The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (30 page)

“it’s a small world”

[
FastView:
 
A classic from
Disneyland
’s third great wave of attractions in the mid-1960’s.  Its catchy
Sherman Brothers’
song, message of multicultural tolerance, and adorable dolls make it pretty much a “must”.  The topiary animals out front were created for a different, never-built attraction.  Can you spot the
Mary Blair
doll among the 300 others in the attraction?
]

This is one of the best-known, most-loved, and most-lampooned
Disney
adventures.  Along with several other attractions and shows,
“it’s a small world”
was created by
Walt
and his legendary
Imagineers
for the 1964-1965 World’s Fair in New York City.

Disney
, with its history of conceiving charming animated classics and innovative themed attractions was a natural choice by Pepsi-Cola and UNICEF to craft a tribute to good will among the world’s children.

The attraction was a resounding success, and after the World’s Fair closed,
“it’s a small world”
was transplanted to
Disneyland
and housed in a vast new show building whose exterior, in large part designed by
Disney
genius
Mary Blair
, blended iconic architectural elements from around the globe.

In a nutshell,
“it’s a small world”
is a boat ride through
tableaux
representing the entire world, encountering children of all cultures.  This is not a photo-realistic cruise; the landscapes, buildings, landmarks, and costumes all have an intentionally cartoonish feel, as if created by children.  Colors are the vivid, saturated and pastel hues of childhood.  The “children” themselves are clearly dolls.  There’s a fantastic, childlike essence infusing the journey.

This is one of the classic park attractions that is a perennial and timeless masterpiece because it benefitted from the genius of multiple
cream-of-the-crop
Imagineers
. 
Rolly Crump
designed the imaginative modern art sculpture
Tower of the Four Winds
that stood outside the World’s Fair attraction and influenced design elements of the park version.

As mentioned,
Mary Blair
, who contributed heavily to colors and design concepts for
Disney
films
Alice in Wonderland
and
Peter Pan
, took the lead on
small world
’s design. 
Claude Coats
plotted the course of the cruise, with
Marc Davis
drawing on his visual narrative genius to contribute scenarios for different legs of the voyage, and his wife
Alice Davis
whimsically but authentically costumed the legion of almost 300 dolls.

The elaborate international cruise was going to be far too extensive to fit within the park, so the show building was constructed primarily on
the far side of the
berm
that shields Guests from the outside world and from the administrative and maintenance (
backstage
) districts of the park.  The
Imagineers
engineered the attraction so that
Disneyland Railroad Trains
, whose tracks run upon the berm, would be able to thread through the front of the
“small world”
façade, their route unimpeded.

Once
“it’s a small world”
was ready to open in late May of 1966, it was given a lavish welcome party by
Walt
and
Disneyland
.  There was a parade of children from all around the globe, and waters from the major waterways of the world were poured into the attraction’s river, which is known as the
Seven Seaways Canal
.

Queuing is part of the experience.  As you stand in line, you enjoy the whimsy of the clock tower, which every 15 minutes tolls the quarter hour and opens to disgorge a series of dolls from all cultures
.  The dolls spin, dance, and march in time to the chimes and the music, and then return to the depths of the tower for the next fourteen minutes.

You and your party can
pass the time by identifying the
small world
exterior’s architectural elements by country or region: the onion dome, the windmill, the leaning Italianate tower, the Greek columns, the Eiffel Tower, and so forth.  You can also try to identify the type of animal that is represented by each scrupulously trimmed plant in the topiary garden.

“it’s a small world”
boasts one of the most efficient queues in the park, based on a high-capacity boat transport system developed by the
Imagineers
when the initial World’s Fair version of
“small world”
was designed.  One of the reasons that
Walt
was happy to lend his talent to the creation of World’s Fair attractions was because that gave his team additional funding and additional venues for experimenting with and developing ever better attractions.

Out of the
Imagineers
’
work on the 1964-1965 World’s Fair came the boat transport which would be utilized by
“small world”
and
Pirates of the Caribbean,
the
Omnimover vehicles
that would be used as
Doom Buggies
in the
Haunted Mansion
and
Atomobiles
in
Adventure Thru Inner Space
, and increasingly fluid
Audio-Animatronics
so lifelike that people at the World’s Fair and later at
Disneylan
d believed that it was an actor, not an
AA
creation, addressing the audience as
Abraham Lincoln
.

Be
cause the
“it’s a small world”
conveyance is based on that high-capacity system of boats, about three thousand Guests per hour can be entertained.  So even if the queue looks dauntingly long, be assured that you will rarely wait longer than 20 minutes, except on holidays and peak summer days.  When the park is crowded, Cast Members open two queues, and put two sets of boats into operation, thereby further reducing wait times.

The present
“small world”
boats, introduced at the kick-off of the 2008 holiday season, are low and narrow and have five rows, each of which seats two to three Guests.  As you near the loading zone, be prepared to tell the Cast Member directing the loading how many people are in your party.  The cast member will tell you which numbered gates to stand in front of for boarding.

