A scary incident recently took many off guard at Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World Resort.
Known as “The Most Magical Place on Earth,” Disney World brings in millions of guests every year, but the reality of operating any theme park is that attractions can malfunction and need to undergo refurbishment occasionally.
Regarding theme parks, Walt Disney World is considered one of the safest on the planet, and ride incidents are rare, with just a handful reported each year, they do happen occasionally. Such was the case for a group of Disney park guests enjoying an iconic attraction this past weekend at Magic Kingdom.
According to a report from a guest, it was a normal day in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom this past Saturday. As they were enjoying Dumbo The Flying Elephant, a strange event occurred. The guest reportedly heard a loud “cracking” noise, and the Disney Cast Members who were operating the attraction brought it to a quick and sudden stop.
“I was on Dumbo (counterclockwise) tonight, and the cast e-stopped the ride,” the guest shared on social media. “The orange Dumbo made a loud “cracking” sound, and once the elephants parked, it was clearly sitting lower compared to the other elephants. Scary stuff, but shoutout to the cast member for immediately stopping the ride!”
Another guest at Magic Kingdom said they were taken aback by the noise as they walked around The Storybook Circus area.
“I was over at The Storybook Circus play area and heard it as well. It sounded like a loud crack. We turned but didn’t really think anything of it,” the Disney World park guest said on the social media thread.
A former Disney Cast Member added to the thread that the occurrence happened multiple times while they were working Dumbo the Flying Elephant, but that technicians said it was nothing more than the tension adjusting. Still, cast members remain vigilant and ensure guest safety throughout the entirety of the ride.
“I worked Dumbo and know the exact noise you’re talking about,” they wrote. “We called it “clapping” probably to not alarm the guests and the Dumbos sit lower afterwards. We were repeatedly told it was nothing, just the tension adjusting. We’d stop it, report, they’d come and tell us it’s nothing.”
Though hearing a loud snapping noise at an attraction might be alarming, there is no evidence that a Disney park guest was in any danger while enjoying the ride. Another Disney World fan chimed in, sharing that there is a large zone between damage and “catastrophic failure.”
“If it helps, a lot of metal parts don’t directly break when exposed to too much force, they are stretched ‘plasticly,’ which just means permanent,” they shared. “Those parts have a significant zone between ‘This force will damage the parts and need to be replaced’ and ‘This force will cause catastrophic failure.'”
Dumbo The Flying Elephant continues to operate normally, and there are no issues to report with the attraction.
Based on the 1941 Disney animated masterpiece Dumbo, this classic attraction lets you hop atop everybody’s favorite circus elephant as he discovers he can fly. Dumbo’s faithful friend Timothy Q. Mouse helps keeps you aloft with his “magic” feather. The attraction’s line queue goes through a big-top tent, which is air-conditioned, and contains a playground, which is a perfect way to beat the heat while you’re making your way around Magic Kingdom.
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