“Dumbo” (ダンボ), Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1954, Ultra Rare, B2 Size (51.5 × 72.8 cm / approx. 51 × 73 cm) (G)

A vibrant 1954 first-release Japanese B2 for Disney’s Dumbo—one of the studio’s most enduring and emotionally resonant early features. This is the coveted Japan campaign design dominated by a sunlit yellow field and an oversized vermilion ダンボ title, with a charming circus “parade” frieze across the top and two inset story scenes (Dumbo in flight; Dumbo confined in a wagon marked “MAD ELEPHANT”).

For collectors, this sheet is a genuine post‑war Japanese Disney trophy: bold, unmistakably Japanese typographic impact; crisp mid‑century illustration colour; and Daiei distribution credit (大映株式会社配給) anchoring it to a specific moment when major Japanese studios marketed imported Disney features as headline theatrical events. The poster is extremely hard to source even in Japan, and—within our own experience—ranks among the rarest Disney posters we have handled.

Date & Japanese Theatrical Release

Dumbo premiered in the United States in 1941.

Japan’s first theatrical release followed in the post‑war era: 12 March 1954, with distribution handled by Daiei (大映). Japanese film reference sources record this Japanese release and distributor, matching the poster’s printed footer credit 大映株式会社配給.

Crucially, the poster also declares 日本語発声版 (“Japanese‑language sound version”), identifying this as a dubbed Japanese release rather than a silent/short‑subject style presentation.

The Film & Its Place in Disney’s Legacy

Produced by Walt Disney Productions, Dumbo is widely celebrated for its direct storytelling, musical set‑pieces, and emotional core—a compact feature that became one of Disney’s most beloved titles worldwide.

The film’s stature is reinforced by major institutional recognition: at the Academy Awards it won for Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture) and received an Original Song nomination for “Baby Mine.”

Its long-term cultural importance is further underlined by its selection for the U.S. National Film Registry (Library of Congress), recognizing films considered culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.

Directing credit for Dumbo is commonly attributed to Disney’s feature unit leadership of the period (with Ben Sharpsteen prominently credited as director in major film references).

Disney, Daiei, and Post‑War Reception in Japan

This Dumbo B2 sits within an important post‑war arc of Disney feature releases in Japan—when Disney’s long-form animated films were reintroduced as major imported event pictures. Japanese summaries of Disney’s post‑war distribution history note that Daiei handled key early Disney releases in Japan (including Snow White in 1950 and Bambi in 1951), while other titles were handled by Japan RKO in alternating fashion—context that helps explain why Daiei’s name and branding are such an important historical “fingerprint” on mid‑1950s Disney campaign sheets like this one.

Scholarly programming in Japan has also pointed to the way Disney features and fandom expanded in the post‑war period (including organized fan activity associated with Daiei), illustrating how these releases helped shape wider cultural reception.

Design Notes

A poster built for distance and impact: the design is engineered for immediate visibility—huge red ダンボ typography against a saturated yellow ground reads powerfully across a lobby or station corridor, with strong black vertical copy creating a confident, theatrical “column” structure.

Circus pageantry as a top border: across the upper edge runs a lively “procession”—elephant, giraffe, zebra team, seal act, clown rider—evoking the travelling-circus world in a single, delightful band of colour.

Narrative told through inset scenes: rather than a character collage, the sheet uses two framed moments:

• Dumbo airborne in a wide, airy sky (a sense of wonder and release), and

• Dumbo confined in a wagon under English warning signage (“DANGER,” “DANGER KEEP OUT,” “MAD ELEPHANT”), underscoring the story’s hardships.

Prestige English branding retained: bottom-right English reads “WALT DISNEY’S DUMBO / COLOR BY TECHNICOLOR”, a classic international era marker paired with distinctly Japanese campaign typography.

Japanese dubbed‑version specificity: the right-side credit block includes headings for the Japanese-language version (staff and voice performers), making the sheet feel unusually “production‑specific” for a Disney campaign item of this period.

Text Translations

Key poster text (Japanese → English):

• 母を慕う小象のダンボが泣かせ、笑わせ、楽しませる、『バンビ』を凌ぐ名作。 — “Dumbo, the little elephant who longs for his mother, will make you cry, laugh, and delight—a masterpiece surpassing ‘Bambi’.”

• 量よりも質　大映の洋画 (small line at lower right) — “Quality over quantity — Daiei’s foreign pictures”

• 大映株式会社配給 — “Distributed by Daiei Co., Ltd.”

• Lower-left roundel mark 映 — Daiei’s studio/distribution emblem (“Ei,” shorthand for Daiei)

Condition Report

Overall condition: Excellent (professionally conserved/restored and backed).

This poster has been professionally conserved and backed with traditional Japanese washi to stabilize the sheet for long‑term preservation and display. Japanese conservation practice commonly emphasizes safe materials and reversibility—often using washi (typically kōzo fiber papers) and wheat starch paste because these materials are stable and can be reversed by future conservators if needed. The result is a flatter, stronger, better‑handling poster that still respects the original paper.

Storage history: the poster was stored flat for approximately 25 years in a custom-made poster cabinet, supporting its strong overall presentation.

Restoration visibility: restoration is not immediately distracting, but very close inspection reveals repaired areas (see the provided detail imagery—particularly in the darker inset scene region). The verso clearly shows the conservation backing and stabilized repair zones.

Colour & display: colours remain richly saturated with strong contrast; the yellow ground and vermilion title remain especially vivid. Light, normal age-appropriate toning is confined to the verso (as expected for period paper). Overall presentation is crisp, vibrant, and ready to frame.

Please review the provided photos (front and back)—they show the exact poster offered.