“it’s a small world”
is a charming, rather than thrilling experience; there are no 50-foot plunges or flumes or waterspouts, so in general the interior of the boats are bone-dry.  That said, when boarding a park watercraft, however small or dry it is, use caution, beware of slippery patches, follow all posted and verbal instructions, and take your little ones’ hands.  As with
Jungle Cruise
,
Pirates of the Caribbean
and
Splash Mountain
, the park’s other water excursions, there are no seat belts or restraints in these craft.

Once you’ve boarded, your boat will be pulled along the loading channel and loop below the queue area and topiary garden while speakers emit pre-recorded safety instructions in different languages, English, Spanish, French
, and German among them.  You might see one of the
Disneyland Railroad Trains
above you as your boat heads into the
“small world”
entrance tunnel; the trains are routed through the
“small world”
façade.

Although t
he exterior of
“it’s a small world”
is intriguing and entertaining, it’s only a taste of what awaits within.  The cruise lasts about 14 minutes, providing one of the longest journeys in the park.  At a leisurely pace, your boat winds through different regions and cultures, from the North Pole to the South Pole and everywhere between.  Dolls clad in the traditional costumes of those regions play and sing along the shores.  There’s something new around every bend and something for everyone.

While you float along, the
Sherman Brothers
’ song “
It’s a Small World”
is sung by the dolls in different accents and dialects.  The song is a crucial unifying element that threads the disparate scenes together.

The original plan was for each set of dolls to sing their country’s national anthem. 
A noble thought, but the result was a disharmonious headache!  As they did on many occasions, the
Sherman Brothers
saved the day by writing the simple but unforgettable tune
“it’s a small world”
whose words provide the harmonious message that Pepsi-Cola and UNICEF wanted to share with the world at the New York World’s Fair.  One song, in different languages, communicating one of the quintessential
Disney
themes:  that we’re all special, we all matter, and we’re all in this together.

The song has taken a lot of ribbing over the decades, because it’s so cheerful, because it repeats over-and-over as craft navigate the 15-minute-or-so journey.  But all kidding aside, it’s a beautiful song with a beautiful message.  Legendary composer
Richard Sherman
, who penned the famous tune with late brother
Bob Sherman
, stated at a Los Angeles Children’s Choir fundraiser gala where he was honored on April 10, 2013, that the
small world
song was meant to be a
prayer
–not a jingle.

“it’s a small world”
is an experience that demands multiple rides, as you’ll spot different, fun details each time.  Did you notice, for example, that when the mermaids sing “Jingle Bells” during the holiday version of
“small world”
they sing “Jingle Shells” (as in seashells), and, as befitting mermaids, it sounds as if they’re singing underwater?  Did you notice the crazy buck teeth of the Canadian Mounty that appears near the beginning of the voyage?  Why does he have buck teeth?  Who knows?  But it’s a silly, unexpected touch that little kids especially love.

To keep such a venerable classic fresh
as new paint, the great minds at
Disneyland
are always tinkering with
“it’s a small world,”
tweaking it here, and revamping it there, as well as actually applying fresh paint.  Every year since 1997
“it’s a small world”
is cocooned for a month or so during the autumn, emerging with a holiday theme during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.  The dolls sing a blend of “Jingle Bells,” “Deck the Halls,” and
“It’s a Small World,”
and hand-painted signs along the cruise route wish Guests a “Merry Christmas” in different languages.

W
hen
“it’s a small world”
was put under wraps in early 2009 to remove its holiday regalia,
Imagineers
took that opportunity to re-paint, refresh, and re-light the attraction, giving it deeper shadows and brighter colors, more sparkle, and a dreamlike luminosity.

Imagineers
also took that opportunity to add 29
Disney
and
Pixar
character-themed dolls to the attraction.  Interestingly, prior to 2009 there were no
Disney
characters at all in
“it’s a small world”
.  Now, Guests can try to find
Alice
and the
White Rabbit
or
Peter Pan
and
Tink
in the UK area,
Cinderella
in France,
Pinocchio
in a window on the Italian shore,
Aladdin
in the Middle East,
Ariel
and
Flounder
in the mermaid area,
Nemo
and
Dory
in the Australian scene,
Lilo
and
Stitch
surfing in Hawaii, and so forth.  See how many
Disney
characters you and the children in your party can identify.  And see if your ears are sharp enough to detect the subtle aural interweaving of a beloved song from
Pinocchio
and another from
Aladdin
with the classic
“It’s a Small World”
song.

The United States was also finally given its own area, which include
s a celebration of heartland farming, western cowboys and Native Americans, and the glamour of Hollywood. 
Pixar
characters
Woody
and
Jessie
of the
Toy Story
films appear in this new
tableau
.  There are stalks of corn, a constellation of dream catchers–it’s America writ in childlike shorthand, and it works.