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Summary: Dumbo's not so dumb
Review: Dumbo, the fourth movie of the Disney Canon, is one of the Disney classics that everyone should watch and own.The story is timeless. A baby elephant with unusually large ears is born in a circus. Everyone thinks his ears are funny, except the baby, Jumbo Jr, who is cruelly nicknamed "Dumbo", his mother, and a mouse. The mouse tries to make him popular, with very unfortunate results. The mouse and the baby elephant crawl away from that disaster and into another one - they get slightly intoxicated! But whatever Jumbo Jr dreamt turns into his triumph - it is thru his dream that he finds out he can use his ears to fly! He returns to the circus determined to use his newfound ability to show everyone that he can be a valuable member of the elephant herd. And, of course, he succeeds. This movie takes you back to the days when circuses really did travel mostly by rail from town to town and created huge sensations when they arrived. The tenderness between Dumbo and his mother are priceless. The scenes of Mrs. Jumbo rioting in the circus when her baby seems threatened are fairly true to life. The unlikely friendship between Timothy and Dumbo teaches us to work together no matter who or what we are. One of the more interesting facts about this movie is that the main character, Dumbo, never speaks. He gets all of his emotions across with a look or a gesture. That makes his character stronger. This tale teaches courage in the face of failure, loyalty in the face of adversity, and a triumph of a handicap over the troubles of life. In just 64 minutes, the shortest Disney feature length animated movie, the Disney animators give us a story that will stand up to any that has been made then or since. The animation is simplistic, but fun. This movie had to be made on a shoestring budget due to the upcoming war. And the fact that the Disney studios had yet to get out of the red, despite the critical success of Snow White and Pinocchio made it even harder to get this movie to the theaters. Fantasia did not make money for the studio by itself until the 1969 re-release! The colors are very vibrant and eye-catching. It looks a lot more like a cartoon, but with the famous Disney eye for detail. The "Pink Elephant" sequence will have you wondering what the Disney animators were thinking of - it is probably the most memorable animated sequence of all time, and also serves as a great anti-alcohol message. Watch this sequence carefully - it switches from almost surrealistic to realistic to three dimensional to almost psychedelic and back again in just a few minutes. The 60th anniversary DVD contains some cool extras - including concept art that has never been released before, the origin and history of Dumbo, a couple sing along songs, an animated short or two, and other goodies. It also includes a sneak peek at the upcoming "Dumbo II". This movie should be on everyone's DVD shelf, even if you don't have children of your own. Great for grandkids and the whole family.
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Summary: Tops
Review: This film is Amazing...not only is the story sweet and heartfelt, the animation is Unreal! Too bad Disney doesn't make animated films like this anymore....sad... Pick this up if you havent yet, there is NO reason NOT to own this! its not only a classic, its a Disney classic.
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Summary: Stereotypical? Figure Out How To Use It, Not Abuse It!
Review: Why am I not surprised that there is someone reviewing this classic who trashes it as if they had never seen it and were offended by the cultural sensitivity issues that are part of the film. (See the Tallahassee reviewer titled "Do not purchase this video for children" January 21, 2003) For crying out loud, this script reflects what was normal at the time the film was first released. It's full of classic pieces that of course include a white dominated societal commentary on what was perceived as appropriate black cultural roots at that time. Is it outdated? Sure, so is nearly every other film from that era. Does this make it less of a classic? Absolutely not. In fact, this is the *real* Disney, long before it was sanitized for the Anaheim-Orlando crowd. Is the film inappropriate for a 21st century kid? That's a parental decision, but if you plan to shelter your child from the real history of the U.S., they will have a rude awakening (with all the accompanying psychoses) that you *won't* be able to control. My kids loved this film when they were very young.....we talked about the cultural issues by the time they were in school.....in fact, I distinctly remember them coming home to ask why some kids treated others so badly because of the color of their skin, their accents, etc. We used Dumbo to show them what used to be, was is today, and how to deal with it. And there was never a place where the original empathy of the film was lost on them. They have repeatedly made personal decisions and stood up against improper cultural slurs their entire lives (they are all either in college or their final years of high school now). I've been pleased with how they can see a cultural slur coming and are not willing to put up with any of the culturally "acceptable" ways of trashing others' ethnicity. Now, what about the film? This is a great Disney classic from the days when there was a full bodied, earthy smell to what they did. It's release in this format provides a historical window on American culture from the 1950s that is true and clear. It loses nothing in the 21st century translation and in fact, gains considerably from it's historical context. A great child's film that every adult needs to understand!
Rating: 
Summary: Do not purchase this video for children
Review: I was shocked that Disney would make such a horrible movie for children. It is loaded with social and cultural stereotypes and constantly shows animals caged, doors slamming on animals, and even shows the ringmaster whipping Dumbo's mother with a large black whip. My two-year old was very scared. More than that, I was offened by the song "Roustabouts". The men who put up the circus tent at night sing this song. First of all, they are all black men putting up the tent. If you listen to the words of the song, they are singing about " we don't read or write" and "when we get our pay we throw our pay away." Also, the black crows in the movie clearly have black accents. I know my two-year old doen't pick up on this, but I don't want her watching this kinds of movie over and over again. The only saving grace in this video is the loving relationship between Dumbo and his mother. I don't like this video and am VERY sorry that I bought it. A big disappointment Disney!
