Rating: Summary: Excellent for two and three year olds and everyone else too! Review: Dumbo is a cinematic milestone and masterpiece of family entertainment. The storyline and characters are well rounded enough (just) to entertain adults and older children and the quality of the animation both holds children's attention and enables them to empathise with the principle characters. In addition, the moral of the story is well presented without being clumsily overstated as in much modern animation.Both my children have frequently watched this DVD (which first came out (without extras) in Europe in 1999) since they were one and both enjoy it imensely. I'm both astonished and disturbed that anyone could deem this movie unsuitable for children but can only assume they come from the same group of people who banned Robin Hood books from schools for being 'pro communist' and Shakespeare for being 'too explicit'! The 'drunken scene' is funny, brief and discrete (all you see is the shadows of characters through canvas). As to fast forwarding through the dream sequence for the kids' benefit because it is 'too long' that is verging on irresponsible. All doing so teaches a child is that it's OK to have a short attention span and to zoom through films to the 'interesting bits'. Perhaps I was wrong though and the moral of the story has been hidden too deeply "Persevere - Don't Give Up" is lost on some people.
Rating: Summary: One of Disney's Crown Jewels Review: One of the five best Disney movies, Dumbo is a magificent, heartfelt film that proves one does not require a great budget to make a great movie. Every moment of this movie -- from "Baby Mine" to Dumbo's flight -- are wonderfully crafted, absolutely beautiful, and frequently tear-jerking. "Pink Elephants on Parade," the long, trippy animated sequence that is the bane of the collective existence of many children, is a wonderful experiment in animation to these 19-year-old eyes. As a side note, the much-maligned Jim Crow sequence, while no doubt perpetuating stereotypes, casts the crows in a sympathetic light, for despite their initial playfulness, they're the only characters besides Timothy Mouse to believe in little Dumbo. Take it from me: I tend to read into the racial/sexual stereotypes in many films, but I don't find this one too offensive if taken in the proper context. The monkeys in The Jungle Book, though, are another story....
Rating: Summary: A Disney Classic.. now leave it at that! Review: A great little movie about individuality and uniqueness. A celebration of diversity and strength of character. From Dumbo believing in himself as the world's only flying elephant, to Casey Jr, the circus train who "thought he could". A playful and mischievous tale to captivate children and delight adults. Witness it's ability to elicit a tear from the military, in Steven Spielberg's wartime comedy "1941". It's full of beautiful and catchy songs, and clever characters, with the politically incorrect black crows, and some of the most inspired animation ever, with the non-PC "Pink Elephants on Parade". Enjoy it through the eyes of a child. But "Dumbo 2"? The big question is: WHEN WILL DISNEY STOP MAKING SEQUELS TO THEIR CLASSICS?! Please stop now! We DON'T want to see "Snow White & the EIGHT Dwarfs", "Bride of Hunchback", "Pinocchio Hits ...", or a live action version of "Pocohontas" (wasn't it that anyway?).. and "288 Dalmations" is definitely two ...! (yes, bad pun intended) Stop messing with our memories! Stop making sequels! Stop making remakes! Stop making sequels to remakes. Did the Disney company ever hear the phrase "happily ever after"? That's when a child's own imagination is meant to take over. Leave it at that! Some things were meant to be keep in a state of suspended animation (maybe even Walt). Yes, you're one of the biggest corporations in the world.. but how much more greedy can you get? How about concentrating on your new material? Warners has caught up already and outclassed you with "The Iron Giant". Develop fresh ideas and reward originality and creativity.. or you'll run out of back-catalogue to plunder!
