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Dumbo the Flying Elephant (ride)
Encyclopedia
Dumbo the Flying Elephant is a carousel
-style ride located in Fantasyland
at five Disney parks around the world. The original attraction opened at Disneyland in October of 1955, three months after the park opened. The four other versions of the attraction were opening day attractions at their respective parks.
One elephant from the ride is in the collection of the National Museum of American History
, donated in 2005, on the occasion of Disneyland's 50th anniversary.
, the sixteen ride vehicles are each shaped like Dumbo and are mounted on articulated armatures connected to a rotating hub. The passengers ride in the "Dumbos" and can maneuver them up and down with a joystick
which operates a hydraulic ram. The ride itself rotates counterclockwise at a constant rate.
A figure of Timothy Q. Mouse rides atop the central hub. The figure originally held a training whip, later replaced with the "magic feather." It has since been returned to the whip. Timothy is voiced by Chris Edgerly
on this ride.
The Magic Kingdom's
version of this attraction does not include a central water feature like its Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland
counterparts. The utilidors
, running directly below the attraction, prevented the installation of water pipes necessary for the water features to operate.
and the elephants were painted pink on installation. Walt Disney
objected, not wishing Disneyland's guests to ride vehicles themed to a hallucination
and thereby ordered them painted gray.
A circa 1915 band organ occasionally provides background music. This powerful instrument is capable of being heard more than a mile away. Naturally, it is operated at only a fraction of its potential.
During his 1957 visit to Disneyland, Former United States President Harry S. Truman
politely declined a ride on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, due to the elephant being a Republican symbol.
In 1990, the attraction was updated with the sixteen vehicles originally intended for installation at Disneyland Paris after an incident during which a bracket support broke. During the 1992 Disneyana
convention, one of the original ride vehicles sold for US$16,000. Like other remaining 1955 attractions, one of Disneyland's Dumbos was painted gold in honor of the park's fiftieth anniversary
in 2005.
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
-style ride located in Fantasyland
Fantasyland
Fantasyland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Magic Kingdom-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Each Fantasyland has a castle as well as several gentle rides themed after Disney movies...
at five Disney parks around the world. The original attraction opened at Disneyland in October of 1955, three months after the park opened. The four other versions of the attraction were opening day attractions at their respective parks.
One elephant from the ride is in the collection of the National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...
, donated in 2005, on the occasion of Disneyland's 50th anniversary.
Attraction
Based on the character from the 1941 animated featureDumbo
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released on October 23, 1941, by RKO Radio Pictures.The fourth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Dumbo is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a...
, the sixteen ride vehicles are each shaped like Dumbo and are mounted on articulated armatures connected to a rotating hub. The passengers ride in the "Dumbos" and can maneuver them up and down with a joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
which operates a hydraulic ram. The ride itself rotates counterclockwise at a constant rate.
A figure of Timothy Q. Mouse rides atop the central hub. The figure originally held a training whip, later replaced with the "magic feather." It has since been returned to the whip. Timothy is voiced by Chris Edgerly
Chris Edgerly
Christopher "Chris" Edgerly is an American actor and voice actor.Edgerly was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, he moved to Savannah, Georgia at the age of two with his mother, and two brothers...
on this ride.
The Magic Kingdom's
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort located near Orlando, Florida. The first park built at the resort, Magic Kingdom opened Oct. 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, the park's layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, California...
version of this attraction does not include a central water feature like its Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks. The park opened to visitors on 12 September 2005...
counterparts. The utilidors
Utilidor
A utilidor is a utility corridor built underground or aboveground to carry utility lines such as electricity, water and sewer. Communications utilities like fiber optics, cable television and telephone cables are also sometimes carried...
, running directly below the attraction, prevented the installation of water pipes necessary for the water features to operate.
Disneyland
The attraction was originally built with ten ride vehicles which were intended to represent not the "one and only" Dumbo, but the alcohol-induced "pink elephants" scene from the film. In fact, the working title of the attraction was "10 Pink Elephants On Parade"Pink Elephants on Parade
Pink Elephants on Parade is the name of a segment, and the song played therein, from the Disney animated feature film Dumbo in which Dumbo and Timothy Q...
and the elephants were painted pink on installation. Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
objected, not wishing Disneyland's guests to ride vehicles themed to a hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
and thereby ordered them painted gray.
A circa 1915 band organ occasionally provides background music. This powerful instrument is capable of being heard more than a mile away. Naturally, it is operated at only a fraction of its potential.
During his 1957 visit to Disneyland, Former United States President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
politely declined a ride on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, due to the elephant being a Republican symbol.
In 1990, the attraction was updated with the sixteen vehicles originally intended for installation at Disneyland Paris after an incident during which a bracket support broke. During the 1992 Disneyana
Disneyana
Disneyana is a term for toys, books, animation celluloids, theme-park souvenirs, and other collectibles produced by The Walt Disney Company, featuring such characters as Mickey Mouse and Tinker Bell...
convention, one of the original ride vehicles sold for US$16,000. Like other remaining 1955 attractions, one of Disneyland's Dumbos was painted gold in honor of the park's fiftieth anniversary
Happiest Homecoming on Earth
The Happiest Homecoming on Earth was the eighteen-month-long celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Disneyland theme park, which officially opened on July 17, 1955...
in 2005.