Dumbo Blu-ray review

            Of all the Disney characters over the years, I think Dumbo may be my favorite. Everything about the cartoon elephant is perfection. He doesn’t need to say a word and I can relate more to Dumbo than nearly any other cartoon character, maybe all film characters. What makes this silent elephant with big ears to accessible? For me it is his struggle to believe in himself. He is insecure and ridiculed because of the size of his ears, but finds that he has a special use for them that make him unique and special. Dumbo uses his assumed weakness to fly.

            Dumbo may be one of my favorite films of all time, and it is one that hasn’t grown outdated in 70 years. This 70^th Anniversary Blu-ray release includes an all-new digitally restored presentation of this classic cartoon along with a plethora of special features that include unreleased scenes and songs from the film’s production. But all of the extras are not nearly as amazing as the simple pleasure of watching this beloved classic in high definition. There is also the added pleasure of the Disney View expanded viewing experience, which simply adds artwork for the edges of widescreen TVs in the presentation of a limited aspect ratio.

             The two-disc combo pack includes a DVD version with a number of the special features. There is an audio commentary, a featurette on the making of the ride at Disneyland, a making-of featurette and the never-before heard/seen song and scene. The Blu-ray disc has all of these as well as the Cine-Explore viewing experience, a celebrating Dumbo featurette, art galleries, two animated shorts, trivia and a game.