This week, I shall be comparing the “rotating” rides which appear in the Fantasylands in California and Paris.
DUMBO
The obvious place to start this article is with Dumbo The Flying Elephant. This ride exists, with the same name, in all five Magic Kingdoms but the California version was the only one not to be an opening day attraction. Although it was supposed to have been, the opening was delayed due to the 700pound weight of the fibreglass pachyderms being too heavy for the initial mechanics to lift.
The attraction is practically identical in both Paris and California, down to the water features, the topiaries, the lengthy queues, the overhead storks, the chipmunks in the spokes and the statue of Timothy Q. Mouse on top of the central hot air balloon.
In France, Timothy has always held a feather. In California, although he had a whip when the ride first opened (and does again now), there was a period of time when he too had a feather.
Both versions feature a steam organ which originally played live music, but now plays pre-recorded tunes on a loop. The loop in Paris lasts 28 minutes, whereas the one in California lasts approximately two hours.
When the ride opened in California, it had ten carriages. After the 1983 Fantasyland refurb, when the location of the attraction was moved to the site of the former Skull Rock and the design was improved dramatically, there were still ten carriages. However, after “bruises and scrapes” were caused when an elephant separated from its support arm in 1989 (and after a similar incident the following year, in which an arm collapsed completely) the ride was temporarily closed. It was replaced in November 1990 by a version with sixteen carriages which had been originally built for Euro Disneyland (as it was then to be known). By the time the French park was opened, a sixteen carriage replica was built and installed therein.
Obviously, the Paris version doesn’t have the history of the West Coast one. This history includes, but is not limited to: Harry S. Truman’s 1957 refusal to ride due to the elephant being a Republican symbol, The Carpenter’s 1975 hit “Please Mr. Postman” being partially filmed thereon, the occasional carriage being sold for impressive sums, the original hinged flapping ears which never worked, the gold carriage to celebrate the park’s fiftieth birthday and the original intention to paint the elephants pink before Walt allegedly interjected about how this would make a mockery of the no-alcohol policy.
However, regardless of all the history behind the California attraction, I prefer the one in Paris, for a more ethical reason. Cast Members in Disneyland in Anaheim hand out feathers to those waiting in line. They then symbolically take these away before the Guests board. This is supposedly to demonstrate that (like in the film) you don’t need a feather to fly. However, the real reason for these props is to work out who will be riding which time. In Paris, occasionally anonymous bits of plastic are used for this purpose, but generally the Cast Members just count in their head. In this instance, I prefer the methodology of the latter. Although it gives people a greater chance of getting away with the Bubba Swap –which I won’t explain in case it encourages greater use- it means younger Guests are less likely to be disappointed when they discover their gift was only temporary.
TEA CUPS
This attraction is officially known as Mad Tea Party (MTP) in California, and Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups (MHTC) in Paris. Both were opening day attractions, which have been in Fantasyland from day one, although the location of MTP altered in 1983 so as to fit King Arthur Carrousel directly behind Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Whereas MTP has to close down in inclement conditions both for health and safety reasons (e.g. a greater chance of excited children slipping) and because the motors under the platforms are not able to function properly when wet, MHTC is covered and thus can theoretically operate in any weather.
Both rides feature eighteen cups. MHTC seats four riders in each, compared to MTP which allows five. Both feature a pre-recorded spiel, which Cast Members can override, and are surrounded by themed topiaries.
Both versions are accompanied by an instrumental version of The Unbirthday Song, as composed by Mack David, Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman. Both have Chinese Lanterns hanging overhead (which make the attractions especially pretty when lit at night), and both officially refer to the giant spinning platform as “the tea tray”. Extending this metaphor, each disc is referred to as a “plate”, and each cup is on its own “saucer”.
The operator’s booth for MTP is shaped like a house with a thatched roof (such as the one Alice bursts through in the film, after consuming the “eat me” cookie), whereas for MHTC it is shaped like a sugar bowl.
CARROUSEL
In California, this is called King Arthur Carrousel, whereas the Paris equivalent is called Le Carrousel de Lancelot.
The two attractions feature titles based on the legend of The Sword in the Stone, although the 1963 Disney film of that name does not feature the character of Lancelot. In fact, the California version was open to the public long before the completion of the film on which it is themed.
Both carrousels run at speeds of 4.4mph with flexible durations, although the horses always end their rotation at the same location (and height) as they started. Both feature a soundtrack consisting of looped Disney music lasting two hours, and both have leaping horses as opposed to the more traditional funfair style without bent knees.
Differences include: the shape of the queue-line; the Paris ride having been built by Disney whereas the Anaheim one had been built by Dentzel in 1875; the nine hand-painted panels in California telling the story of Sleeping Beauty whilst those in France tell that of The Lady of the Lake; the number of horses operational at any one time (currently 68 in Anaheim; 86 in Paris); and the colors. In 1975, all the horses on King Arthur Carrousel were painted white, whereas Le Carrousel de Lancelot features horses of many different colors.
Portions of this article first appeared in my musings for DLDHistory.com in February 2011 (Dumbo), April 2011 (Teacups) and June 2011 (Carrousels).