Rating: Summary: So Simple It's Classic! Review: It's true that Dumbo isn't a long story and dosen't take alot to process, yet it is loved by everyone who sees it! It's the timeless tale of the baby elephant withe the large ears. When some kids are making fun of Dumbo, Dumbo's mom, Mrs. Jumbo, gets so angry she attacks. When the circus puts her in solitary confinement, poor dumbo is befriended by Timothy the mouse. When Dumbo and Timothy get drunk (unintentionally), they hillucinate Pink Elephants on Parade (One of Disney's most creative scenes in animation history!). They wake up the next morning in a tree and come to the conclusion that Dumbo flew up there. Now it's time for Dumbo to become famouse and free his mother resulting in one of the happiest endings you'll ever see! The special features include two animated shorts, A brand new documentary, Concept art, trailers, "Baby Mine" music video performed by Michael Crawford, a Comentary, and a new 5.1 soundtrack. The picture and sound have both been remastered. Also, there is a cardboard Casey Jr. train inside. It takes a while to assemble, but it turns out very cute! If you like Dumbo, you may also like a new live action feature about a baby elephant trying to find his lost mother called "Whispers-An Elephants Tale" now on video and DVD! Buy this collectible copy of Dumbo's 60th Anniversary today!
Rating: Summary: Great, despite the grainy picture quality Review: This sweet animated film (only 64 minutes long) is truly a Disney treasure. The simple story is about a little elephant that just doesn't fit in because of his freakishly large ears. Timothy, a little circus mouse, befriends Dumbo and sees only beauty in his new friend. Dumbo entertains us, as well as teaches us a timeless lesson about love and tolerance in a world that is often times unkind and cruel. The animation is rather simple as compared to the detail found in Snow White or Pinocchio, but it somehow works because of the film's other strengths. In Dumbo your emotions run the full spectrum from laughter to tears. The musical numbers are memorable, especially "Baby Mine". Baby Mine is a tearjerker if ever there was one. The crows add great comic relief toward the end of the film. The Special Bonus Features on the DVD are a real nice touch and generous. Among the extras are a "Celebrating Dumbo" featurette, two animated shorts, and a Music Video of "Baby Mine" sung by Michael Crawford that will have you sobbing all over again, guaranteed! The only complaint I have was mentioned by other reviewers, that being the grainy quality of the film. This flaw simply does not make any sense. I would have expected that Disney, promoting Dumbo as the "60th Anniversary Edition", would have bothered to restore the picture and audio elements. The DVD back cover makes claims to Dumbo being digitally restored and remastered with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, but it certainly is not evident to me. I guess we should be thankful for the merits of the DVD which are many. Recommended.
Rating: Summary: Disney's Dumbo 60th Anniversary DVD Review: What's amazing about Disney's 4th feature, "Dumbo", is that it is probably one of the most simple looking animated features of all time, yet it is one of the best. Proving that even the most detailed art is not required to carry a movie, most of the films backgrounds and characters are not as intricate and detailed as "Snow White" or "Pinocchio", they are VERY simple. "Dumbo" instead relys on a good story, that I'm sure you are fimiliar with. A simple, but rich 64 minutes telling the story of a baby elephant with big ears, that is an outcast. The reason that this movie has lasted for so long, aside from being Disney, is that everyone can relate to it, as said throughout the disc's extras and commentary. The DVD has a good Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, but I was rather disappointed with the picture quality. It claims to have a remastered picture, but there is so much grain, and dirt throughout the feature. After what Disney DVD did for "Snow White", I was expecting a little more for this release. The extras are great: the commentary is very informative, the concept arts are interesting, and "Celebrating Dumbo" is a good enough featurette. The only negative is that Disney Co. is continuing to ruin the classics, by attaching unnecessary sequels. Inferior by existing Disney video sequel reputation, "Dumbo II" is on it's way. "Dumbo", costing only $800,000, saved Disney from the WWII-caused financial failures of "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia". So it is one of the important stepping blocks of Disney's history and one of the most enjoyable animated features of all time.
Rating: Summary: For Any Disney Fans Review: This is definetly one of the greatest Walt Disney films ever made even though there were failures in Pinnochio and Fantasia. I saw this film when I was born in Charleston S.C. in 1991. I thought it was cute especially the scene where Dumbo gets drunk. But the ringmaster (Ugh) he was terrible and abused Dumbo's mother. I wonder what Dumbo II is going to be like. Do any Disney fans know?
