Dumbo parents guide

Dumbo Parent Guide

Featuring a commendable moral of soaring above all obstacles, this Disney Classic should be a real crowd pleaser.

Overall B

Teased, ridiculed and separated from his overly-protective mother because the other circus animals and performers don't like his big ears, Dumbo the baby elephant tries to find a way to rise above his enormous handicap.

Release date October 31, 1941

Violence B
Sexual Content A-
Profanity A-
Substance Use C

Why is Dumbo rated G? The MPAA rated Dumbo G

Run Time: 64 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

In the early 1940s, while Walt Disney’s animation studio was busy with a number of projects including the ambitious Fantasia, a group of artist were also working on a short tale about an elephant with exceptionally large ears. Simple in story and design, the low budget production became the little-movie-that-could after it captured the hearts of viewers as well as an Academy Awards’ nomination (for Best Original Song) and an Oscar win (for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture).

So what is Dumbo‘s charm? Most fans agree it has something to do with the plight of the title character.

Arriving long after the storks had dropped off their bundles of joy to the rest of the wintering circus animals, the late delivery is received with delight by Mrs. Jumbo. Although she takes no notice of her son’s obvious abnormality, their fellow elephants do not offer the same accepting reception. Instead they pronounce the newborn as something “only a mother could love.” When their critical attitude and name-calling spreads to the rest of the troupe and even the patrons of the Big Top, the indignant mom steps in to defend her child. However, her angry rampage only results in her being shackled and placed in isolation, while her lonely offspring is relegated to the role of a clown.

Then Timothy Mouse (voiced by Edward Brophy) befriends the dejected Dumbo. Always the optimist, the rambunctious rodent rallies the young elephant’s spirits by encouraging him to turn his biggest defect into his best feature. But it may take a bit of magic and a whole lot of faith for the picked-on pachyderm to believe he can use his enormous appendages as wings.

Featuring a commendable moral of soaring above all obstacles, this Disney Classic should be a real crowd pleaser. The only problem is the emotions conveyed might just be too convincing, especially for young audiences. (Although I know very few adults either who can make it dry-eyed through the song Baby Mine, which is the backdrop for the scene where the tiny tike visits his imprisoned mother and the pair are only able to make physical contact by sneaking their trunks through the cage bars.)

Another moment of concern occurs after Dumbo and Timothy Mouse accidentally ingest some alcohol. Depicting their drunken hallucination in psychedelic animation, the pink elephant sequence may prove both frightening and confusing to little ones.

Yet what can’t be debated is the power of the visual elements of this movie. Featuring minimal dialogue and with the main character never uttering a word, the depth of feelings are still clearly communicated. Speaking to the part in each one of us that feels inadequate, Dumbo’s triumph over his handicap makes us feel like we, too, can fly.

Directed by Samuel Armstrong, Norman Ferguson. Starring Verna Felton, John McLeish. Running time: 64 minutes. Theatrical release October 31, 1941. Updated

Dumbo
Rating & Content Info

Why is Dumbo rated G? Dumbo is rated G by the MPAA

The movie focuses on the plight of a little elephant with big ears. After being teased and ridiculed by other circus animals and performers, as well as some spectators, his mother attacks the crowd, injuring workers (implied but not shown) and destroying property. Similar consequences occur when a circus act goes wrong. Another act, played for laughs, involves putting the elephant in a burning building while the clowns attempt to rescue him. Some characters are shown undressing in silhouette. The pain of the mother/son separation is poignantly portrayed. Accidental alcohol consumption results in drunkenness and hallucinations of pink elephants. A character smokes a cigar.

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Dumbo Parents' Guide

Timothy Mouse tells Dumbo, “The very thing that held you down is what is going to carry you up.” Do you believe faults or failings can be transformed into strengths? How can you turn these things around in your life?

 

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Dumbo movie is September 20, 2011. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Dumbo: 70th Anniversary Edition

Release Date: 20 September 2011

Walt Disney’s Dumbo releases in a 70th Anniversary Edition on September 20, 2011. The Blu-ray-DVD Combo includes:

- Deleted scene: The Mouse’s Tale

- Deleted Song: Are You a Man or a Mouse?

- Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo

- The Magic Of Dumbo: A Ride of Passage (Disneyland’s most popular ride)

- Audio Commentary with Pete Docter, Paula Sigman and Andreas Deja

- Sound Design Excerpt from The Reluctant Dragon

- Original Disney Television Introduction

Exclusive HD Content

- Cine-Explore

- Disney View

- Games: What Do You See? And What Do You Know?

- Featurette: Celebrating Dumbo

- Animated Shorts: The Flying Mouse and Elmer Elephant

DVD Notes: Dumbo: Big Top Edition

Release Date: June 6, 2006

With more attractions than a three-ring circus, Walt Disney’s Dumbo comes to DVD in a Big Top Edition. Film buffs will appreciate the commentary provided by animation historian John Canemaker, and the featurette Celebrating Dumbo hosted by Roy E. Disney and Don Hahn (a couple of terms of deity are used as expletives during the interviews). Archival offerings include

Walt Disney’s original introduction to the TV premiere of the movie, as well as an art gallery. For younger fans, there is a My First Circus game, a DVD storybook (Dumbo’s Big Discovery), two bonus shorts (Elmer Elephant and The Flying Mouse), and some sing along songs (Look Out for Mr. Stork and Casey Junior). My favorite extra is the touching music video of Baby Mine, performed by Kassie DePaiva with Jim Brickman tickling the ivories. Audio tracks are available in English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French and Spanish, with subtitles in English.

Related home video titles:

In Disney’s Tarzan another mother protects a misfit child by taking him into her care and promising (in another tear-inducing song), “You’ll Be In My Heart.” A bad night’s sleep during a thunderstorm creates some scary nightmares (similar to the pink elephants) for a honey-loving bear in The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh.

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