Dumbo ★★★★ ½ ☆ | Blu-Ray & Movie Review

Synopsis


Mrs Jumbo finally gets her delivery and he's everything she could hope for, and he's certainly unique.


Review


With the live action Dumbo out I thought it was high time I watched the original. After seeing it I'm fairly certain I've watched it before but I imagine that it was so long ago that the memory has been replaced with a lot of other movie knowledge.

Dumbo is such a simple story, and even though the film is only just over an hour long it barely feels like that length of time. It moves along so swiftly, no excess of story, just an excess of cuteness.

The animation is wonderful, simple and yet expressive. Dumbo is adorable the whole way through, I honestly don't know how they managed to capture everything in such a tiny little elephant. When he's dinking the giant peg with his tiny hammer and all the effort he puts in "helping" to put up the big top. Such a talented bunch of people. Although I think they peaked at the scene where he was holding his breath.

With Disney we're obviously treated to that musical element and these classics are oh so singable. I was unashamedly singing along at the top of my voice. I hope you all were too.

If Dumbo was around nowadays he's have been an instant internet sensation, his circus would have been fighting back the crowds. The headlines would have read "Boy spanked by elephant after climbing in to mock baby." People would have praised Mrs Jumbo for defending her child, some would have been calling for her to be put down, while the rest of us normal folk would be going "it serves the little bugger right, who climbs into an elephant enclosure?!"

This was a genuinely entertaining watch if you ignore the dated and slightly insensitive beginning.

Extra:

Deleted Scenes

  • The Mouse's Tale
  • Are You A Man Of A Mouse
Backstage Disney
  • Taking Flight: The Making Of Dumbo
  • The Magic Of Dumbo: A Ride Of Passage
  • Sound Design: Excerpt From "The Reluctant Dragon"
  • Celebrating Dumbo
  • Original Walt Disney TV Introduction
  • Trailers
  • Art Galleries
All of the backstage pieces are interesting to watch but you definitely have to see the Sound Design featurette, they've done it in a really fun way and it really brought a smile to my face.


What you should do


Of course you have to watch it, I don't know why you wouldn't.

Movie thing you wish you could take home


I'd say a flying elephant, but I don't really have the space.

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