Despite being of the earliest Disney animated classics, Dumbo is still a household name. Roughly 80 years ago, an adorable elephant named Jumbo Jr. ("Dumbo" was a cruel nickname given to him which, unfortunately, overtook the name his mother gave him) graced our screens and we never forgot him. He went on to have his own tv show and live-action film, (although it wasn't received very well) only a few years ago. The timeless classic follows the little elephant, with abnormally big ears, as he discovers his true potential. Making us fans laugh and cry along the way.

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As with all Disney classics, many fans still rewatch the movie to this day, and as they do, more and more little easter eggs and facts are uncovered. Despite Dumbo's incredibly short length, the movie has a lot of hidden details scattered throughout.

10 The Film Is Extremely Short And Very Cheap

dumbo's mother holding him while she is imprisoned

Compared to other Disney feature films, Dumbo was incredibly short in length. With a runtime of only 64 minutes (compared to the usual feature-length of around one and a half hours) Dumbo is one of Disney's shortest films of all time. This perhaps reflects the time of its release, and more importantly the budget restrictions.

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Due to the war efforts, Disney had to keep the cost of production as low as possible, making Dumbo short was obviously a big part of this. It also meant that backgrounds were a little less detailed than Disney is used to. In fact, the production of Dumbo had a total cost of only $812,000.

9 The Cast Of Dumbo Also Had Plenty Of Roles In Other Disney Classics

the evil queen gives snow white a poisoned apple

When rewatching Dumbo it may feel like deja-vu at times, this is because most of the cast have also had roles voicing characters from other Disney movies. One prime example is Sterling Holloway who voiced Mr. Stork. His resume included the voices of Winnie the Pooh, Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, Roquefort from The Aristocats, and Kaa from The Jungle Book.

But, he's not the only recurring cast member. Cliff Edwards, who voiced the main crow, also previously voiced Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio. Another impressive cast member is the voice of Dumbo's mother Verna Felton, who also had roles in Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella.

8 Dumbo's Loyal Sidekick Timothy Q. Mouse Almost Didn't Happen

Timothy Mouse Dumbo

Disney is known for its awesome talking animal sidekicks. From Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio to Dory from Finding Nemo, Disney has a knack for getting it right, and that was the case for Dumbo, although it almost wasn't. In fact, in the original book for Dumbo, his sidekick was a Red Robin, not Timothy Q. Mouse.

If that would have happened, perhaps we wouldn't have heard the iconic reference by Timothy to Clarke Gable when he said that "Lots of people with big ears are famous." Or, perhaps they would have followed the book's storyline and seen Dumbo and the Red Robin sign a movie contract and head off to Hollywood together.

7 The Clowns Scene Actually Referenced Events And Staff Within The Disney Company

Dumbo Clowns

One particularly memorable and weirdly entertaining moment from Dumbo was the clown scene. What makes the moment even more interesting is the inspiration behind the scene. For starters, two of the shadows were actually caricatures of Art Babitt and Jack Kinney, who both worked behind the scenes on the movie.

But, most importantly, the inspiration for the group of clowns deciding to "hit the big boss for a raise" came as Disney's attempt to mock the animators involved in the heated strike during production.

6 Dumbo Is Actually Inspired By A Book

Dumbo listening to Timothy in Dumbo

Like many other Disney movies, Dumbo is an adaptation of a book. The 36-page book entitled "Dumbo the Flying Elephant" was written by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl. Published in 1938, the Children's book was actually a series of illustrations on a scroll so that readers could turn the wheel and the next image would show itself.

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Walt Disney loved the little book that Disney decided to buy the rights to develop it for the big screen and trusted Joe Grant and Dick Huemer to create a unique script based on the book.

5 Dumbo Had A Song Nominated For An Academy Award

Dumbo Songs

Disney is the king of making movies with awesome songs and soundtracks. Most of their films have some of the most famous movie songs of all time, and a lot of their movies have been nominated for Oscars for their music. Dumbo wasn't an exception, with the film's song "Baby Mine" being nominated for Best Song, only to lose out to "The Last Time I Saw Paris" from Lady Be Good.

They did however win the Academy Award for Best Score, showing just how good the music really was. In fact, another of their songs "When I See an Elephant Fly" was actually sung by both Cliff Edwards, who voiced the main crow, and the members of the famous Hall Johnson Choir.

4 Dumbo Was Almost The Face Of Time Magazine

Dumbo Time Magazine

In 1941, after Dumbo was released, Dumbo was set to named Time's "Mammal of the Year", a unique spin of the usual "Person of the Year" award from the iconic magazine. However, the cover wasn't printed after the attack on Pearl Habour, where a more serious cover was thought to be a better idea.

Dumbo still won the award of "Mammal of the Year" and the story was still featured in the magazine, but it no longer features as the official cover and was replaced by a portrait of General Douglas MacArthur for the December 1941 edition of the magazine.

3 Harry S. Truman Once Refused To Go On A Dumbo Ride

Dumbo Ride Disneyland

The iconic movie and its star the little elephant Dumbo had a global reach and since have inspired many amusement park rides across the globe. Disney's ride called "Dumbo the Flying Elephant" is the most famous of the Dumbo-inspired rides, where riders can adjust the height of the flying elephant as they ride.

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In fact, the ride is so famous that when Harry S. Truman visited Disneyland in 1957, he was invited to take a ride of the Dumbo attraction. Truman, however, famously refused, not because of a fear of heights, rather he didn't want to be seen having a fun time with the symbol of his opposing political party.

2 The Film Has Faced Accusations Of Racism Since Its Release

Disney Dumbo Crows

In recent years, the Disney Classic has been included in discussions about the problematic nature of moments, characters, plots, and/or scenes in classic films. The crows have been accused of being designed in line with very negative racial stereotypes. The fact that the main crow is also called Jim Crow (linked to the incredibly discriminatory Jim Crow laws) is inexcusable.

Furthermore, the film's song "Song of the Roustabouts" features some offensive lyrics where the workers delight in their "slave" status. In fact, before watching Dumbo on Disney+ there is now a warning about "outdated cultural depictions".

1 Dumbo Is Walt Disney's Favourite Movie

Walt Disney

Walt Disney is an icon in the world of cinema, so when he likes a film, it's likely very good. Dumbo was Walt Disney's favorite of all the films he produced. Describing the movie as "a happy picture from beginning to end", Dumbo held a special place in his heart.

In fact, Disney loved the movie and the iconic characters so much that he always hoped to do a second Dumbo movie, this time all about Dumbo's father. With Dumbo adapting to his new life in the big city with his friends, and a backstory of his father Mr. Jumbo. The film could have been awesome, but unfortunately, plans were scrapped in 2006.

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