Hop along as we Learn with Leap
Today we are looking at the secret history, interesting facts and hidden characters in
it’s a small world at Disneyland Park. Ready to get the song stuck in your head? Let’s hop to it.
This classic Disney ride is a park icon, but did you know it originally
debuted at the 1964 New York World's Fair before it made its way to Disneyland?
Created by WED Enterprises (now known as Disney Imagineers), the boat ride was originally
sponsored by Pepsi-Cola and presented as a tribute to the United Nations Children's Fund.
The ride system proved to be very efficient,
resulting in much shorter lines than other attractions. Walt Disney decided to create
even more boat rides with similar operating systems, including Pirates of the Caribbean!
Artist Mary Blair designed the whimsical, dazzling style of this iconic Disney ride.
You can see more of Mary's work in Disney films such as "Peter Pan,"
"Cinderella" and "Alice in Wonderland."
Marc Davis helped with the designing of the scenes and characters, and his wife,
Alice Davis, made the dolls' costumes!
While we're talking about the ride's creation, it's also worth mentioning the song.
"It's a Small World (After All)" was written by the legendary Sherman Brothers.
The Sherman Brothers also wrote music for “Mary Poppins,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,”
“The Jungle Book,” and other attractions such as the Carousel of Progress,
Journey into Imagination with Figment and Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room.
However, the original plan was to have the dolls sing
their various national anthems simultaneously.
This resulted in what Robert Sherman called a “horrible cacophony.”
The song “It’s a small world (after all)” is known to be the most played song in music history,
having played over 50 million times.
The song is estimated to play around 1,200 times a day during a 16-hour operating day.
There is a “small world” attraction located in five of the Disney theme parks around the world.
The ride opened at Disneyland on May 28, 1966.
For the opening celebration, Walt Disney invited children from all around the world
to help dedicate “it’s a small world”.
The kids each poured water, brought from their home country, into the attraction’s water.
It’s a small world’s charm and personality can be felt long before you even set foot on your boat.
The attraction’s facade features moving elements such as spinning flowers and
icons of famous world landmarks.
Every 15 minutes the 30-foot-tall clock tower opens to display a parade of 24 figures.
Once the procession ends, 2 toy jesters appear and herald the current time.
The ride features approximately 300 audio-animatronic dolls.
Each one is exactly the same size and head shape, reinforcing the theme of the ride, which is unity.
Although the dolls are the same, each one has its own costume,
features and props representing their home country and culture. It is a small world, after all.
As the lyrics say, “There is just one moon and one golden sun.”
On this attraction, there are actually a few suns!
As you travel through each room, look for the golden sun shining over each land.
Every holiday season at Disneyland since 1997,
it's a small world has featured an overlay celebrating the holidays.
The ride will usually close in mid-October and reopen in November for a special holiday cruise.
Consequently, it closes again in January for removal of the holiday overlay.
In addition to the main theme, the children
sing “Jingle Bells” and “Deck the Halls” in their native languages.
The facade is adorned with almost 1 million twinkling lights along with projection effects.
The attraction also added some new scents to “it’s a small world” Holiday in 2019.
The European room had a peppermint gingerbread scent,
cherry blossoms in Asia, cinnamon in South America and coconuts in the South Seas.
According to guest research, 1 in 4 guests consider “it’s a small world” a “tradition”
and ride the attraction each time they visit the park.
Do you notice some familiar faces in the attraction?
In 2009, this classic ride went through a refurbishment,
adding some Disney characters to their home countries.
In England look for Alice and the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland,
and Peter Pan and Tinkerbell from the movie “Peter Pan”
Cinderella, Gus and Jaq can be found in their native France
Italy hosts Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket
Aladdin, Jasmine and Abu are located in the Middle East
Mulan and Mushu can be spotted in China
In Africa, look for Simba, Pumbaa and Timon from “The Lion King”
Donald Duck, Jose and Panchito, also known as the Three Caballeros, can be found in South America
Ariel and Flounder can be found In the South Seas, along with Nemo and Dory and Lilo and Stitch
Woody, Jessie and Bullseye are located in the North America room depicting the southwest.
Thanks for riding the "happiest cruise that ever sailed with us!