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I
talk pretty
frequently about how
long Disney cartoons
haven’t just been
valid, they’ve been
prevalent. I don’t
know if that’s been
done before. Sure,
things like
Citizen Cane,
The
Wizard of Oz,
and other things
have been created
long ago and are
still enjoyed today
but they’re not
enjoyed as often by
as many people as
Bambi,
Pinocchio,
and yes…
Dumbo.
Disney and his team
created something
that was valid,
prevalent, and loved
by millions in 1941
with Dumbo.
The
movie’s story is
interesting and
somewhat like
Bambi
in
Disney’s first
golden age because
it’s not based on a
fairytale.
Dumbo
is based on a short
story that’s
incredibly different
than the original
story but still
based on it. In a
way,
Dumbo
has
the narrative and
the kind of spirit
that Pixar movies
have now. Somebody
doesn’t fit in.
There’s friendship
at its core, and the
movie wins because
it’s such a
heart-warming tale.
That’s
Dumbo
in a peanut shell
(get it!). Everybody
knows the rundown of
this one… Mrs. Jumbo
is an elephant in
the circus and also
an expecting mother.
She eventually gets
the stork to deliver
her a baby, but when
that baby comes it
has extraordinarily
large ears and the
other elephants make
fun of the baby
elephant and call
him Dumbo. It’s not
just the other
elephants that tease
him. Children and
spectators at the
circus haze poor
Dumbo which
eventually leads to
Mrs. Jumbo defending
her child and
getting sent to
solitary isolation.
Without his mother,
Dumbo is left
without a friend in
the world until
Timothy the mouse
steps in and becomes
a friend and mentor
to the young
elephant. Together
they seek to find
Dumbo’s place in the
circus and of course
they eventually do
it by making an
elephant fly.
Dumbo
is considered great
because it’s a great
all-around picture.
The animation was
un-matched at the
time that Disney
released this
cartoon and it’s
still great today.
That’s how solid
Disney‘s animation
work was back in
that era… it still
looks great. The
music, the story,
everything with
Dumbo is great. On
blu-ray though, that
animation… wow. It’s
such a remarkable
upgrade and update
in picture and
sound… watching it
on blu-ray is like
watching it for the
first time again.
There’s no grain or
blemishes in the
picture- it’s just
crystal clear. And
the update to sound
is just as great.
The back channels
when Dumbo is flying
around the tent are
stellar and the
overall mix is
outstanding. When
the elephants on
parade bit launches
it looks and sounds
better than it ever
has. The upgrade is
astonishing.
The other thing
that’s really cool
with this blu-ray
other than just the
update in picture
and sound is all of
the extras. The
extras have some
great insight on the
creation of the
cartoon and they’re
produced and edited
so brilliantly, it’s
like watching a
well-made
documentary.
Between the updates
in picture and sound
and all of the
extras, Dumbo is a
must on blu-ray for
Disney enthusiasts.
Watching it on blu-ray
is like watching it
for the first time.
There hasn’t been so
much crystal-clear
clarity to Dumbo at
least since it was
made but probably
ever.
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