DVDizzy Forum

The Disney Attractions Discussion Series
Part One - Space Mountain
Part Two - Peter Pan's Flight
Part Three - Pirates of the Caribbean
Part Four - Tom Sawyer's Island
Part Five - It's A Small World
Part Six - Star Tours
Part Seven - Splash Mountain
Part Eight - Mr Toad's Wild Ride
Part Nine - The Haunted Mansion
Part Ten - Soarin'
Part Eleven - The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Part Twelve - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Part Thirteen - Mad Tea Party
Part Fourteen - Maelstrom
Part Fifteen- Riverboats

Dumbo: The Flying Elephant
Definitely the most famous and memorable Disney rides ever, Dumbo: TFE is now up for discussion. I love this ride myself. In my opinion, it's defintely worth the sometimes hour long line. This ride is the best for flight than AstroOrbiter and Magic Carpets of Aladdin (if you ask me, I think there are too much rides similar to Dumbo in the parks.)


Statstics from Good Ol' Wiki:
Originally instead of Dumbo, the would have been used and the working title would have been "10 Pink Elephants on Parade." Walt objected to the idea of the ride being based on a drunken hallucination and thereby ordered them to be painted grey.
A statue of Timothy q. Mouse rides atop the central hub, originally holding a whip, then he held a magic feather. To this day, he holds the whip.
During his 1957 visit, FDR politely declined to ride because of weakness
During the 1992 Disneyana convention, one of the orginal elephants sold for $16,000.

I have to admit, this is one of the few attractions at Disneyland that I don't visit much anymore, that I can really take or leave.

Big Disney Fan wrote:I have to admit, this is one of the few attractions at Disneyland that I don't visit much anymore, that I can really take or leave.

This pretty much sums it up for me. As fun as it may be, I wouldn't rush to it urgently, and the perpetually long queues leave me avoiding it. The carousel and the teacups don't get so insanely clogged, though.

I tend to agree with you and BigDisneyFan. It is a nice ride, but it is just not one of Disney's best. It really does make a lovely picture, though! The lines also tend to throw me off as well. The reason why I added this to the Disscussions series was because it is a well-established Classic Movie and Ride. Sorry you feel that way!

I still think it's pretty special. Nothing beats flying up in the air like Dumbo and Timothy.

I agree! Not every attraction has to be a big budget, high tech "E-ticket" to be charming and memorable!

Sometimes it's the "little things" in the parks that can make a big difference!

Not only is Dumbo my favorite Disney Animated Classic film, he's also my favorite Disney character. I enjoy the charm, whimsy, and cuteness of the ride, as well as the lively circus music loop! *

Also, the ride is right in the middle of my favorite section in my favorite park, Fantasyland - surrounded by other iconic rides based on these timeless, classic, stories and films. All of these FL rides, including Dumbo, appeal very much to my young-at-heart inner child!

So on these strengths, Dumbo is in my Magic Kingdom Top 12!

Others mentioned the long slow-moving lines, which I thankfully have seldom experienced since I usually hit Fantasyland first thing in the morning and/or late at night.

Perhaps most importantly, Dumbo is one of my favorite places to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks - from on the ride itself! I'll never forget the New Year's Eve when there were thousands of people waiting on the ground for the show to start, and Dumbo was a walk-on! I got to ride over and over during the show with only a few other guests on the ride, who had the same idea. When the clock was about to hit 12, there was literally NO ONE in line, and we were about to land. With all the Dumbos at the topmost position, the operator gave us all a "magical moment" and stopped the ride at the top for the Grand Finale until the show was over. Mickey and the gang counted backwards from 10, and at the New Year, I had a perfect, symetrical, birds-eye view of the shells going off all around me!

Being up there for the Grand Finale is very hard to time on even a normal night. Even if the ride is a walk on, if the park closes with the show, there might not be enough people in line to cycle the ride until the finale. And when the park closes after the show, the line is usually long enough that to ride during the finale would mean standing in the queue during the majority of the show and not being able to see the show or hear the soundtrack as good as you could from outside the queue.

So, to be perched up there with that kind of view during the New Year's finale, without having to miss any of the show before that, was literally one of those storybook, Dreams Come True moments! The 3 New Year's Eves after that, the queue was packed right before the fireworks, so I watched the show from the ground, which made me realize how truly amazing and unlikely my experience was.

I will dearly miss having Dumbo in that perfect position right between the Castle shells and the main shells during the fireworks after he moves to his new location.

* All of the tracks from the WDW Dumbo music loop can be found on this CD here - they are tracks 2, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 14 - http://www.amazon.com/Screamers-Circus- ... 323&sr=1-1

That's a really nice story! Fantasyland is where the majority of my favorite rides are too- it would be pretty special to be on the Dumbo ride at the highest point when the fireworks go off I imagine!

Disneydood wrote:That's a really nice story! Fantasyland is where the majority of my favorite rides are too- it would be pretty special to be on the Dumbo ride at the highest point when the fireworks go off I imagine!

Thanks! Yes, it was a magical moment I will never forget, especially being New Year's Eve!