Rating: Summary: Dumbo: The Bestest Movie Ever! Review: I watched this all the time as a young'n and hadn't seen it again years, but I decided to pick it up after downloading the "Baby Mine" song. (...) Its da bestest movie I eva seen! Its got the best animated sequences anyone can offer: The faceless roustabouts setting up the "Big Top," the parade of the ghostly, pink elephants, the loud-mouthed crows. You can NEVER write a proper review about Dumbo without mentioning the powerful "Baby Mine" scene. Everytime I watch it, it makes me want to break down on the floor and cry my head off! A heart-breaking scene like that fits the sugar-coated ending perfectly! As the story goes: baby-delivering storks are making a couple of deliveries to a zoo. Everyone gets a baby of their own (the bears, tigers, hippos, everybody), all except an awaiting, would-be mother elephant called Mrs. Jumbo. Soon, Jumbo and the rest of the criiters are loaded aboard the circus train, Casey Junior, and Jumbo still hasn't recieved an infant of her own! But a late delivery soon arrives for Jumbo. All the other lady elephants are very desperate to see Jumbo's child, when they do, they think he's the cutest creature on earth, until he sneezes! The sneeze reveals the baby pachederm to have abnormaly large ears! They begin constantly taunting and teasing the lil guy about his physical problem, they even nick-name him "Dumbo" because they think his ears make him look so.....dumb. But Mrs. Jumbo loves Dumbo reguardless of the size of his ears. The trouble starts when the circus opens a bunch of kids enter the Big Top to see all the animals. A ugly boy taunts Dumbo about his ears even worse than the "normal" elephants did, this makes Mrs. Jumbo mad as he11! She loses her self control and attacks the children (you go Jumbo)! The ringmaster is enraged by Mrs. Jumbo's actions and sentences her to "solitary confinement," leaving little Dumbo all alone (for only a little while). Dumbo is eventually befriended by a rodent known as Timothy Q. Mouse, who believes that Dumbo can be as big a success as the other elephants. As Timothy and Dumbo pursue the road to fame, comedy, tragedy, and even macabre ensues as Dumbo meets up with a bunch of bad-@$$ clowns, ghostly pink elephants, and flock of loud-mouthed crows. Dumbo is an often overlooked gem that EVERYONE should see! It is the greatest 64 minutes of my life I've ever spent! I would recommend Dumbo over South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut!!
Rating: Summary: A Little Film with a BIG heart. Review: Dumbo is one of the more endearing classics that Disney has made. It is very simple and not as complex as some of the other films. It is very sweet and a nice movie that the 8 and under crowd will cherish. The movie really appeals to anyone who loves Disney. It teaches important values and it has a few tearjerker moments. It is a definate classic in the lineup of Disney films. Be sure to see it if you are a fan of Walt Disney Animation.
Rating: Summary: best ever cartoon animated movie Review: There is so much debate to what is the best ever cartoon animated movie and you'll get answers such as "The Little Mermaid", "Aladdin", and "The Lion King". But this movie is above and beyond better than them and all the other cartoon animted movies. I wouldn't call it the best G Rated ever because of the likes of live-action G Rated movies such as Babe and Gordy and computer animated G Rated movies such as Toy Story but before all those, there was Dumbo. All those movies have heart-warmth and Dumbo is a big reason why because it's a pioneer for those movies. It's the first G Rated ever made that warmed people's hearts because of a young circus elephant that wanted to find his mom because she was taken away from him. The best part in the movie is when he goes to visit his mom and she's rocking him in her trunk. That part really touched my heart. The other character I like is the mouse. He's very funny and the fact he befriends this very sad elephant is classic friendship. Sure this movie might be out-dated now but to us fans, it will forever be a classic!
|