Dumbo the Flying Elephant allows guests to climb aboard Disney’s legendary elephant for an unforgettable flight on this classic attraction.
Ride Information Restrictions Accessibility Location Fun Facts Top 5 Tips
Ride Information
Opening Day: October 1, 1971
Type of Ride: Spinner
Age Recommendation: All ages; children especially love this attraction
Duration of Ride: 90 seconds
Typical Queue Time: Moderate to long; usually between 30 minutes and 1 hour
Single Rider Line: No
Chicken Exit Available: No
Baby Swap Available: No
Type of Vehicle: Flying elephant
Type of Restraint: None
Attraction Open During Extended Evening Hours: Yes. See our Extended Evening Hours page for more information.
Ride Photo Available For Purchase: No
Ride Restrictions
Height Requirements: None
Flash Photography or Video Allowed: Yes
Safety, Accessibility, and Guest Policies
Accessibility: Must Transfer from Wheelchair/ECV
Guest Policies: Children under age 7 years must be accompanied by a person age 14 years or older.
Location
Park Map of Magic Kingdom:
Other Rides/Attractions In the Area:
This attraction is located in the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland.
Shopping: Assorted souvenirs, many pertaining to Dumbo (1940) and circuses, can be purchased nearby at “Big Top Souvenirs.” Sunscreen is sold nearby at the “Casey Jr. Railroad Mercantile” cart.
Dining/Refreshment: Inside “Big Top Souvenirs,” Big Top Treats offers a plethora of circus-inspired snacks, including cotton candy, caramel corn and apples, chocolate-dipped fruits, cake pops, brownies, and cookies.
Restroom: Convenient restrooms are situated at Fantasyland’s “Walt Disney World Railroad” station.
Smoking Location: Smoking is permitted in designated smoking areas only. Disney parks are smoke free.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant Fun Facts
Did you know?
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant is named after and inspired by Disney’s 1940 film Dumbo.
- The elephants are attached via arms to an elaborate carrousel. The carrousel includes busts of elephants and storks, and paintings that summarize the movie.
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant now features fountains at the base of the carrousels. Though its counterparts at Disneyland Park, Disneyland Park Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland Park, respectively, had included fountains for years, a similar water feature was untenable at Dumbo’s previous Magic Kingdom location because of the park’s submerged utilidors. Currently, only Tokyo Disneyland’s version of the ride omits a water feature.
- A figurine of Timothy Q. Mouse from Dumbo stands atop the attraction’s entrance. In the other versions of Dumbo the Flying Elephant, in contrast, Timothy stands on top of the respective ride carrousels rather than the entrances.
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant was originally intended to incorporate ten pink elephants based on the movie’s hallucinatory “Pink Elephants on Parade” segment because, in the interest of maintaining a story, there was only one Dumbo, not ten. Considering the illicit nature of the pink elephants, however, Walt Disney elected to bend the story and just use ten Dumbos.
- When former-President Harry Truman, a Democrat, visited Disneyland in 1957, he declined to ride this attraction because the elephant is the mascot of the rival Republican Party.
- In California, Paris, and Hong Kong, Dumbo the Flying Elephant features 16 elephants. The Tokyo version has only eight elephants.
- Besides Dumbo the Flying Elephant, two attractions based on Dumbo exist: “Casey Jr, Splash ‘N’ Soak Station” in Storybook Circus and “Casey Jr. Circus Train” at the Disneyland Parks in California and Paris.
History
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant is one of 12 attractions remaining in some form from the Magic Kingdom’s opening day, October 1, 1971. The others are Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel (now Prince Charming Regal Carrousel), Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World, Jungle Cruise, Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan’s Flight, Swiss Family Treehouse, Tropical Serenade (now Enchanted Tiki Room), Grand Prix Raceway (now Tomorrowland Speedway), and “Walt Disney World Railroad.”
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant features 32 elephants, 16 on each adjacent carrousels, which rotate in opposite directions. Originally featuring 10 elephants on a single structure from opening day until 1993, the 6 additional elephants were added on the single structure in 1993. In 2012 the ride was relocated and the second structure with 16 elephants joined the original. Each elephant seats two riders.
- From opening day until 2012, Dumbo the Flying Elephant sat adjacent to Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. As part of the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland expansion, the attraction relocated to the land’s new “Storybook Circus” section, where “Mickey’s Toontown Fair” formerly sat.
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant features 32 elephants, 16 on each adjacent carrousels, which rotate in opposite directions. Originally featuring 10 elephants on a single structure from opening day until 1993, the 6 additional elephants were added on the single structure in 1993. In 2012 the ride relocated to Storybook Circus and the second structure with 16 elephants joined the original. Each elephant seats two riders.
Top 5 Tips for Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Consider watching Dumbo before your visit such as to better appreciate the attraction.
- Check out Dumbo the Flying Elephant at night, when lights augment the attraction’s beauty.
- Control your elephant’s altitude via the handle inside the vehicle.
- A great ride to take younger kids on.
- If you enjoy Dumbo the Flying Elephant consider riding The Magic Carpets of Aladdin across the Magic Kingdom in Adventureland, and “TriceraTop Spin” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. These attractions also involve the orbiting of themed vehicles, magic carpets and dinosaurs, respectively, around a central hub.