Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment invites audiences to let their spirits soar with the release of the beloved animated classic Dumbo, for the first time ever in high definition as a 70th Anniversary Edition, coming on September 20, 2011.
Press Release from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
BURBANK, Calif., — Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment invites audiences to let their spirits soar with the release of the beloved animated classic Dumbo, for the first time ever in high definition as a 70th Anniversary Edition, coming on September 20, 2011. The Academy Award®-winning (1942, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture) favorite will take flight for the first time with a premium restoration in stunning Blu-ray™ high definition featuring pristine 7.1 Digital Theater System High-Def Surround Sound, allowing fans to see more, hear more, interact more and share more of this timeless adventure about believing in yourself.
Dumbo: 70th Anniversary Edition will be available for purchase as a 2-Disc Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (with the suggested retail price of $39.99 U.S./$44.99 Canada), a 1-Disc DVD (with the suggested retail price of $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada), High Definition Movie Download (for the suggested retail price of $39.99 U.S./44.99 Canada) and/or Standard Definition Movie Download (for the suggested retail price of $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada). All versions come packed with a variety of special bonus features including such features as deleted scenes, interactive games, audio commentary, behind the scenes details and more.
Faced with the daunting task of restoring the film to its original pristine condition, the Walt Disney Studios Restoration Team turned to the US Library of Congress who store the original 70 year old nitrate camera negative in their film vaults, and for reference, to an original 1941 ‘release’ print, held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Using this rare nitrate “dye-transfer” Technicolor print for color reference, the team was able to restore Dumbo to the color settings most likely approved by Walt Disney himself, which will be seen in their full splendor for the first time in 70years, on the Blu-ray debut. In addition, the rare film print (housed as part of the UCLA Film and Television Archives collection) proved to be the earliest surviving generation of the original audio for Dumbo which provided a unique source from which to build the new Disney Enhanced Home Theatre (DEHT) mix for the Blu-ray release.
Released theatrically in 1941, Dumbo, Walt Disney’s fourth animated film, was an immediate success with audiences and critics alike. In addition to its Academy Award® for Best Music, Dumbo was also Oscar®-nominated for Best Song, for the haunting lullaby, “Baby Mine.” Additional songs from the film, written by renowned composer Frank Churchill and lyricist Ned Washington, have become popular standards. They include the infectious “When I See an Elephant Fly,” sung by a chorus of hip crows who befriend Dumbo and his friend, Timothy Mouse, and “Pink Elephants on Parade,” which accompanies Dumbo’s feverish dream-sequence.
Film Synopsis
In celebration of this landmark film’s 70th anniversary, experience the daring adventures of the world’s only flying elephant with a dazzling all-new digital restoration and brilliant Disney Enhanced High Definition Theatre Mix Sound. The inspirational tale of Dumbo, the courageous baby elephant who uses his sensational ears to soar to fame with the help of his clever best friend Timothy Q. Mouse, will thrill and delight audiences of all ages. And now, the award-winning music and empowering messages about friendship and belief In yourself reach new heights in this must-have Blu-ray high-definition presentation of Walt Disney’s classic Dumbo!
Bonus Features
DVD:
· Deleted Scene – “The Mouse’s Tale
· Deleted Song – “Are You a Man or a Mouse?”
· Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo – A journey back to the origins of the film as everybody’s favorite baby elephant takes wing.
· The Magic Of Dumbo: A Ride of Passage – Witness the excitement and magic of Disneyland’s most popular ride through the eyes of a child.
· Audio Commentary with Pete Docter, Paula Sigman and Andreas Deja
· Sound Design Excerpt from The Reluctant Dragon
· Original Walt Disney Television Introduction
Blu-ray:
Everything on the DVD plus:
· Cine-Explore
· Disney View
· “What Do You See?” Game
· “What Do You Know?” Game
· “Celebrating Dumbo” Featurette
· Animated Short: “The Flying Mouse”
· Animated Short: “Elmer Elephant”
Movie Download (Standard Definition & High Definition Versions):
· Deleted Scene – “The Mouse’s Tale”
· Deleted Song – “Are You a Man or a Mouse?”
· “Celebrating Dumbo” Featurette
About Disney Blu-ray Combo Packs (Blu-ray + DVD in a single package):To provide consumers with unprecedented quality, value and portability of their favorite Disney classics, in 2008 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment pioneered the Combo Pack – a Blu-ray Disc plus a DVD in a single package. To date, the company has released almost all their films as Combo Packs. Classic Disney titles released as Combo Packs include Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast and Fantasia.
About Walt Disney Studios:For more than 85 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company (DIS: NYSE) was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under four banners: Walt Disney Pictures,which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, Disneynature, Touchstone Pictures and Marvel. Through the Home Entertainment division, innovative distribution methods provide access to creative content across multiple platforms. Original music and motion picture soundtracks are produced under Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records, while Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Broadway theatrical productions, Disney on Ice and Disney LIVE!. For more information, please visit www.disney.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
