In 1941, Walt Disney told us the story of a little elephant like no other, who reversed his destiny by making a subject of mockery - his ears of an unusual size - an extraordinary power, flying. This deeply touching adventure has always held a special place in the heart of Walt Disney to such an extent that in 1954 he planned to integrate it into the theme park he was then creating, Disneyland.
The release of Tim Burton "live" version (which had already staged the adaptation of another Classic, Alice in Wonderland, in 2010) was the perfect opportunity to revisit evocations of Dumbo at Disneyland Paris.
Small film will become great
After the ambitious Fantasia (1940), Walt Disney seeks, for his next film, to return to a certain simplicity. The legend is that the story of Dumbo was discovered by a writer of the Studio in the form of a comic printed on the back of a box of cereals. Whatever the format is, Walt understands from the start that all the ingredients are there to make a great film, especially the balance between laughter and tears that has always been his signature. The setting of the circus is indeed the ideal place for hilarious scenes, be it the incredible realization of the pyramid of elephants or the jokes of the different animals of the menagerie. And on the emotional side, the film goes to the basics. The simplicity of the decorations allows to focus on the characters whose feelings are treated with an unprecedented subtlety and modesty in animation - especially in the sequence "My Little One", in which the face of the mother does not appear at all and where the sadness of being separated from his child only shines through the movements of his trunk.
There is no doubt in these conditions that Dumbo has upset and delighted the hearts of generations of spectators, like General Stilwell in 1941, the parody film by Steven Spielberg.
His story will be the subject of many other tributes from the cinema, starting with Tim Burton, very inspired by the symbolic significance of this flying elephant, and who wished to emphasize the ability of the hero to transform difference into strength. In 1001 Pattes (1998), the circus travels in a box of cakes of the brand "Casey Jr Cookies" and especially in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), we find not only Dumbo (who works "for peanuts" at Maroon Studios) but also Casey Jr., who circulates in Toontown - two icons that are found naturally in the Disney Parks.
An extraordinary toy
Located in the heart of Fantasyland, not far from Peter Pan's Flight and Mad Hatter's Teacups, Dumbo the Flying Elephant offers every visitor the opportunity to take part in an astonishing circus act inspired by the film. The attraction looks like a huge mechanical toy equipped with 16 Dumbo-shaped vehicles. When Timothée raises his magic feather, the show begins! Dumbo start to turn counter-clockwise while their pilots can climb into the air and change altitude using a lever. They can shave the circular basin that surrounds the central structure or fly more than 5 meters above the ground and enjoy a breathtaking view of Fantasyland.
But the magic also works for the spectators: the colors of the costumes of the various elephants have been distributed so that they are linked together gradually, and in the order of the colors of the rainbow. A real spectacle for the eyes.
As for the ears of the visitors, they are also at the party with an anthology of circus marches arranged for fanfare, including the famous Entrance of Gladiators Julius Fucik (1903-1943), which had in its time inspired some arrangements of the original film.
"The train of happiness"
The second attraction of Disneyland Paris on the theme of Dumbo is of course Casey Jr. - Le Petit Train du Crique, located at Storybook Land. It realizes a dream of the first Imagineers: to create a happy and energetic train, close to a roller coaster, like the one present in the original film. But that had not been possible at the time and Casey Jr. Circus Train, the California attraction, was ultimately conceived more in the spirit of the 1941 film, The Secrets of Walt Disney, in which Casey Jr. appeared for the first time, in a much more placid and peaceful way than in Dumbo.
Opened much later, March 26, 1994, the version of Disneyland Paris is this time a tribute to the original film. It benefits from a more advanced technology, allowing a greater speed and a lot more turns - without reducing the softness - for the greatest pleasure of the visitors of all generations. Another difference compared to the California version: the locomotive can also accommodate passengers who feel like driving Casey!
The trip proposed by Casey Jr. - Le Petit Train du Crique is also the ideal complement to the one proposed a little further down, in Le Pays des Contes de Fées. Its dominant position makes it possible to enjoy a bird's-eye view of the various scenes represented in the attraction and even to reveal invisible aspects from the boats, such as the cemetery of the "Night on the Bald Mountain" or the behind the beautiful Castle of the Beast.
