![]() My top favorite character from Walt Disney/Walter Elias Disney’s classic, Dumbo turned out to be Casey Junior/Casey Jones Junior the male North American 2-4-0 standard-gauge steamer tender engine locomotive that turned out to be the leader of the North American Walter Elias Disney Productions Medici Brothers’ circus train. He turned out to be my top favorite Dumbo character of all the Dumbo characters in Walt Disney/Walter Elias Disney’s classic, Dumbo. I decided not to look kinda like the too great man without the 20th century North American Casey Junior/Casey Jones Junior Walter Elias Disney Productions Medici Brothers’ steamer circus train at all. I don't know why it took so long for someone to come up with the idea of an elephant's ears being used as makeshift wings, but it's a little brilliant. ![]() The story behind the story is almost more interesting than the story itself, but this little tale of the elephant with big ears (of which Disney made a pretty faithful adaptation) is at once a timely and timeless underdog story. It's odd that this book in its original form has been SO hard to find, especially considering Disney made it immortal by animating it, but when you discover its history and that of its authors, it's not so very surprising. ![]() There are a few minor differences, but besides that, Disney's version is a pretty faithful adaptation. It's so simple that even Disney's very streamlined version (as the shortest Disney animated film) had to add a little padding to make it feature length. ![]() The themes are classic and innocent but also universal and timeless. It's a fairly simple plot with just a few primary characters, but they're strong characters and the plot is compelling and unique. Enough history (though it is pretty fascinating), on with the story itself. I didn't find a copy of either myself, of course, but in doing my Disney source material research I found information regarding this book here and here, and I'm satisfied counting those as having read it). All these years later, it's still a little unclear as to who wrote what, especially since the couple didn't split very amicably, and the book itself is actually out of print and very hard to come by, and the Roll-A-Book format in which it was originally printed is even harder to find (as far as I can tell it was limited to a printing of less than half a dozen copies in this novelty scrolling-page book format. Once a couple met and married, and then a year later divorced, but were married just long enough to collaborate on a story about a little elephant with big ears who learns to use them to fly. He doesn't fit in with his circus family, but before long, with the help of a true friend, he's determined to turn his weakness into a strength and overcome his challenges. Little Jumbo is a sweet and happy baby elephant, but before long his overlarge ears earn him the unfortunate nickname of Dumbo. (Information adapted from Jim Hill Media.) Shortly after the Roll-A-Book version, the story and illustrations were reprinted in a regular book edition of no more than one thousand copies. Apparently no known copies of this original Roll-A-Book survive today. A Roll-A-Book was a distinctive format - It featured about a dozen illustrations which appeared on a short scroll that was built into a box and the reader would twist a small wheel at the top of the box to get to the next panel illustration. The Disney feature film Dumbo originated with a story by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl. She caressed him with her trunk while she listened to the other elephants praise him." Everyone made a great fuss over the baby elephant because he was the cutest of all. There was a new baby lion, a new baby zebra, a baby bear, a baby hippopotamus, a baby camel, a baby giraffe and a new baby elephant. "Spring seems to be the season for circus babies.
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