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Summary: A timeless classic.
Review: Its a timeless classic, you actually think I am going to review it and say something bad? get a grip. :-) Unless you just came from Mars you already know the standard that Disney has adhered too, one of the few product lines that needs not be reviewed.
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Summary: Has endured through the years
Review: This is probably my favorite of all my 3-year old's videos. It is great for a mom and child to watch together (lots of mommy-baby lovey gooey scenes). It is far less violent than most more modern videos. There are some race issues to be aware of--you do see some of the stereotypes of the day--but young children will not pick up on that and with older kids it's easy to talk to them about it. The music is outstanding, even the in-between-scenes incidental music sticks with me all day.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is an excellent DVD to give a child for the holidays. My niece loves this DVD, and that is the ultimate review from a three year old. Three year olds in my experience are very honest, so whatever else is said about this DVD know this, it passess the test of a youngster. So, if you have youngsters, and you need them to be distracted, this is a great tool. Joseph Dworak
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Summary: A rare Disney movie that the main character doesn't talk!
Review: This movie is really short. Dumbo runs 1 hour and 3 minutes. Walt Disney's 3rd animated movie. Is Dumbo's name supposed to be Jumbo Jr? Yes, Dumbo is the elphant with his ears sticking out and soon we see a mouse named Timothy Mouse. Dumbo (or Jumbo JR) is not the favorite among the other elephants expect his mom Mrs. Jumbo. But when trouble happpens, and Mrs. Jumbo is out of control trying to protect her baby, she ends up in an empty car with a sign that says "Mad Elphant". But she doesn't look mad. She looks sad. I own this movie on video. But I can't remember how I got two video tapes of this movie and when I got both tapes. Great movie to own if you own more than one tape and on dvd. Good luck finding a copy.
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Summary: Written by a Disheartened Admirer
Review: After twelve years, six VHS tapes and one DVD later DUMBO is still my favorite Disney film, if not greatest film for me, of all time. The summary should already be known through the reviews, so I shall not bother to say more on that. However, I must say that I was rather alarmed at the number of people who were frightened by the Pink Elephant scene. People are talking about the alcohol in Dumbo as if that was the very first time alcohol was in a Disney film (Pinocchio). The scene of colorful, and yes odd, but in a delightful way - the fun of watching the elephants change shape and backgrounds through various acts of oddity. "Baby Mine" is a challenge to sit through when there are no tissues available. "When I See an Elephant Fly" is punny and lighthearted. Yes some of the themes are depressing (being torn from mother and being mocked), but when I compare this film with other Disney films this still comes out on top. I could have even told anyone this at age 4, nothing has changed but my love for the movie, which has increased at an exponential rate. *Turn on sarcasm radar now* Other reviewers are right. No one wants to watch a film in which a character must overcome social problems that he cannot change. Or a film that is willing to delve into adult themes while still capable of appearing to be nothing more than a cute film. Yes this film is too frightening for kids - now lets watch some lion kid's dad being trampled by antelopes, and a lion being eaten alive by hyenas, or a giant sea witch getting impaled, or hear the sounds of a deer's mother being shot, or a CGI film in which mutilation and torture are okay because they are just toys, or a film in which children are changed into jackasses from drinking.*
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Summary: I love this movie and cry everytime -- controversial scenes
Review: Dumbo is my all time favorite Disney movie, and I'm thrilled that it has become one of my 2 year old's favorites too -- no coincidence. However, now that we are watching it with a two year old, realize that this is not a movie a toddler can watch alone.
There are many distressing scenes as other reviewers have said, but what really bothers my husband more so than me, is that for e.g. in the roustabouts song where they set up the circus, and in the scene where they tie up Dumbo's mommy, the African American roustabouts are not considered worthwhile of being depicted with facial features. I guess it reflects the times when the movie was made. You would watch this with the same advisorys as reading Mark Twain. Its a lovely song, and
overall the movie has the opposite message, of being tolerant to differences in features/characteristics because everyone is special. I love this movie and always watch with my son, and in the fire scene I explain that they are clowns and pretending, though Dumbo doesn't want to be a clown. Luckily, from the Baby Newton DVD, he already had a much more positive image of clowns. So he seems to be able to understand that its supposed to be funny, though we empathize with Dumbo and rather want to cry. As for the elephants crashing scene etc. well, I can only say that building and breaking up tall towers, crashing cars, etc is a favorite toddler activity :-) And Mommy here always gets a snuggle kiss for the Baby Mine song. My son also noticed that there is no Daddy figure depicted, and I tell him that his Daddy is the same as Mommy and always there for him.
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