Dumbo (film) A baby circus elephant is born with huge ears, and named Dumbo. He and his mother suffer humiliation from the other elephants and from the kids visiting the circus. But humiliation turns to triumph as Dumbo is surprised to discover through the help of his faithful mouse friend, Timothy, that he can use the oversized ears to fly. Released on October 23, 1941. Directed by Ben Sharpsteen. From a story by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl. 64 min. Voices include Edward Brophy (Timothy), Sterling Holloway (stork), and Cliff Edwards (Dandy Crow). Among the songs are “Baby Mine,” “Pink Elephants on Parade,” and “When I See an Elephant Fly.” The film won an Oscar for Best Scoring of a Motion Picture (Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace), and was nominated for Best Song (“Baby Mine”). From the time that Walt first read the galleys for the story, he knew it would make a fine film. Coming after two expensive movies (Fantasia and Pinocchio) the previous year, Dumbo was made for only $812,000, partly because it was able to move very quickly through the animation department due to its succinct story and clearcut characters, and it made a welcome profit for the Studio. Dumbo had been scheduled for the cover of Time magazine at the time of its general release in December 1941, but a much more momentous event occurred—Pearl Harbor—and poor Dumbo was supplanted by Japanese General Yamamoto. The movie was re-released in theaters in 1949, 1959, 1972, and 1976. It was shown on the Disney television series in 1955; it was released on video in 1981.