It also makes it possible to appreciate the remarkable work of the horticulture department in terms of the size of the bushes and other shrubs in order to play on the scales, in coherence with that of miniatures crossed throughout the course.
This attraction is also known to be the first of the destination to offer an "onboard" music synchronized with the course, just before the opening of Space Mountain: From Earth to the Moon, the following year. But there is no "stellar" music: it is quite naturally the song of Casey Jr. in Dumbo, "The Train of Happiness".
Circus Parade
Dumbo has also been mentioned several times during various parades and shows of Disneyland Paris, and this since the opening of the Park, in 1992, with The Classic Disney Parade. One could indeed find there one of the emblematic scenes of the original film, that of the first flight of Dumbo "in public", from the top of his burning tower, to the sound of the "Circus Parade" signed by the composer Oliver Wallace. The same year, Casey Jr. was attending the Main Street Electrical Parade, and twinkling the alleyways of the Park after dark. He towed a huge luminous drum with the logo of the parade until 2003.
In 1998 was born the Wonderful Disney World Parade, with its now legendary chorus, "Dancin '(a catchy rhythm)", its 13 unforgettable tanks and 140 dancers and artists - a tribute in great pomp to the great classics of Disney animation , of which Dumbo is obviously part. For the occasion, a brand new tank had been built: a life-size version of Casey Jr., with Dumbo perched on the locomotive and four cars. A spectacular chariot, which remains in all memories.
Finally, in 2001, Disneyland Paris imagined an original creation half-parade, half-show with Disney's Toon Circus - the perfect opportunity to bring back Casey, this time adorned with the colors of the event, accompanied by a string of clowns, acrobats and other circus performers who invested Main Street, USA® for the most incredible outdoor happenings. Mickey took the place of Monsieur Loyal, Clown Minnie and Dingo of Monsieur Muscle. An irresistible and hilarious recollection to the sound of the Gladiator's Entrance, revisited for the occasion and embellished with a brand new melody "And now you enter the circus" sung by a choir of children.
The release of Tim Burton "live" version (which had already staged the adaptation of another Classic, Alice in Wonderland, in 2010) was the perfect opportunity to revisit evocations of Dumbo at Disneyland Paris.
Small film will become great
After the ambitious Fantasia (1940), Walt Disney seeks, for his next film, to return to a certain simplicity. The legend is that the story of Dumbo was discovered by a writer of the Studio in the form of a comic printed on the back of a box of cereals. Whatever the format is, Walt understands from the start that all the ingredients are there to make a great film, especially the balance between laughter and tears that has always been his signature. The setting of the circus is indeed the ideal place for hilarious scenes, be it the incredible realization of the pyramid of elephants or the jokes of the different animals of the menagerie. And on the emotional side, the film goes to the basics. The simplicity of the decorations allows to focus on the characters whose feelings are treated with an unprecedented subtlety and modesty in animation - especially in the sequence "My Little One", in which the face of the mother does not appear at all and where the sadness of being separated from his child only shines through the movements of his trunk.
There is no doubt in these conditions that Dumbo has upset and delighted the hearts of generations of spectators, like General Stilwell in 1941, the parody film by Steven Spielberg.
His story will be the subject of many other tributes from the cinema, starting with Tim Burton, very inspired by the symbolic significance of this flying elephant, and who wished to emphasize the ability of the hero to transform difference into strength. In 1001 Pattes (1998), the circus travels in a box of cakes of the brand "Casey Jr Cookies" and especially in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), we find not only Dumbo (who works "for peanuts" at Maroon Studios) but also Casey Jr., who circulates in Toontown - two icons that are found naturally in the Disney Parks.
