The stork delivers a baby elephant to Mrs. Jumbo, a veteran of the circus, but the newborn is ridiculed because of his truly enormous ears and dubbed "Dumbo". Dumbo is relegated to the circus' clown acts but even there his ears get him into trouble. When Mrs. Jumbo is locked up for trying to protect her baby, it is up to Dumbo's only friend, Timothy Q. Mouse, to assist the little elephant in achieving his full potential.