The Dumbo story was discovered by Disney in 1939 on a cereal box. On October 23, 1941 Dumbo, Disney's fourth animated feature, came to the big screen. During its 64 minutes Dumbo goes from humiliation because of his huge ears to triumph because with those ears he can fly.

The story is by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl. The movie was directed by Ben Sharpsteen. Dumbo cost $812,000 to make, much less than the previous animated movies.

Dumbo was close to appearing on the front of Time Magazine but he was overlooked when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

The movie was re-released to theaters in 1949, 1959, 1972, and 1976. It was aired on the Disney television series in 1955. It was released on video in 1981 and stayed in release.

Dumbo won an Oscar for Best Scoring in a Motion Picture and was nominated for best song, "Baby Mine".

After Dumbo's success at the box office he went on to have his own merchandise, attractions at Disney theme parks, T.V. show, a cameo in "Roger Rabbit", and be a war hero appearing on WWII insignias.