Dumbo

Dumbo is a 1941 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl, and illustrated by Helen Durney for the prototype of a novelty toy ("Roll-a-Book"). The main character is Jumbo Jr., an elephant who is ridiculed for his oversized ears and mockingly nicknamed "Dumbo", but in fact he is capable of flying by using his ears as wings. Throughout most of the film, his only true friend, aside from his mother, is a mouse named Timothy – a relationship parodying the stereotypical animosity between mice and elephants. Produced to recoup the financial losses of both Pinocchio and Fantasia, Dumbo was a deliberate pursuit of simplicity and economy. At 64 minutes, it is one of the studio's shortest animated features. Sound was recorded conventionally using the RCA System. One voice was synthesized using the Sonovox system, but it too was recorded using the RCA System. Dumbo was released on October 23, 1941, where it was met with critical acclaim for its story, humor, visuals, and music. The film was later criticized for stereotyping of black people. Its accolades include an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. In 2017, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant". In the years following its initial release, Dumbo has remained popular, spawning a popular theme park attraction, merchandise products, a television series, and a live-action adaptation.