Operation Dumbo Drop Official
Directed by Simon Wincer, the movie reimagines these events as a high-stakes, comedic journey.
: Although set in Vietnam, the film was primarily shot in Thailand .
The film is loosely based on a 1968 mission known as , documented by retired U.S. Army Major Jim Morris. Operation Dumbo Drop
refers to both a 1995 Walt Disney Pictures family adventure film and the real-world military missions that inspired it. While the movie is a lighthearted comedy, the true events were rooted in complex U.S. Army "civic action" operations during the Vietnam War. The True Story: Operation Barroom
: The elephants were intended to support a sawmill project to improve local living conditions and secure the loyalty of villagers near the Ho Chi Minh Trail , a vital North Vietnamese supply route. Directed by Simon Wincer, the movie reimagines these
: Green Beret Captain Sam Cahill (Danny Glover) and his successor, Captain T.C. Doyle (Ray Liotta), lead a misfit team to deliver an elephant to a remote village after the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) kills the village's original elephant. Production :
: Unlike the movie's happy ending, the real story was tragic; the elephants were ultimately too small for the heavy labor required and were killed by the Viet Cong shortly after the operation. The 1995 Film Army Major Jim Morris
: U.S. Special Forces were tasked with transporting two elephants, named Bonnie and Clyde, from the village of Ban Don to Tra Bong.