![]() ![]() ![]() The simplicity of the drawings of Disney's Dumbo characters is a defining aspect of the film's visual style. A Minimalist Approach to the Dumbo Characters What was a charming little story became a high-flying masterpiece on the screen. When Grant and Huemer came to it, they found its potential for a feature length film quite appealing. It was something uncomplicated, beautifully simple, and ripe with opportunity for expansion. Walt asked two of his key story men, Joe Grant and Dick Huemer to explore the story. Walt’s interest must have been piqued in a special kind of way he acquired the rights to the story, which was subsequently published as a children’s book by the husband and wife team of Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl. Where classic fables or successful stories were gathered and sought out, Dumbo came to Disney at the urging of the manufacturer in the form of a toy “Roll-a-Book” project, in which a child could scroll through the illustrations of the story. A solid and simple story that came to the Studios quite unlike most Disney subjects. Kaufman comments, “Artistic greatness does not depend upon surface extravagance.” But Walt was not going to do anything halfway no matter the restrictions. The film was Dumbo (1941), now celebrating 75 years since its release.Ĭreated at a time when a combination of factors put a severe limit on Walt’s ability to pour resources into new films, Dumbo was the first of a new string of features, a film made efficiently and effectively under the strictest of parameters. It was a feature film not as grandiose as those that preceded it, but was perhaps even more effective in emotional impact. And whilst a number of his artists dedicated themselves to Bambi (1942), another artistic foray, Walt took a swing at a different kind of picture. “Failure to make clear the nature of the thing being produced is one of the surest causes of dullness and failure to learn.” After the glowing success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), and the artistic triumphs of Pinocchio (1940) and Fantasia (1940) that ultimately met with difficult reception, Walt had certainly learned quite a bit. “In the inspiration of mind and spirit that go into the making of Disney picture-making one essential is clarity,” Walt Disney believed. ![]()
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