SYNOPSIS:
The stork delivers a baby elephant to Mrs Jumbo, veteran of
the circus but the newborn is ridiculed because of his truly
enormous ears and dubbed "Dumbo". Dumbo is relegated
to the circus' clown acts; it is up to his only friend, a
mouse to assist Dumbo to achieve his full potential.
MOVIE
REVIEW
Sure,
they can make penguins tap-dance, ogres burp and cars talk
nowadays. But nothing beats the charm and endearment of an
elephant that has gigantic ears and doesn’t speak a
single word – in 2D!
Everyone
loves a good old Disney classic. This 1941 animation tells
the story of Dumbo the baby elephant who feels like a social
misfit because of his enormous ears. Thanks to an encouraging
mentor (who’s a mouse!) and strangely enough, a motley
crew of singing crows, Dumbo realizes how his amazing ears
can make him someone special and unique.
In Disney
animation history, this feature film runs at the shortest
duration of 64 minutes, but the themes and messages explored
are very universal and educational. At first look, the ideas
of friendship, courage, acceptance and being true to yourself
may only appeal to the younger audience, but upon reflection
and leaving behind our cynical selves, these uplifting subject
matters are ever so real and much-needed in our busy lives.
There
are several highlights in this beautiful film. Watch out for
the sentimental “Baby Mine” sequence where Dumbo
and his mother share a heartbreaking moment – do get
ready your hankies. The “Pink Elephant” sequence
is a quirky Disney moment of hilarity and hypnotism where
Dumbo gets drunk and sees some really interesting hallucinations.
Then there is the “Singing Crows” sequence where
two unlikely parties come together to achieve a very good
comic effect. And of course, Dumbo’s triumphant finale
where he finally, well, no surprise here, flies.
This is
one classic film which the whole family should sit together
to enjoy. Not only will kids be dazzled by the appealing Disney
brand of magic, they will also learn values which life lessons
the entertaining way.
For
the adults, it would be the simplicities that we were once
enchanted with. The endearing and sweet moments are now restored
in digital images. Ah, the wonders of technology indeed.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Special Edition Code 3 disc contains a whole
load of special features which are perfect for every family’s
collection of DVDs.
Commentary by animation historian John Canemaker
– In this informative feature length commentary, you’d
hear lots of tidbits and trivia about Dumbo. There are little-known
facts about the animators and voice talents, the artistic
histories behind certain sequences and very detailed explanations
of characterizations.
Celebrating Dumbo – In this 14-minute
featurette, the main themes and topic explored in the film
are summed up. You’d hear why many people love this
baby elephant, right after the ranks of Mickey and Minnie.
Walt Disney TV Introduction – You’d
see Mr. Disney himself in a 1-minute black-and-white TV spot
introducing the movie.
Dumbo Art Gallery – A very interesting
look at the concept art, character and story developments,
behind the scenes and even pictures of attraction spots that
spawned from the movie.
Bonus Shorts – The 8-minute “Elmer
Elephant” and 9-minute “The Flying Mouse”
(both incidentally about other social misfits) are classic
Disney shorts that showcase creative storytelling that will
appeal to both kids and adults.
Music & More – There is a beautiful
4-minute music video of “Baby Mine” featuring
pianist Jim Brickman and vocalist Kassie DePalva, and a sing-along
video of the hilarious “Look Out For Mr. Stork”.
“My
First Circus” Game –
Kids will have fun learning about circus animals like bears,
horses and elephants in this spin-and-guess game. Footages
from other Disney animations like “The Jungle Book”
and “Tarzan” are also featured in the informative
explanations.
Dumbo’s
Big Discovery – This one is for the younger
kids. They can either read along or have the narrator read
to them about Dumbo’s journey to finding out how special
he is.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer refreshes the old-time classic
in digital glory, and there are Dolby Digital 5.1 English
and Spanish, 2.0 Surround for Thai and 2.0 Mono for Cantonese
and Hindi - so viewers from many parts of the world can enjoy
this classic!
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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