Disneyland Dolls Up Small World

The singing and dancing it's a small world (sic) dolls at California's Disneyland may depict young children, but the classic attraction, which debuted at the New York World's Fair in 1964, is 45 years old. A relic myself, I vividly and fondly remember visiting the fair and riding it's a small world (IASW) as a wide-eyed child. Along with Disney's other landmark fair attractions, IASW stirred my fascination with parks and helped set me on the curious path of theme park journalist. While not much could be done to make me over at this point, Disney has given some much-needed TLC to IASW and reopened the reconstituted ride last Friday. Ever since the Mouse announced that it would be introducing Disney and Pixar animated characters into scenes with the original dolls as part of the makeover, a small, but vocal band of purists has been crying foul and fretting that the additions would desecrate the attraction. So, now that the ride has reopened, has Disney, in fact, desecrated its grande dame?

After taking a ride on IASW 2.0--with Kim Irvine, art director at Walt Disney Imagineering and overseer of the attraction's makeover, no less--I'm happy to report that the controversy was much ado about not much. Yes, characters such as Pinocchio, Aladdin, and The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa now croon the insufferable IASW tune along with the children of all nations, but they are fashioned in the same stylized and quirky 60s look of the ride's original designer, Mary Blair. In most of the scenes, the new characters blend in so well, it's difficult to spot them unless you look carefully.

What is immediately apparent, however, is the lustrous new sheen that permeates the ride. "We re-feathered, re-glittered, re-colored, and relit the scenes," says Irvine. The Imagineer says that technologies such as advanced lighting gels and LEDs gave her team new tools to dress up IASW. "The colors are really vibrant and help convey the childish, innocent look of the ride."

It's Been a Treat to Work on it's a small world

There's no mistaking the vibrant red hair of Ariel, The Little Mermaid character who replaces a generic mermaid doll in one of the scenes. Perched alongside her pal Flounder, Ariel is perhaps the most blatant departure from the signature IASW look. A new America tableau, with toy-like renditions of Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye, also draws a sharp distinction from the original ride. But not so sharp that it diminishes the experience.

Irvine's reverence for the original ride and her delicate handling of the changes should come as no surprise. A second-generation Imagineer (both of her parents worked for Disney), she remembers coming to Disneyland as a child and riding IASW. Irvine’s first assignment was working with Mary Blair on the Walt Disney World version of IASW. “We would never want to do anything that takes away from the story," she says. "It's been a treat to work on it."

Now that it's open, how is the Disneyfied IASW playing among ardent Disney fans? Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix, CEO of Mouse Planet, the wonderful site about all things Disney, says that she's pleased with the makeover. "I appreciate the extent to which [the Imagineers] respect Mary Blair's vision and art style," she says. Vincent-Phoenix explains that changes to the maxed-out park, which are generally a positive thing, require either overlaying existing attractions or tearing them out. "They certainly didn't splash Mickey all over [IASW]."

Mickey Mouse is nowhere to be found in IASW, although Donald Duck does make a cameo. If anything, it's fun to ride (and re-ride) the spiffed-up attraction to pick out the new characters. Some things never change, however. It's too bad Irvine and her team weren't able to devise a way to stop the infernal IASW theme song from playing on an endless loop inside the heads of guests for hours (years? all eternity?) after they disembark the ride.

• it's a small world Ride Review
• it's a small world Disneyland California Photo Gallery
• it's a small world Song Lyrics

Photos: Top: It's no lie; Pinocchio is now in Disneyland's it's a small world. ©Arthur Levine, 2009. Licensed to About.com.
Bottom: Imagineer Kim Irvine, overseer of Disneyland's it's a small world makeover. ©Arthur Levine, 2009. Licensed to About.com.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodations for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.