a Man or a Mouse?”
Featurette: Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo
Featurette: The Magic of Dumbo: A Ride of Passage
Audio Commentary
Sound Design Excerpt from The Reluctant Dragon
Original Walt Disney Television Introduction

Blu-ray Disc Features
Everything on the DVD plus:
Cine-Explore – Movie, commentary, featurettes all in one
Disney View
“What Do You See?” Game
“What Do You Know?” game
Featurette: Celebrating Dumbo
Animated Short: “The Flying Mouse”
Animated Short: “Elmer Elephant”