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The Movie:
Coming out on DVD only several days after the studio's other classic, "Snow White", "Dumbo" is certainly another wonderful treasure in Disney's library. I'm sure that nearly everyone is familar with the film's tale of a tiny elephant who is faced with taunts because of his giant ears and dubbed "Dumbo". Overcoming his fears about growing up in what seems to be an unusually cruel world with the help of a mouse, "Dumbo" eventually finds that he's special and learns to believe in himself, starting with the realization that he can fly.
A somewhat saddening film at times (Dumbo is taken away from his mother after she tries to protect him from a group of cruel children), the film is ultimately uplifting due to the title character's ability to finally stand up for himself and triumph over a world of people who look down on his differences. While "Dumbo" doesn't contain Disney's strongest early animation, the work here still is often quite enjoyable and the story still charms and entertains.
The DVD
Note: This title seemed to have some problems when I tried it in a JVC player, as it froze up right after the Warning screens and Disney logo. This didn't happen in another player and the problem with the JVC seemed to be able to be worked around by hitting stop then play during the warning screens.
VIDEO: "Dumbo" is presented in the film's original 1.33:1 full_frame aspect ratio. Although the back of the box boasts that the film has been digitally restored, it does not fare quite as well as the release of the older "Snow White" that came a couple of weeks before it. Still, aside from a few concerns which I will shortly discuss, "Dumbo" looked better than I'd remembered seeing it in past viewings.
The print used appeared to be in very good condition. While light grain occasionally was visible, it certainly didn't prove to be much of a distraction. Only a few light specks also were spotted, but I didn't see any further wear besides that. Edge enhancement and pixelation were also absent from the image.
As with "Snow White", the best element of the presentation seemed to be the colors. Looking wonderfully fresh and vibrant, I doubt they've looked this bright and well-saturated in previous editions of the picture. Although "Dumbo" wasn't without a few blemishes, I thought the majority of the film looked quite good, if not "Snow White" good.
SOUND: "Dumbo" has been remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 by Disney. Not that the 5.1 presentation is weak or anything, but it is unfortunate that the studio has not decided to give the viewer the option to the listen to the original mono track, which has not been included here. As with "Snow White", the new 5.1 presentation seemed to stick fairly close to the original intent of the film's sound as, although the thunderstorm in the film's opening was nicely extended into the room by the surrounds, the majority of the film has the rear speakers offering the score. Audio quality was pleasant, if the sound occasionally did make the film's age apparent. While the score and dialogue came through clearly, they could both tend to sound slightly on the thin side at times. Still, the 5.1 presentation is a nice effort that remains appropriate.
MENUS:: The menus are nice, but occasionally a little overly animated. The main menu provides an animated Dumbo with an animated circus background and music playing. The main menu is fine, but the transitions between the menu do feel a few seconds too long.
EXTRAS::
Commentary: This is a commentary from historian John Canemaker, who has appeared on the commentary tracks for several other Disney releases. As he did on those efforts, Canemaker provides a remarkably informative discussion of all things "Dumbo", taking the viewer through the different animation techniques and obstacles that the "Dumbo" production had to face, such as an employee's strike during the time period. Canemaker is able to offer a fascinating amount of detail about not only "Dumbo", but he occasionally branches out and chats about other tidbits in regards to Disney during that time period. A really engaging and strong track well worth a listen.
Music Video: "Baby Mine", from Michael Crawford.
Celebrating "Dumbo": A nearly 15 minute featurette, this does take a look at the history behind the production of "Dumbo", but occasionally is simply a look at why people love the film, which will likely be of somewhat limited interest. Worth a viewing, but probably not a supplement that one will come back to again.
Dumbo Art Gallery: A rather large offering of concept art and other images, this is split into several sections: "Concept Art", "Character Development", "Pink Elephants", "Story Development", "Roustabouts", "Behind-the-Scenes" and "Attractions".
Sound Design: An old and somewhat basic featurette about the role of sound design in early animation. Personally, I would have liked to have seen information about how Disney went about making the 5.1 presentation for this DVD release, instead.
Exlusive Look At "Dumbo 2": A short featurette with the animators and producers of "Dumbo 2" discussing the storyline for this upcoming straight-to-video film. The featurette is presented in 5.1 audio.
Original Walt Disney TV Intro: This is Walt Disney's original black & white intro to the film's TV presentation.
Publicity Materials: The film's original 1941 trailer and 1949 re-release trailers are included.
Sneek Peak Trailers: Trailers for "Peter Pan II", "Mickey's Magical Christmas", "Cinderella II", "Hunchback of Notre Dame II", "Whispers: An Elephant's Tale", "Peter Pan", "The Book Of Pooh", "Walt Disney Treasures", "Walt Disney Gold Collecton", "Toon Disney".
Also: Dumbo DVD Storybook, "The Flying Mouse" animated short, "Elmer Elephant" animated short as well as "Look Out For Mr. Stork" and "Casey, Jr." sing-alongs and DVD-ROM web-link. A little cut-and-fold cardbord train is included in the insert.
Final Thoughts: "Dumbo" is certainly an example of one of Disney's best; a well-animated and well-told story that still stands up well after all these years. While the image quality isn't as stunning as Disney's recent edition of "Snow White", I still thought "Dumbo" looked quite pleasing and sounded fine, as well. The supplements, while not massive, are informative and round out the package quite strongly. Recommended.
Film Grade
The Film ****
DVD Grades
Video 89/B+ = (348/400 possible points)
Audio: 83/B = (332/400 possible points)
Extras: 84/B = (252/300 possible points)
Menus: 80/B- = (160/200 possible points)
Value: 87/B = (261/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1353/1600
DVD GRADE:B/84%
FILM GRADE: ****
DVD GRADE: B
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