Disney’s Dumbo is a heartwarming story of overcoming something in your life and becoming stronger for it. I recently saw Disney’s new live-action Dumbo. The story was retold in a beautiful way that highlighted the best parts of the original animated classic while giving the story an ending that matches the recent demise of the classic circus. I enjoyed Dumbo at the drive-in theater so I made this Dumbo Inspired Snack Mix to take along.

Animated Dumbo (1941) vs. Live Action Dumbo (2019)

Disney’s original animated Dumbo came out in 1941. Dumbo is such a sweet story about a baby elephant that is born with big ears. Everybody was mean to Dumbo because he was different. This included fellow elephants, circus staff, and children at the circus. Mrs. Jumbo, Dumbo’s Mom, gets labeled a mad elephant for protecting and defending her baby. Timothy Mouse befriends Dumbo and helps him after the separation. Timothy Mouse also helps him discover he can fly. The story ends with Dumbo becoming famous and continuing on with the circus.

While I do love the original movie there are a few parts that I don’t get why they put in a children’s movie. Like the part where Dumbo and Timothy Mouse accidentally get drunk. It really adds nothing to the story other to understand how Dumbo ended up in the tree. They could have figured out another way to tell that.

Another part that they removed was the Crow scene. While as a child I had no idea these characters represent racial stereotypes at the time, I did not like that they smoked. Now that I know they were drawn to represent Jim Crow laws and see why that part needed to be changed.

In some ways, the new live-action Dumbo is a whole new story. Very few parts are the same. The bare bones are the same. Mrs. Jumbo gets labeled mad for protecting Dumbo and Dumbo learns to fly. Other than those two things the story is completely different.

Tim Burton’s movie is a bit dark and takes place in a “theme park”. While Dumbo is a focus, there are people that the story focuses on as well. Instead of Timothy Mouse, two children befriend Dumbo. The story focuses on them and their single father making a living in the circus/theme park industry. In the end, the “theme” park is done for and Dumbo gets a really happy ending.

I really loved Timothy Mouse in the animated and am a little disappointed that he just got a little cameo in the live-action movie.

Dumbo Inspired Snack Mix

This recipe was inspired by the tastes and flavors of the circus or a parade. The first thing I thought about was popcorn. It has to be salty, buttery popcorn that reminds me of seeing a show. Next, I thought about peanuts. Since the salty popcorn was my base I used sweet circus peanuts that you can find in the candy aisle. One of the best parts about the circus was the animals, so I also added some frosted animal crackers. To finish it off I added some Fruit Loops to resemble the sweet flavors of cotton candy.

Yield: 11 Cups

Dumbo Inspired Snack Mix

Sweet and Salty Popcorn snack mix inspired by Disney's Dumbo.

Ingredients

6 cups popcorn
1 cup Candy Circus Peanuts
2 cups Fruit Loops
2 cups Frosted Animal Crackers

Instructions

Pop popcorn in air popper. Coat with butter and season with salt.
Cut candy circus peanuts in half and toss them into the popcorn once it has cooled.
Add the Fruit Loops and Animal Crackers.
Store in an airtight container. Will keep fresh for about a week.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 128Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 68mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Did you hear the animated Dumbo movie is coming to Disney+? They are removing the crow scene.

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