An extraordinary toy
Located in the heart of Fantasyland, not far from Peter Pan's Flight and Mad Hatter's Teacups, Dumbo the Flying Elephant offers every visitor the opportunity to take part in an astonishing circus act inspired by the film. The attraction looks like a huge mechanical toy equipped with 16 Dumbo-shaped vehicles. When Timothée raises his magic feather, the show begins! Dumbo start to turn counter-clockwise while their pilots can climb into the air and change altitude using a lever. They can shave the circular basin that surrounds the central structure or fly more than 5 meters above the ground and enjoy a breathtaking view of Fantasyland.
But the magic also works for the spectators: the colors of the costumes of the various elephants have been distributed so that they are linked together gradually, and in the order of the colors of the rainbow. A real spectacle for the eyes.
As for the ears of the visitors, they are also at the party with an anthology of circus marches arranged for fanfare, including the famous Entrance of Gladiators Julius Fucik (1903-1943), which had in its time inspired some arrangements of the original film.
"The train of happiness"
The second attraction of Disneyland Paris on the theme of Dumbo is of course Casey Jr. - Le Petit Train du Crique, located at Storybook Land. It realizes a dream of the first Imagineers: to create a happy and energetic train, close to a roller coaster, like the one present in the original film. But that had not been possible at the time and Casey Jr. Circus Train, the California attraction, was ultimately conceived more in the spirit of the 1941 film, The Secrets of Walt Disney, in which Casey Jr. appeared for the first time, in a much more placid and peaceful way than in Dumbo.
Opened much later, March 26, 1994, the version of Disneyland Paris is this time a tribute to the original film. It benefits from a more advanced technology, allowing a greater speed and a lot more turns - without reducing the softness - for the greatest pleasure of the visitors of all generations. Another difference compared to the California version: the locomotive can also accommodate passengers who feel like driving Casey!
The trip proposed by Casey Jr. - Le Petit Train du Crique is also the ideal complement to the one proposed a little further down, in Le Pays des Contes de Fées. Its dominant position makes it possible to enjoy a bird's-eye view of the various scenes represented in the attraction and even to reveal invisible aspects from the boats, such as the cemetery of the "Night on the Bald Mountain" or the behind the beautiful Castle of the Beast.
It also makes it possible to appreciate the remarkable work of the horticulture department in terms of the size of the bushes and other shrubs in order to play on the scales, in coherence with that of miniatures crossed throughout the course.
This attraction is also known to be the first of the destination to offer an "onboard" music synchronized with the course, just before the opening of Space Mountain: From Earth to the Moon, the following year. But there is no "stellar" music: it is quite naturally the song of Casey Jr. in Dumbo, "The Train of Happiness".
Circus Parade
Dumbo has also been mentioned several times during various parades and shows of Disneyland Paris, and this since the opening of the Park, in 1992, with The Classic Disney Parade. One could indeed find there one of the emblematic scenes of the original film, that of the first flight of Dumbo "in public", from the top of his burning tower, to the sound of the "Circus Parade" signed by the composer Oliver Wallace. The same year, Casey Jr. was attending the Main Street Electrical Parade, and twinkling the alleyways of the Park after dark. He towed a huge luminous drum with the logo of the parade until 2003.
In 1998 was born the Wonderful Disney World Parade, with its now legendary chorus, "Dancin '(a catchy rhythm)", its 13 unforgettable tanks and 140 dancers and artists - a tribute in great pomp to the great classics of Disney animation , of which Dumbo is obviously part. For the occasion, a brand new tank had been built: a life-size version of Casey Jr., with Dumbo perched on the locomotive and four cars. A spectacular chariot, which remains in all memories.
Finally, in 2001, Disneyland Paris imagined an original creation half-parade, half-show with Disney's Toon Circus - the perfect opportunity to bring back Casey, this time adorned with the colors of the event, accompanied by a string of clowns, acrobats and other circus performers who invested Main Street, USA® for the most incredible outdoor happenings. Mickey took the place of Monsieur Loyal, Clown Minnie and Dingo of Monsieur Muscle. An irresistible and hilarious recollection to the sound of the Gladiator's Entrance, revisited for the occasion and embellished with a brand new melody "And now you enter the circus" sung by a choir of children.
Article and photos by Disneyland Paris.
