Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Aerial carousel in Fantasyland, Disneyland, California, United States
Dumbo the Flying Elephant is an aerial carousel in Fantasyland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Sixteen grey elephant vehicles with painted saddles hang from red arms radiating from a red and gold central column, which is topped by a small hot-air balloon ornament. The column stands on a red, white and blue patterned base inside a pool ringed by water jets.
The original Dumbo the Flying Elephant opened at Disneyland on August 16, 1955, a month after the park's grand opening, after flawed prototypes delayed it. It was manufactured by Arrow Development with ten vehicles meant to depict the pink elephants scene. In 1990 it received 16 rainbow-colored vehicles originally built for Disneyland Paris. One elephant was donated to the Smithsonian in 2005 for Disneyland's 50th anniversary.
The ride takes its name and its 16 elephant vehicles from Disney's 1941 animated film Dumbo. Timothy Q. Mouse, voiced by Chris Edgerly, rides atop the hub holding the magic feather, except at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland. At Disneyland a circa 1915 band organ occasionally plays music for the ride, audible more than a mile away, so it is rarely used.
The ride sits in Fantasyland and loads 16 elephants, each holding two riders who raise and lower it with a joystick. At Disneyland the queue was expanded in 2018 with shade structures, assigned elephants and full wheelchair access. A circa 1915 band organ near the hub is rarely played because it carries over a mile.
The ride rotates counterclockwise at a constant rate, and riders raise or lower their elephant with a joystick driving a hydraulic ram. One 1955 Disneyland elephant was donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 2005 for the park's 50th anniversary. At Disneyland, a circa 1915 band organ is rarely played because it can be heard over a mile away.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,860 contributors worldwide.