#15- Dumbo the Flying Elephant (WDW - Magic Kingdom, Disneyland)
1955 (Disneyland), 1971 (WDW) -Present
91 total points
Appeared on 8 of 16 Lists. Top vote: #6 (Linda C.)
Dumbo the Flying Elephant is an aerial carousel-style ride located in Fantasyland at five Disney parks around the world.
Based on the character from the 1941 animated feature, the sixteen ride vehicles each resemble Dumbo and are mounted on articulated armatures connected to a rotating hub. The passengers ride in the "Dumbos" and can maneuver them up and down with a joystick that operates a hydraulic ram. The ride itself rotates counterclockwise at a constant rate.
One elephant from the ride is in the collection of the National Museum of American History, donated in 2005, on the occasion of Disneyland's 50th anniversary.
At Disneyland, a circa 1915 band organ occasionally provides background music for the attraction. This powerful instrument is capable of being heard more than a mile away. Naturally, it is operated at only a fraction of its potential.
During his 1957 visit to Disneyland, former United States President Harry S. Truman politely declined a ride on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, due to the elephant being a Republican symbol.
#14- Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlasters (Disneyland)/Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (WDW-Magic Kingdom)
2005 (Disneyland), 1998 (WDW) -Present
91 total points
Appeared on 7 of 16 Lists. Top vote: #4 (TMBG12.)
The Buzz Lightyear attractions are a series of video-game-inspired attractions based on the Toy Story movies found in Tomorrowland at Disney Parks around the world. Although each ride may have a different name, all share the same plot and major characters. As each form of the attraction appeared, new technology has allowed the guest to better interact with the ride and even connect with personal computer users.
Astro Blasters" and "Space Ranger Spin" are equal parts shooting gallery and dark ride. Visitors board an Omnimover space vehicle featuring two laser pistols and a joystick. The pistols are used to shoot laser beams at targets of varying point values.
The major difference between the Walt Disney World and Disneyland versions of the attraction is that in Florida, the guns are secured to the ride vehicle, while in California, the guns are holstered and can be held at a higher height, allowing for a wider range of motion.
Targets that are hit while lit up will produce much higher scores. A digital readout on the dashboard shows the player's score. The joystick allows full 360-degree rotation of the vehicle to assist in aiming. During the ride, if the ride slows down or completely stops (this is a result of either a handicapped guest or a ride breakdown) during the ride, this allows for "bonus points" as the pistols and targets do not turn off. There are 4 different shaped targets which are worth different amounts of points: round (100 points), square (1,000 points), diamond (5,000 points), and triangle (10,000 points).
#13- Journey Into Imagination (Epcot)
1983-Present
98 total points
Appeared on 6 of 16 Lists. Top vote: #2 (Linda C)
Journey Into Imagination is a classic Disney dark ride that takes guests on a tour of the components and inspirations of the human imagination. The ride has gone two refurbishments since its opening in 1983, but every one of the six votes cast for it for this list were for the original version.
The ride features The Dreamfinder and his "pet" the Figment of Imagination, a playful purple dragon, as they gather ideas in their harvesting blimp before depositing them at The Dreamport, an enormous location divided into rooms that portray different aspects of the imagination, including art, literature, the performing arts and science.
The accompanying song for the ride, One Little Spark, was written by the Sherman Brothers, who had also created songs for other attractions including The Carousel of Progress, It's a Small World and The Enchanted Tiki Room, among many others.
A 1998 refurbishment removed the Dreamfinder completely, and almost all mentions of Figment, and added Eric Idle as a scientist studying imagination, but due to fan backlash, the new version was scrapped after just two years and replaced with one that figured Figment more prominently.
#12- Wishes (WDW - Magic Kingdom)
2003 -Present
104 total points
Appeared on 5 of 16 Lists. Top vote: #1 (Karen W.)
Wishes is a nightly fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.
The regular show is hosted by Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy, and revolves around the wishes of famous Disney characters - good and bad. The lights on Cinderella Castle change colors throughout the show, reflecting the different stages of Wishes' narrative. At times it glows blue, imitating the Blue Fairy, but it is lit in angry reds and oranges for the "Villainous Wishes" sector of the show. There are also a number of special projection effects used on the Castle, such as the face of the Magic Mirror from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the stars and moon from Mickey's sorcerer hat in Fantasia. While most of the characters in the show are only heard as part of the show's music track, Wishes also features an appearance from Tinker Bell as she flies from the tallest spire of Cinderella Castle.
In September and October, during "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party", the show is replaced with Happy HalloWishes, and in late November and December, Holiday Wishes during "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party".
#11- Jungle Cruise (WDW - Magic Kingdom, Disneyland)
1955 (Disneyland), 1971 (WDW) -Present
107 total points
Appeared on 9 of 16 Lists. Top vote: #2 (TMBG12)
The Jungle Cruise is a slow-moving boat ride located in Adventureland in most Disney theme parks around the world. Disneyland Paris is the only Magic Kingdom-style Disney park that does not have the Jungle Cruise in its attraction roster.
The attraction simulates a riverboat cruise down several major rivers of Asia, Africa and South America. Park guests board replica tramp steamers and are taken on a voyage past many different Audio-Animatronic jungle animals. The tour is led by a live Disney cast member delivering a humorous scripted narration.
The attraction was in the opening day roster of both parks, and has remained open and largely unchanged in theme and story since then. The original plan was to use real animals, but the animals would have been sleeping during the day. Aside from alterations and maintenance changes, four completely new show scenes have been added to date. In 1994 the river channel in the Disneyland version was rerouted to make way for the queue buildings and entrance courtyard of the Indiana Jones Adventure.
While the current version and most previous instances have made use of a comedic spiel, filled with intentionally bad puns, the original intent of the ride was to provide a realistic, believable voyage through the world's jungles. Until 1962,the original spiel had no jokes and sounded much like the narration of a nature documentary.
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