Dumbo (1941)
80%RT Audience Score: 70%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 13 nominations
Dumbo packs plenty of story into its brief runtime, along with all the warm animation and wonderful music you’d expect from a Disney classic
Dumbo is the perfect movie to watch when you’re feeling down and need a good cry. But don’t worry, there are also plenty of laughs to be had, especially during the trippy pink elephant scene. And let’s not forget about the heartwarming friendship between Dumbo and Timothy Q. Mouse. Overall, it’s a classic Disney film that will never go out of style.
Production Company(ies)
K T F Films,
Distributor
RKO Radio Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Cardington, Bedfordshire, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for peril/action, some thematic elements, and brief mild language
Year of Release
2019
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Atmos Auro 11.1 Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 4m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 23, 1941 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2011
Genre(s)
Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Herman Bing, Billy Bletcher, Edward Brophy, Jim Carmichael, Cliff Edwards, Verna Felton, directed by Ben Sharpsteen, produced by Walt Disney, written by Joe Grant, Dick Huemer, G, Fantasy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jake Wilson, Rob Humanick, Nell Minow, Dave Kehr, Siegfried Kracauer, Mike Massie, Rachel Wagner, Matt Brunson, Josh Larsen, MPAA rating, Disney classic, circus, elephant, Dumbo, Timothy Q Mouse, flying, animation, music, RKO Radio Pictures, Stereo, Herman Bing as The Ringmaster, Billy Bletcher as Clown, Edward Brophy as Timothy Q Mouse, Jim Carmichael as Dopey Crow, Cliff Edwards as Jim Crow, Verna Felton as The Elephant Matriarch, Mrs Jumbo
Worldwide gross: $353,284,621
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $408,204,319
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 376
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 44,515,193
US/Canada gross: $114,766,307
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $132,607,250
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 572
US/Canada opening weekend: $45,990,748
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $53,140,219
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 207
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $170,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $196,427,272
Production budget ranking: 124
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $105,776,086
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $106,000,962
ROI to date (est.): 35%
ROI ranking: 1,218
Billy Bletcher – Clown – Voice
Edward Brophy – Timothy Q. Mouse – Voice
Jim Carmichael – Dopey Crow – Voice
Cliff Edwards – Jim Crow – Voice
Verna Felton – The Elephant Matriarch, Mrs. Jumbo – Voice
Director(s)
Ben Sharpsteen
Writer(s)
Joe Grant, Dick Huemer
Producer(s)
Walt Disney
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 13 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (1)
Though the character’s eventual comic triumph is never in doubt, there are traumatic moments along the way, including an extraordinary, nightmarish drunk sequence that suggests the animators had early access to LSD.
September 15, 2018
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Perfection, thy name is Dumbo.
September 21, 2011 | Rating: 4/4
Rob Humanick
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Disney classic will still make you cry!
December 22, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
It’s one of Disney’s most charming and perfectly proportioned films, uninflated by the cultural pretensions Uncle Walt was fond of slipping in.
September 2, 2008
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
There’s a pleasant little story, plenty of pathos mixed with the large doses of humor, a number of appealing new animal characters, lots of good music, and the usual Disney skillfulness in technique.
August 28, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Viewed in isolation, Dumbo feels like a practice feature film from animators whose only previous experience was short subjects.
June 7, 2006 | Rating: C+
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films
TOP CRITIC
Dumbo [is] a charming picture filled with marvelously conceived episodes. Despite this, Disney continues in it a development the problematic nature of which has grown more and more apparent since Snow-White.
November 23, 2020
Siegfried Kracauer
The Nation
The first half of the film barely contains any dialogue, as Dumbo grows up without any need for conversation – he actually never speaks throughout the film.
August 5, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
I love stories about friendship and Dumbo certainly gives us a great one.
May 9, 2019 | Rating: A
Rachel Wagner
rachelsreviews.net
The imagination that went into conceptualizing each segment is astounding, with the drunken “pink elephants” sequence a particular highlight.
March 28, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
…most interested in capturing the shadings and sounds of sadness.
March 3, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
A Disney animation classic for all ages and all times.
July 31, 2013 | Rating: A
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews…
Plot
Holt was once a circus star until he went off to war and returned terribly altered. Circus owner Max Medici hires him to take care of Dumbo, a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him the laughingstock of the struggling circus troupe. But when Holt’s children discover that Dumbo can fly, silver-tongued entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere and aerial artist Colette Marchant swoop in to make the little elephant a star.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t say anything goofy or funny about Dumbo, but it does mention the voice actors in the cast, including Herman Bing as The Ringmaster and Verna Felton as The Elephant Matriarch, Mrs. Jumbo.
Ben-Sharpsteen.jpg
