--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I went to the archives to see what Dumbo…" description: "\"I went to the archives to see what Dumbo work there was, not for current film, but just for my love of animation. And I couldn't believe all the artwor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/peter-sohn-72633_animation_i-went-to-the-archives-to-see-what-dumbo_299709.jpg" --- # I went to the archives to see what Dumbo work there was… ![“I went to the archives to see what Dumbo work there was, not for current film, but just for my love of animation. And I couldn't believe all the artwork the guys had done to find this universal empathy to Dumbo. There was one drawing where they used his ears as a sign: "Eat at Joes!" These guys…” quote by Peter Sohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/peter-sohn-72633_animation_i-went-to-the-archives-to-see-what-dumbo_299709.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/peter-sohn-72633_animation_i-went-to-the-archives-to-see-what-dumbo_299709.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/peter-sohn-72633_animation_i-went-to-the-archives-to-see-what-dumbo_299709.jpg) > “I went to the archives to see what Dumbo work there was, not for current film, but just for my love of animation. And I couldn't believe all the artwork the guys had done to find this universal empathy to Dumbo. There was one drawing where they used his ears as a sign: "Eat at Joes!" These guys were continually searching and digging to see what that is.” Peter Sohn ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker explores archival animation work out of love for the art, discovering deep empathy and creative reinterpretations of Dumbo. **In simple terms:** Finding hidden artistic gems reveals timeless emotional connections. Key Takeaway Seek inspiration beyond mainstream releases. Themes animation archival research creativity Mood curious reflective Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - film studies - personal projects - museum visits Key Concepts empathy reinterpretation artistic discovery Questions to Reflect On - How does archival work reshape your appreciation of classic characters? - What can modern creators learn from forgotten sketches? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animation/) [Archives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archives/) [Artwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artwork/) [Dumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumbo/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [“The very things that held you down are gonna carry you up and up and up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-mouse/the-very-things-that-held-you-down-are-gonna-carry-you-up-and-up-and/) Timothy Mouse > [Dumbo... makes me cry. Every single time and in the exact same spot. I just have a special affection for Dumbo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-maltin/dumbo-makes-me-cry-every-single-time-and-in-the-exact-same-spot-i/) [Leonard Maltin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-maltin/) > [I wish he hadn't gone and cut his hair. He looks about eight years old. His ears have tripled in size. Everyone's started calling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-sones/i-wish-he-hadn-t-gone-and-cut-his-hair-he-looks-about-eight-years-old/) [Sonya Sones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-sones/) > [I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing. Dumbo got airborne with the help of a magic feather; you may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-m-convinced-that-fear-is-at-the-root-of-most-bad-writing-dumbo-got/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I was called 'Dumbo,' like the elephant, as a child because I couldn't understand things at school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/i-was-called-dumbo-like-the-elephant-as-a-child-because-i-couldn-t/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [“Dumbo! The ninth wonder of the univoise! The woild's only flyin' elephant! - Timothy Q. Mouse”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-aberson/dumbo-the-ninth-wonder-of-the-univoise-the-woild-s-only-flyin/) Helen Aberson > [Back then I was called Dumbo because of my ears. I was called Fatty, too. It was hurtful so I became like the class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britt-ekland/back-then-i-was-called-dumbo-because-of-my-ears-i-was-called-fatty/) [Britt Ekland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britt-ekland/) > [“Every single person is a fool, insane, a failure, or a bad person to at least ten people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/every-single-person-is-a-fool-insane-a-failure-or-a-bad-person-to-at/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Just remember that Dumbo didn't need the feather; the magic was in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/just-remember-that-dumbo-didn-t-need-the-feather-the-magic-was-in-him/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. I know I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watty-piper/i-think-i-can-i-think-i-can-i-think-i-can-i-know-i-can/) Watty Piper > [Vision without execution is like a plane without wings, or Dumbo without ears, it just won't fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-capodagli/vision-without-execution-is-like-a-plane-without-wings-or-dumbo/) [Bill