Dumbo
RKO Radio Pictures | Release Date: October 31, 1941 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
96
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
EmpireKim Newman
With its genuinely cute hero and appealing storyline, Dumbo's exactly right for younger children but not too milk-soppy for anyone over eight. Indispensible. Read full review
100
The New York TimesBosley Crowther
The most genial, the most endearing, the most completely precious cartoon feature film ever to emerge from the magical brushes of Walt Disney's wonder-working artists!...A film you will never forget. Read full review
100
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
One of the best of Disney's animated features. An ugly duckling variation, lifted by those unforgettable characters. Read full review
100
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
Though it was made during a bitter artists' strike in 1941, it's one of Disney's most charming and perfectly proportioned films, uninflated by the cultural pretensions Uncle Walt was fond of slipping in. Read full review
100
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
A masterpiece of visual story-telling. Read full review
100
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
It's not only one of the best classic-era Disney features, but also one of the best animated films from any studio at any time. Read full review
90
IGNR.L. Shaffer
A time-honored classic filled with love, happiness and excitement. Read full review
90
TimeStaff (Not Credited)
Although Dumbo offers no startling innovations in animated cartooning, it is probably Disney's best all-round picture to date. Though it lacks the bomb-burst novelty of Snow White, its craftsmanship is far beyond that memorable fairy tale's. Seldom has Disney articulated his characters so aptly. Dumbo is a most human little fellow, not bright, but willing. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineEric Henderson
In its scant 64-minute running time, the big-top melodrama of Dumbo reduces me to a blubbering, mucus-drizzling wreck at least once with every viewing. Read full review
80
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
There’s a pleasant little story, plenty of pathos mixed with the large doses of humor, a number of appealing new animal characters, lots of good music, and the usual Disney skillfulness in technique. Read full review
75
LarsenOnFilmJosh Larsen
Dumbo ends happily enough...but all that comes in a rushed finale; the movie is more interested in capturing the shadings and sounds of sadness (so many scenes take place in the blue night). Read full review
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