He said wryly: 'We're not going to cry tears if it doesn't make multi millions.' Today, however, Mr Mayer is not even sure he will see the updated movie out of respect for his mother, whose emotions he knows would be hugely conflicted. She was particularly careful to check her name featured on the credits. Last night Disney failed to respond to requests for comment.Īccording to Mr Mayer, whenever Dumbo was shown, Helen felt a 'sense of pride' but it was tempered with sadness. Mr Mayer said: 'We wanted them to recognise my mother made a mistake. Helen's family twice attempted to recoup royalties but, because there was no copyright, Disney insisted it owed them nothing. Dumbo The Flying Elephant features as a popular ride across Disney's theme parks. Three further Dumbo books were released, and a puppet-based TV series, Dumbo's Circus, ran during the 1980s. Last year, the company recorded revenues of £45.4 billion. ![]() It left the studio able to embark on hits such as Bambi, Cinderella and Alice In Wonderland. You're going up against Goliath'ĭisney's fortunes, meanwhile, were transformed by the success of Dumbo, making up for the heavy losses suffered from its previous film, Fantasia. Mr Mayer said: 'Then again, when Walt Disney was alive you had to be careful because they might have sued you for libel. It has left a bitter taste knowing that the family's lives could have been very different. 'Later on I wondered whether I should have tried to write something about it,' Mr Mayer said. 'Sometimes she'd get emotional, but she didn't like to discuss it.'Īndrew said that when the copyright came up for renewal in 1968, his mother could not bear revisiting the painful episode and let it lapse without telling anyone.Īs a result, Disney has not been obliged to mention her name in the credits to any films or books produced since then – and has refused to pay her any more money.Įven the remake will not bring royalties, despite it expecting to bring in £38 million in its first week alone. She never believed she got her just dues in terms of the way things played out. ![]() ![]() 'It was her baby, but it really wasn't her baby any more. 'It left her feeling depressed, especially when year after year Dumbo would turn up as a character on TV and in books. 'She felt that she had been left out,' he said. He added that the experience 'haunted' her and thinking back to the original deal made her feel 'humiliated'. One critic described it as a 'clunker' which loses the 'charm and heartbreak' of the original Highlights include Dumbo accidentally getting drunk and experiencing the surreal musical sequence "Pink Elephants on Parade" and a soundtrack packed with such priceless songs as the Oscar-winning "Baby Mine" and the crow's soulful number, "When I see an Elephant Fly." There's nary an imperfect moment to be found in this raucous, tender, sublime film, which has been delighting audiences for generations.Burton's live-action remake is set to be this Easter's smash-hit family movie, despite mixed reviews. ![]() Dumbo is left without a friend in the world until the street-smart Timothy Mouse decides to become his manager and a telephone line full of delightful jive-talking crows convince him he can fly. When his mother goes on a rampage in order to protect him from some snickering rubes, she winds up locked away. is delivered by the stork to his elephant mom with much fanfare but soon receives a cold shoulder from the snobby female pachyderms and the rest of the circus due to his oversize ears. Deceptively simple, beautiful, moving, and hilarious, DUMBO is often overlooked when considering Disney's greatest films because perhaps of its lack of extravagance, its brief running time, and its simple story.
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