Disneyland Paris – Fantasyland — Part 3 — Dumbo, Tea Cups, and Alice’s Curious Labyrinth

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Disneyland Paris Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Dumbo is a timeless classic. Both the movie and the attraction have been delighting children and adults for years. And the Dumbo attraction at Disneyland Paris is perhaps the most delightful of them all.

Much of the beauty of this ride can be attributed to its location. It sits on the banks of a picturesque stream, surrounded by flowers. Also, one side of the ride is flanked by an impressive waterfall.

Disneyland Paris Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Disneyland Paris Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Dumbo also loads and flies over an intricate fountain. This water feature is similar to the Dumbo attractions at California and Hong Kong.

Disneyland Paris Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Below is a picture of me videotaping the Paris park.

Disneyland Paris Dumbo the Flying Elephant - Jack Videotaping

Here is an interesting bit of trivia. Timothy the Mouse holds a whip at Tokyo and California. In Florida, Hong Kong, and Paris he holds Dumbo’s magic feather.

Timothy Mouse Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Like its overseas cousins, this is a very popular ride. If you have children who simply must ride on Dumbo, it’s a good idea to make this one of your first stops in the morning.

Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups

This is another classic attraction that makes an appearance at all five Magic Kingdom-type parks. But once again, I think the Paris version is the most attractive.

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Mad Hatter's Tea Cups

The beauty of this attraction is two fold. First, it sits on the banks of the same stream as Dumbo. It is also surrounded by manicured lawns and wonderful landscaping. But the structure itself is where the real beauty comes from. A delicate roof of tinted glass covers the riders below. This canopy provides protection from the elements, but also lets the sun shine in for a brighter experience than that found at Walt Disney World.

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Mad Hatter's Tea Cups

But no matter how beautiful the Imagineers designed this attraction, the experience is the same. Spin and puke.

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Mad Hatter's Tea Cups

Alice’s Curious Labyrinth

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth

This attraction is unique to Disneyland Paris. The experience here allows you to take on the role of Alice and venture into Wonderland. You travel through a hedge-maze that is relatively easy to navigate. There are a few dead-ends, but for the most part, it’s difficult to get lost. Along your journey you see a variety of characters from Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” movie.

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth

Some of the characters are minimally animated. Others emit sounds or talk.

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth White Rabbit

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth Cheshire Cat

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth

The Caucus Race is represented in all its confusion as your path spirals inward, then out again. All the while, music from the movie can be heard.

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth Cheshire Cat

Eventually you reach the realm of the Queen of Hearts.

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth Queen of Hearts

The Queen makes several appearances along the way yelling “Off with their heads” in French. She pops up from behind walls and bushes, but only the most timid child would find this frightening.

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth Queen of Hearts

Her minions are also on hand to add merriment to the day.

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth

Eventually you reach the royal castle. Look up and you can see the King of Hearts looking out on the confusion below. If you want to pay him a visit, feel free. There is a stairway inside the castle to the upper levels. From the top, a great view of Fantasyland can be had. Note, it gets VERY crowded inside this small structure.

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth King of Hearts

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth King of Hearts

Disneyland Paris Fantasyland Alice's Curious Labyrinth

It takes about 20 minutes to make your way through the entire labyrinth. Even though it’s basically a one-way path, there is a lot of back-tracking taking place as everyone is trying to get a picture of this and that.

I really like this attraction. It’s simple, but delightful. I think this would be a nice fit at Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. It could be placed were the old 20,000 Leagues attraction was located – and it would be relatively inexpensive compared to other options.

The Old Mill (Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin – Turning of the Old Mill)

This attraction is based on Disney’s Academy Award winning short “The Old Mill.” This is a simple Ferris wheel where guests ride in buckets and are afforded nice views of Fantasyland. Due to its low capacity, it was permanently closed in 2002. A snack bar is located within the main structure.

Disneyland Paris The Old Mill

Disneyland Paris The Old Mill

Disneyland Paris The Old Mill

In my next blog I’ll be discussing Casey Jr. and Le Pays des Contes de Fées.

Trending Now

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

5 Replies to “Disneyland Paris – Fantasyland — Part 3 — Dumbo, Tea Cups, and Alice’s Curious Labyrinth”

  1. Eventhough I live near Disneyland Paris, I love your blogs!
    They read really good and are realy pleasant.

    A little note; actually, there is a teapot (with the mouse) but it stands at ‘March Hare Refreshments’ thats just accros the little river that seperates the ride form the rest of the land.

  2. Once again your pics have taken my breath away.

    Alice’s Curious Labyrinth brought to mind the concept art for the original Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland where it was a walk thru version of the movie instead of the ride that it is now. I want to say that I saw it at the Opera House in Disneyland.

    Any idea if this is where the concept for Alice’s Curious Labyrinth came from?

    Again..thank you for the post.

    Comment: Sorry Jacque, I really don’t know how the concept came about. If I find something, I’ll be sure to post it.

  3. Curious about someday visiting Disney World in Paris. Do they have English speaking cast members there like they have other language speaking ones in Florida?

    Answer: Last I knew, all cast members at Disneyland Paris were required to speak both French and English. I can assure you, language is not a problem there. All signage is also in both languages.

  4. Maybe that’s why it’s just the “Teacups” in Paris, and is called the Mad Tea “Party” in WDW? Is it called a “Party” in the other locales where there’s a teapot?
    Or maybe this is waaaay too much trivia? 🙂

    Answer: You people are making me work. LOL

    Okay, here are the official names:

    Disneyland: Mad Tea Party
    Magic Kingdom: Mad Tea Party
    Tokyo Disneyland: Alice’s Tea Party
    Disneyland Paris: Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups
    Hong Kong Disneyland: Mad Hatter Tea Cups

    Notice Paris is “possessive” and Hong Kong is not.

  5. For the Tea Cups….is there no teapot at the one in Paris??

    Answer: This is a good question. I had to go back and look at my pictures to completely answer your question.

    Walt Disney World has a tea pot as does Tokyo Disneyland which was copied after the Florida attraction.

    Disneyland California, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland do not have teapots.