Film
Dumbo
1982 Re-Release, 1941
Japanese B2 – 20.25″ x 28.5″ (51 x 73 cm) / Single Sided
Very Fine plus – Rolled (as issued)
Ben Sharpsteen, Bill Roberts, Jack Kinney, Norman Ferguson, Samuel Armstrong, Wilfred Jackson
Billy Bletcher, Edward Brophy, Herman Bing, Jack Sabel, James Baskett, John McLeish, Stan Freberg, Sterling Holloway, Verna Felton
A beautiful, colourful masterpiece of a poster for Walt Disney’s beloved animated classic “Dumbo”. Originally premiered in 1941 this superb is from the 1982 re-release in Japan and focuses on the titular ‘Dumbo’. As you would expect from a Disney offering artwork is of the highest quality and colours truly bright and vibrant featuring ‘Dumbo’ in full flight with marvellous border art of the supporting characters; Mrs Jumbo, the Crows, Timothy Q Mouse and the WDP Bigtop Circus (WDP actually stands for Walt Disney Productions. Originallyrolled (as issued) and unrestored this beautiful example presents very well and displays to excellent effect with colourful imagery exclusively created for the Japanese re-release. A fine example of rare and collectable original movie memorabilia for a much loved Disney classic.
Trivia: A very tightly budgeted, scripted and produced film, because Walt Disney needed it to bring in much-needed revenue after the expensive failures of Pinocchio (1940) and Fantasia (1940). Final negative cost of Dumbo was $813,000 (making it the least expensive of all Disney’s animated features), and it grossed over $2.5 million in its original release (more than the original grosses of “Pinocchio” and “Fantasia” combined).
…more detailVintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +
All the other elephants shun Dumbo (Stan Freberg) for his gigantic ears, and his mother has been locked up for protecting him, so he’s all alone in the world… until Timothy Q Mouse (Edward Brophy) shows up.
A beautiful piece of work. At just 60 mins,“Dumbo” is short and sweet. But it also contains some of Walt Disney’s best visual poetry. Dumbo’s not saying a single word means his entire character is created through the physical. The entire opening sequence, till the gossipy elephants start talking, plays out without words, and it’s like the best silent movies. Simply beautiful.
Mrs Jumbo rearing up and destroying the big top to protect Dumbo from taunting kids is an incredible scene. Dumbo’s mother spends the movie imprisoned in a carriage labelled “mad elephant” – and surely one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking scenes i’ve ever seen plays out when Dumbo and his mother have contact only by touching trunks, through the bars in the window of her cell. A beautiful sequence begins: the beautiful song “Baby Mine” plays as she cradles him in her trunk, and when Dumbo leaves she can’t see him, and she stretches her trunk as far as she can out the window to try and reach him, and… oh, its too much!
The pink elephants sequence is as close to trippy Disney ever got – and its brilliant. One of the best, most inventive sequences in animation history. Great song, too.
Some terrific songs: Look Out for Mr Stork, Casey Junior (the train song), Pink Elephants, When I see an elephant fly and Baby Mine.
Timothy Q Mouse is a great character, the animation is so concise and perfect, great songs, the message that if you believe you can overcome your handicaps you will so inspiring and beautiful, and the movie so short and sweet it will forever retain its appeal.
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Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.
Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.
Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.
Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.
Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.
Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.
Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.
All photographs and images used on our site are photographs of the actual poster/item you are buying, we do not use stock photographs.
LOBBY CARD
11 x 14″ printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.
WINDOW CARD
14 x 22″ printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970’s.
HALF SHEET
22 x 28″ printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.
INSERT
14 x 36″ printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.
STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60″ printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.
ONE-SHEET
27 x 41″ printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass “marquee” case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980’s most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27″ by 40″ and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.
THREE-SHEET
41 x 81″ printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970’s on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as “international” versions to be used abroad.
BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40″ Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.
BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40″, printed on paper. Very rarely used size.
ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28″ six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26″ Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.
2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55″ This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79″ Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.
FRENCH
47 x 63″ (GRANDE) or 24 x 33″ (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian’s some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.
