Small world, big controversy
April 2nd, 2008, 3:58 pm · 5 Comments · posted by Sonya Smith
A small world it may be, but planned renovations for the It’s a Small World ride at Disneyland have fans fuming.
The 15-minute Fantasyland children’s ride closed in January until this fall for major refurbishments that include the addition of Disney characters.
“We are always looking at ways to make our experiences better,” said Marilyn Waters, spokeswoman for Walt Disney Imagineering. “We are the dimensional storytellers for the Disney parks. … We look at the original concept and intent, and make sure that we maintain that spirit.”
She said the renovations are a regular process for Disney rides in which the company goes beyond fresh paint to add new things for people to discover. Waters calls those add-ons “little pieces of magic that enrich the storytelling.”
But Disney fans like Scott Wolf, who runs the Disney-geared site mouseclubhouse.com, disagree with adding a lot of outside material to the attraction.
“I am a firm believer that Disneyland SHOULD change,” Wolf wrote on his site about the Small World renovations. “I am also a believer, however, of not changing the original concept nor theming of a classic, popular attraction when changes are made.”
Other fans have taken their objections further, like the Disney fans who set up a site called savethesmallworld.com. The site’s slogan is, “Save the Rainforest, Save the Small World.”
The site objects to the addition of Disney characters, saying that the changes risk “damaging the attraction’s core message of world peace by trivializing the show’s stars and message bearers – the Children of the World.” The site also objects to the speculation that the ride’s Papua New Guinea rain forest section will be replaced by an American-themed display called “Up with America.”
Waters said that many decisions on the attraction have yet to be made. She did say that some Disney characters would be added. At this point, she said, that does not include Mickey or Minnie Mouse.
“Alice in Wonderland” characters will be added, though, to the ride’s England area where a giant chessboard pattern and red rose trees are already included, both symbols of the “Alice” movie. Further, she said Alice and the White Rabbit will be based on a sketch of the two characters by Mary Blair, one of the original Small World artists.
“We are taking her creative approach and are being consistent with that,” Waters said.
Upgrades to the ride’s boats will also be made.
Disney maintains that the boats were bottoming out because of a buildup of fiberglass from years of repairs and a shallower water pathway. But Al Lutz, editor of miceage.com, another site that follows Disney, says that the boats are getting stuck as guests’ increasing weight bogs down the boats.
Photo at top left shows guests entering Scandinavia on the ride under a giant Father Frost Arch. Image courtesy of Disney. Photo at right is Mary Blair’s sketch of Alice in Wonderland and the White Rabbit. Image courtesy of Disney. Click on either image to view a larger picture.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
This is the part that caught my eye: “the boats are getting stuck as guests’ increasing weight bogs down the boats.” This says something about the obesity epidemic in America. People are eating so much and getting so fat, that Disney needs to change the Small World boats so they won’t get stuck. The obesity problem causes a big strain on the health care system with skyrocketing rates of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. This is America’s #1 problem right now, not Iraq or the economy. Obesity is even affecting the Small World ride!
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:15 am
I got stuck on Small World once at Christmas because the boat ahead of us couldn’t get through the water and it finally just stopped right after we got inside the building. Two ride employees rushed in and asked two of the people in the boat to get out, and they were HUGE people. The boat ahead of us started right up again and zipped through the rest of the ride normally.
I felt bad for the two employees who were apologizing profusely while they led the overweight people out of the ride. Americans really are much fatter than we were just 20 years ago, and if this ride was built for the 1964 World’s Fair then those boats don’t stand a chance against the fat Americans of the 21st century.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Being stuck on Small World for any length of time would have me fuming. If not for the fact my son loves it I would have nothing to do with this god forsaken soul stealing attraction.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
The only acceptable modification for this particular ride would be the boats and the loading/unloading area. Thats to accommodate overweight dignitaries like that 350+ lb King from one of the South Pacific islands that came in 1988. It took him 4 minutes to get him seated and 7 minutes to get him out of the boat that was in front of mine. That thing is a permanent part of my Disney memories.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Troy, you missed an article about this a few months ago that said when they have to remove these obese people off the boats, they give them free food for having to take them off the ride.