Capodagli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-capodagli/) ## More by Peter Sohn > [I grew up on Shane movie and my mother loves it and I've watched it hundreds of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sohn/i-grew-up-on-shane-movie-and-my-mother-loves-it-and-i-ve-watched-it/) Peter Sohn > [I love sight gags and broad stuff, but you can get to such a subtle degree, especially with CG animation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sohn/i-love-sight-gags-and-broad-stuff-but-you-can-get-to-such-a-subtle/) Peter Sohn > [ One of the first things was I made Arlo \[the Apatosaurus\] a younger character. And then when I was that age (around 11 or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sohn/one-of-the-first-things-was-i-made-arlo-the-apatosaurus-a-younger/) Peter Sohn Explore all 4 Peter Sohn quotes ## More Animation quotes > [If I'm doing a voice-over session, like animation or something, and I'm doing three different voices, you've gotta separate them. You've gotta find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-adlon/if-i-m-doing-a-voice-over-session-like-animation-or-something-and-i-m/) [Pamela Adlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-adlon/) > [I was always into cartoons and animation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nonito-donaire/i-was-always-into-cartoons-and-animation/) [Nonito Donaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nonito-donaire/) > [What's unique about Disney Animation, many of the films have this perennial quality about them. They don't seem like old films, they still seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-minkoff/what-s-unique-about-disney-animation-many-of-the-films-have-this/) [Rob Minkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-minkoff/) > [I was always tinkering around with stuff but nothing serious at the time. I was doing animations and drawing like crazy, but I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-vangaalen/i-was-always-tinkering-around-with-stuff-but-nothing-serious-at-the/) Chad VanGaalen > [In feature animation, cartoony or exaggerated animation is almost taboo. There is this precedent that if you do that kind of stuff people won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genndy-tartakovsky/in-feature-animation-cartoony-or-exaggerated-animation-is-almost/) [Genndy Tartakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genndy-tartakovsky/) > [CGI has fully ruined car crashes. Because how can you be impressed with them now? When you watch them in the '70s, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/cgi-has-fully-ruined-car-crashes-because-how-can-you-be-impressed/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [To this day I over prepare. I draw storyboards for every scene - chicken scratches so crude that they amuse and horrify the crew.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stoltz/to-this-day-i-over-prepare-i-draw-storyboards-for-every-scene-chicken/) [Eric Stoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stoltz/) > [I was invited to join the MGM cartoon department. But if I'd started work in animation I'd have had to take a cut in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-was-invited-to-join-the-mgm-cartoon-department-but-if-i-d-started/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I took a lot of influences from Studio Ghibli, which is the Japanese animation studio that made 'Spirited Away' and 'Castle in the Sky.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hewlett/i-took-a-lot-of-influences-from-studio-ghibli-which-is-the-japanese/) [Jamie Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hewlett/) > [I've worked in animation for a long time. I started in Spain and I wanted to make feature films. That desire to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-garcia/i-ve-worked-in-animation-for-a-long-time-i-started-in-spain-and-i/) [Raul Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-garcia/) > [If you were to look at an old 'Betty Boop' cartoon or an 'Out of the Ink Well' animation, there are many things about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-seibert/if-you-were-to-look-at-an-old-betty-boop-cartoon-or-an-out-of-the-ink/) [Fred Seibert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-seibert/) > [Animation has always been about technology. You can't have animation without technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-wedge/animation-has-always-been-about-technology-you-can-t-have-animation/) [Chris Wedge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-wedge/) > [In a movie, it's often important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be 'read' by humans. 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With live-action, it would have turned into a story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/with-live-action-i-think-we-d-have-lost-the-universal-appeal-of-the/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) [Browse all 837 Animation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I went to the archives to see what Dumbo work there was, not for current film, but just for my love of animation. And I couldn't believe all the artwork the guys had done to find this universal empathy to Dumbo. 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