Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Soar high in the sky—and see an elephant fly—on a whimsical flight aboard Dumbo.

“Okay, Dumbo, let’s get this show on the road!”

Dumbo the Flying Elephant is another flying spinner ride that aside from the ride vehicles and surrounding decorations is nearly identical to The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. (Aladdin features a bonus maneuver that helps tilt your ride vehicle backward and forward; this is lacking on Dumbo the Flying Elephant.) The biggest difference here is that Dumbo the Flying Elephant has two different ride systems, which allows twice the number of guests to be sent to the skies during its ride cycles.

This attraction stands out in the Magic Kingdom for it has an area for a queue that is not actually a line. 

Once you pick your elephant, you hop into your vehicle and set off on an adventure made up of flying in circles while making your elephant go lower or higher. That’s it. Soft, sweet, and to the point. The central fountain and pool area adds a lovely touch to the circus theming, and you can catch a glimpse of Dumbo’s friend, Timothy Mouse clutching Dumbo’s good-luck feather that gives him the confidence to take to the air without fear of falling.

You can also take in the detailed artwork that tells Dumbo’s story and provides a bit of immersion into the circus theming.

Behind the Schemes:

Dumbo the Flying Elephant was originally located closer to the center of Fantasyland, almost straight back from Cinderella Castle and Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. Once Fantasyland land began its major refurbishment in 2011, the ride was disassembled and the new attraction was built in the Fantasyland area known as Circus Storybook. This move allowed the water feature to be installed as the previous location didn’t have the right spacing to allow for more pipes.

Reality Check:

Though the other characters refer to our elephant hero as “Dumbo,” his real given name is Jumbo, Jr. This leads to a bit of confusion as his mother is referred to as Mrs. Jumbo. Following standard naming conventions, this would mean the main character’s true name is Jumbo Jumbo. Perhaps this is why the character never utters a word during the entire 1941 animated film.

Film critic Leonard Maltin has stated that Dumbo is his favorite animated Disney film. Maltin also lambasted the 1984 movie, Gremlins, so what does he know?

Though Timothy Mouse is featured in the dead center of the attraction, he does not appear in the 2019 live-action/CGI version of Dumbo.

The idea of intoxicated persons visualizing “pink elephants” during a stupor comes from the film and the song “Pink Elephants on Parade.”