Dumbo (1941)

WALT DISNEY STUDIODumbo (1941)

original production animation drawing
red, green and black pencil on untrimmed animation sheet, image size: 4" x 3.25"

This charming final animation drawing of baby Dumbo in his bath was created by a Disney Studio animator in production of the animated feature, and a cel painting was made directly from it. It is from a scene supervised by Vladimir Tytla, one of the greatest animators of the 1930s and 1940s whose work at Disney was the most admired among his fellow animators.

Michael Sporn wrote of the scenes of baby Dumbo being washed by his mother at his website, www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=1290: "I think this sequence, on film, is one of the greatest ever animated. There’s a sweet tenderness and an obviously close relationship between baby Dumbo and his mother which is built on the back of this sequence. It not only establishes both characters solidly, without words, but it sets up the mood of everything that will soon happen to the pair during the remaining 45 minutes of the film. Without that established bond, the audience wouldn’t feel so deeply for the pair during the “Baby Mine” song or care so much about Dumbo’s predicament."

The animator wrote the studio designation “3” at lower right to indicate this original's place in the scene. Our certificate of authenticity is included.