Dumbo facts for kids

Dumbo is a classic animated movie from 1941. It was made by Walt Disney Productions. The movie first came out on October 23, 1941. It is the fourth animated movie made by Walt Disney.

Dumbo is based on a children's book by Helen Aberson and Harold Perl. The main character is a baby elephant named Jumbo Jr. He gets the mean nickname "Dumbo" because of his very large ears. Even though he is made fun of, Dumbo learns he can fly using his big ears like wings!

His best friend in the movie is a mouse named Timothy. This is funny because elephants are usually scared of mice. Dumbo was made to help Disney earn money after two other movies, Pinocchio and Fantasia, cost a lot to make. Some parts of the movie, especially the characters of the crows, have been viewed differently over time. Still, Dumbo is seen as one of Disney's best and most simple movies. It is also one of Disney's shortest animated movies, lasting only 64 minutes.

What is the Story of Dumbo?

The story begins in Florida in 1941. Mrs. Jumbo, an elephant in a circus, is waiting for her baby. A stork delivers her baby elephant, who has unusually large ears. Other circus animals make fun of him and call him "Dumbo."

When people start teasing Dumbo, his mother, Mrs. Jumbo, gets very angry. She tries to protect him but is then locked away. Dumbo feels all alone until a brave mouse named Timothy becomes his friend. Timothy helps Dumbo believe in himself.

Timothy tries to make Dumbo a star in the circus. He suggests Dumbo be the top of an elephant pyramid stunt. But the stunt goes wrong, and Dumbo is made a "baby clown." This job is humiliating and dangerous for him.

To cheer Dumbo up, Timothy takes him to visit his mother. The next morning, they wake up in a tree with some crows. The crows soon discover that Dumbo can fly! With the help of a "magic feather" from the crows, Dumbo learns to use his ears to soar. He becomes famous and helps his mother get free.

Who are the Main Characters?

• Dumbo is the main character. He is a baby elephant with huge ears who learns to fly. Dumbo does not speak in the movie.
• Timothy Q. Mouse is a smart and brave mouse. He becomes Dumbo's best friend and helps him discover his amazing flying ability.
• Mrs. Jumbo is Dumbo's loving mother. She protects her son fiercely and is very sad when they are separated.

Other characters include the other circus elephants who tease Dumbo, the Ringmaster, the funny clowns, the Pink Elephants (from a dream sequence), Mr. Stork, and the Crows who help Dumbo learn to fly.

Who are the Voice Actors?

• Edward Brophy: Timothy Q. Mouse
• Herman Bing: The Ringmaster
• Margaret Wright: Casey Junior
• Sterling Holloway: Mr. Stork
• Cliff Edwards: Jim/Dandy Crow
• Hall Johnson Choir: Crow Chorus
• Nick Stewart: Specks Crow
• James Baskett: Fats Crow
• Hall Johnson: Deacon Crow
• Jim Carmichael: Dopey Crow
• Verna Felton: Elephant Matriarch, Mrs. Jumbo
• Bea Benaderet: Elephant Giddy And Elephant Prissy
• Jean Vander Pyl: Elephant Catty
• John McLeish: Narrator
• The Sportsmen: Themselves
• Note: These actors were not credited in the movie's opening.

Who Made the Movie?

• Based on the Book by: Helen Aberson & Harold Pearl
• Supervising Director: Ben Sharpsteen
• Screen Story by: Joe Grant & Dick Huemer
• Story Direction: Otto Englander
• Sequence Directors: Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Bill Roberts, Jack Kinney, Sam Armstrong
• Animation Directors: Vladimir Tytla, Fred Moore, Ward Kimball, John Lounsbery, Art Babbitt, Woolie Reitherman
• Music: Oliver Wallace and Frank Churchill
• Lyrics: Ned Washington
• Orchestration: Edward Plumb

When Was Dumbo Released?

Dumbo was a big success for Disney, even though World War II was happening. It was one of Disney's most successful movies in the 1940s.

It was also one of the first Disney animated movies to be shown on television. Later, in 1981, Dumbo was the first Disney animated movie to be released on home video. It has been released many times since then on VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray.

Theatrical Release Dates

• United States: October 23, 1941 (original release), May 25, 1949, June 6, 1959, June 3, 1977
• Brazil: November 17, 1941
• Argentina: December 24, 1941
• United Kingdom: February 8, 1942
• Canada: March 31, 1942
• Australia: June 4, 1942
• Mexico: July 9, 1942
• Portugal: January 27, 1944
• Spain: September 25, 1944
• Sweden: September 16, 1946
• France: October 25, 1947
• Japan: March 13, 1954

Home Video Release Dates

• June 1982 (VHS and Betamax)
• December 3, 1986 (VHS and Betamax - 45th Anniversary)
• May 3, 1991 (VHS and Laserdisc - 50th Anniversary Edition)
• October 23, 2001 (VHS and DVD - 60th Anniversary Edition)
• June 6, 2006 (DVD - Big Top Edition)
• September 20, 2011 (Blu-Ray and DVD - 70th Anniversary Edition)
• April 26, 2016 (Blu-Ray - 75th Anniversary Edition)

What Songs are in Dumbo?

The movie features several memorable songs:

• Baby Mine (sung by Betty Noyes)
• Casey Junior (sung by The Sportsmen)
• Look Out for Mr. Stork (sung by The Sportsmen)
• Song of the Roustabouts (sung by The King's Men)
• The Clown Song (sung by Billy Bletcher, Eddie Holden, and Billy Sheets)
• Pink Elephants on Parade (sung by The Sportsmen)
• When I See an Elephant Fly (sung by Cliff Edwards and the Hall Johnson Choir)

Dumbo in Other Media

Dumbo's Circus TV Show

Dumbo's Circus was a live-action puppet television programme for younger kids. It aired on The Disney Channel in the 1980s. In this show, Dumbo could actually speak! Each character would perform a special act, like dancing, singing, or telling knock knock jokes.

Books

There are several books based on Dumbo:

• Walt Disney's Dumbo
• Dumbo (My First Disney Story)
• Fly, Dumbo, Fly!
• I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem

Theme Park Rides

Dumbo the Flying Elephant is a very popular ride found in many Disney theme parks around the world. You can find it at:

• Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
• Disneyland
• Tokyo Disneyland
• Disneyland Park (Paris)
• Hong Kong Disneyland

Video Games

Dumbo also appears as a hero in the video game Kingdom Hearts. In the game, the main character, Sora, can fly on Dumbo and use him to splash enemies with water from his trunk.

Dumbo's Name in Other Languages

• Arabic: دمبو (Dumbo)
• Chinese: 小飛象 (xiǎo fēi xiàng, meaning Little Flying Elephant)
• Danish: Dumbo, den Flyvende Elefant
• Dutch: Dombo
• Finnish: Dumbo - Lentävä Elefantti
• French: Dumbo, l'Éléphant Volant
• German: Dumbo, der Fliegende Elefant
• Italian: Dumbo, l'Elefante Volante
• Japanese: ダンボ (Danbo)
• Korean: 덤보 (Dumbo)
• Spanish: Dumbo, el Elefantito Volador
• Swedish: Dumbo den Flygande Elefanten
• Turkish: Dumbo
• Vietnamese: Chú voi biết bay Dumbo

(NOTE: Many of these titles were later shortened to just Dumbo.)

Images for kids

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  Dumbo the Flying Elephant, a popular ride at Hong Kong Disneyland.

See also

In Spanish: Dumbo (película de 1941) para niños