The picture runs a mere 64 minutes, but every second is packed with personality and pathos.Īs with Pluto and Dopey before him, little Dumbo does not speak, but the emotions he conveys with his big blue eyes are as eloquent as a Shakespeare sonnet. Much of the animation of this silent star is the work of Disney Legend Vladimir “Bill” Tytla, whose masterful ability to conjure both power and delicacy through line was much admired by his fellow artists. Only the fourth fully-animated Disney feature film, like its namesake star “DUMBO” is a small but mighty wonder.
With a little help from the (now defunct) Hollywood Citizen-News, Disney artists created their own Manewspaper to showcase Dumbo’s new-found fame in the film’s finale. “Wonder Elephant Soars To Fame!” screams the headline of The News Bulletin “Miracle Mammoth Startles World!” Dated March 13, 1941, this fictitious newspaper from Hollywood, California appears onscreen in the jubilant finale montage of Walt Disney’s “DUMBO,” celebrating one misfit elephant’s amazing triumph over adversity. March 13th, though, brings the unusual opportunity to commemorate a happy event from “reel life,” instead!
Most special occasions mark the happy events of “real life”: birthdays, engagements, graduations or, in the case of The World’s Most Magical Celebration, 50 years of Walt Disney World.