Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Dumbo the Flying Elephant is an attraction located in Fantasyland
| Dumbo the Flying Elephant | |
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| Dumbo the Flying Elephant in it's former location in Fantasyland. | |
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Land | Fantasyland (Storybook Circus) |
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| Attraction type | Hub and Spoke |
| Opening date | October 1, 1971 |
| Closing date | January 9, 2012 |
| Vehicle capacity | 2-3 |
| Number of vehicles | 16 |
| Ride duration | 1:30 minutes |
| Will Reopen | March 12, 2012 (expected) |
| Based on | Disney's Dumbo |
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Contents
Attraction History
Dumbo the Flying Elephant began as an attraction for Disneyland, in the early 1950s. The attraction is a "hub and spoke" attraction based on the 1941 Disney movie, Dumbo. Original designs for the attraction depicted guests riding in the "Pink Elephants" that Dumbo hallucinates in the movie, with the working title of the attraction being "10 Pink Elephants On Parade". The Pink Elephants were chosen because while there were going to be ten ride vehicles on the attraction, there was only one Dumbo. Walt Disney however, did not want his guests riding in alcohol induced elephants, and he ordered the ride vehicles painted grey. The attraction's names was thus changed to Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and it opened in Disneyland in October of 1955.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant proved to be so popular in Disneyland, that it was an obvious choice for inclusion in Walt Disney World. A replica Dumbo was built, and the attraction was operational in time for opening day on October 1, 1971. The ride consisted of 10 Dumbo's flying around Timothy the Mouse, who holds a whip and standing on a disco ball. There were no major changes to the attraction until 1993, when the ride was closed for refurbishment. During the refurbishment, the ride mechanism was changed to make the attraction more kinetic and six more Dumbo's were added in order to increase capacity. While the ride was closed, Timothy the Mouse's whip was also removed and replaced with Dumbo's "magic feather". The disco ball that the mouse stood on was also replaced with a small hot air balloon. The final change to the attraction during the refurbishment involved moving the queue away from the carousel, to give guests some cover from the sun.
In 2009, Disney announced that Dumbo the Flying Elephant would be moved to the Storybook Circus expansion of Fantasyland. The attraction closed January 9, 2012, and
Attraction Plot
Dumbo the Flying Elephant allows guests to board a Dumbo ride vehicle, and fly counter-clockwise above Fantasyland. The ride is hub and spoke attraction, with the Dumbo's extending from a center hot air balloon. Timothy the Mouse stands on top of the balloon, holding Dumbo's magic feather. A joystick in the middle of the ride vehicle allows guests to move their elephant up or down. Dumbo lasts for approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds, before the elephants descend back to the ground.
See the Attraction!
Fun Facts and Trivia
- President Harry Truman refused to ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant in Disneyland, due to the fact that the elephant is the mascot for the Republican Party.
- Before the attraction closed in January 2012, a ride vehicle was placed just outside the attraction. This allowed guests to board the vehicle and take pictures, without having to wait in line.
- Chris Edgerly voices Timothy the Mouse on Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
- During the attraction's relocation, the statue of Timothy the Mouse that once stood at the center of the original Dumbo ride was moved to the new attraction's marquee.
References
http://allears.net/dlr/tp/dl/dumbo.htm
http://themeparks.about.com/od/disneyparks/a/MKFantasylandExp.htm
