Hate it. Love it. Love it. Hate it. Riders' reactions to this musical boat ride swing back and forth like Faye Dunaway getting slapped around by Jack Nicholson at the end of "Chinatown."
For many, "It' a Small World" exemplifies the cliche "too much of a good thing." The first time you hear it, the Shermans Brothers' cheery musical theme delights, full of sunshine and optimism. Mary Blair's vibrant design smartly encases early 20th-century Americana within a context of 1960's mod style, with hundreds of same-sized, same-shaped dolls performing the Shermans' tune.
A few moments into your first ride, the music and setting refresh your spirit with a deep breath of good cheer and optimism. But by the end of the 10-minute ride, the constant repetition - of dolls and of music - has reduced the experience to theme park minimalism. It's Philip Glass, if he'd been commissioned by your local kindergarten.
Of course, some people cherish "It's a Small World," and wouldn't change a thing. (And some people adore "Einstein on the Beach," too, but no one's building a theme park for them. At least, not if there is a God.) Unfortunately for those the first folks, the wardens of "Small World," Disney's Imagineers have made changes. And those are debuting to the public tomorrow (not today, as many local media reported).
Today, I got an advance look, taking a couple ride-throughs the new "It's a Small World," one with with Kim Irvine, who is Director, Concept Design at Walt Disney Imagineering.
And here it is:
Didya notice anything different? If you've not been reading any theme park-related websites for the past year or so, here are a few clues:
Yep, they've put Disney toons in "It's a Small World."
But what about the ride's theme of children from around the world coming together, in goodness and song and purity and light?
Get a grip, people. If there's anything that unifies the children of the world today, watching Disney characters may very well be it. Disney's taken care to weave the characters within the context of the ride, gently slipping a few notes from various movie themes into the dominate melody, as welcomed counterpoints to the main theme. For the most part, the characters fit, though I would have preferred a more stylized Flounder (from "The Little Mermaid") and smaller Woody and Jessie dolls in the new American West scene, to better fit within Blair's original look.
Here's Irvine's response when I asked her about how the changes have affected the ride:
The addition of the Disney characters adds a competitive element to riding: How many characters did you see? There are many: Alice in Wonderland, the White Rabbit, Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, Mulan, Mushu, Ariel, Flounder, Lilo, Stitch, Nemo, Dory, Woody, Jessie.... some obvious, others well camouflaged.
But doesn't competition undermine the thematic ideal of children coming together? I can hear the wardens nag. Have you ever watched an Olympics? Or seen a mob of third-grade boys crowded around a Wii?
Disney's changes to Small World might just do the impossible. No, not bring about world peace. These changes might just make people getting off "It's a Small World"... want to turn right around and ride it again.
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Um, no offense intended Robert, but isn't the thematic ideal of children coming together already undermined by the fact that the ride is in FANTASYLAND?
And thanks, Robert, for the scoop!
People may call me an overly nostalgic drip, but the Imagineers are not infallible. In this case, they can spin it whatever way they like, but I am not a fan of the changes.
Kudos to Disney for a very welcome, suddle change to a beloved classic
We'll have to see if the lower capacity on each boat affects wait times. (I expect them to be bad for the first month, anyway, as Disneyland's hundreds of thousands of annual passholders make their way through the ride.)
Hey, maybe this is all an Imagineer scheme. How much talk about Small World talk has there been in the last 3-4 decades besides the boats (reportedly) being increased in size because we're all fat...err...evolved.
Thanks for the video and giving us a chance to see what to expect. Great job!!!
With fewer passengers per boat, you've got less weight, reducing the odds of a boat dragging the bottom and getting stuck. I also notice that the cast members at load were being very careful to assign people to rows in a way that would evenly distribute weight on the boat. Again, it's up to Disney to ensure that training doesn't get forgotten over time, too.
From reading many bios on Walt and taking classes about him, he was a perfectionist to the extreme...that's why I can't envision him wanting any attraction to stick around too long without being replaced if it wasn't crowded enough, for he would say, "why do we keep this silly ride when we can replace it with a ride more people will go on", or have changes made to rides like Pirates, HM, and small world, to keep up with a new generation of visitors
He always loved Disneyland because unlike a movie, where once its in theaters it has to stay the same forever, Disneyland would never be finished, and could always be changed and updated to his liking...His first Mickey cartoon, "Plane Crazy" was made without sound (because synchronized sound was not usable until the next cartoon, "Steamboat Willie"), but he went back and added sound to the short film once sound was available...he also went back and colorized some of his old black and white toons
So, I truly believe Walt would be very proud of the changes to its a small world, and I bet he is, up in Heaven...Marty Sklar was asked what Walt would say about Disneyland today: "he would say, what took you guys so long?!" and I think he'd say the same thing about adding Disney characters to the ride
I believe he would have supported the Pirates changes because, by adding Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbosa, they were keeping up with a new generation of riders who associated PotC more with the films than the ride
He would have supported changes to Haunted Mansion Jungle Cruise because they enhanced the ride's effects, and he was always in favor of new technology to enhance rides
And he would have supported Small Word because the creative vision and original story were not changed, just enhanced...the adding of Disney characters allows the ride to appeal to a younger generation of riders who associate with these characters...Im sure kids are having a blast pointing out Nemo and Dori and Ariel and Flounder and Stitch and Woody...after all, Disneyland is for kids, or kids at heart...and Walt was very proud of his animated creatures and people, and he would love any opportunity to incorporate them into his rides, as long as it makes sense, which this does
Obviously no one know what Walt REALLY would think...but I base these opinions on extensive research and knowledge about Walt: his personality, his opinion on the park, and his love for his animated creations
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