Has "it's a small world" become nothing more than a big running joke?
Written: Jan 30 '02 (Updated Jan 31 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Positive message; Fun ride; Short Wait
Cons: Needs cleaning and repair; A monumental joke to some
The Bottom Line: Won’t be of interest to everyone, but worth checking out as a classic attraction.
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| cactus_matt's Full Review: It's a Small World |
Note: Spelling “it’s a small world” with all lowercase letters was a gimmick thought up by Disney. Just to clarify that I’m not making the same glaring typo over and over again. Nevertheless, I’m going to be italicizing the attraction’s title just so that it doesn’t get lost anywhere.
it’s a small world is an attraction whose reputation as a facet of pop culture interminably precedes it. People who have never so much as set foot within a Disney theme park will attest with equal enthusiasm as to the drudgery of riding it and hearing its infamous theme song. The current management of the Disney Company itself is quite aware and possibly agrees with the general public’s perception, and even goes to so far as to self-mockingly mention it in their films. To quote an exchange between two characters in the 1994 animated Disney feature, The Lion King:
Scar: Oh, Zazu, do lighten up. Sing something with a little bounce in it!
Zazu: (Halfheartedly) It’s a small world after all…
Scar: No, no! Anything but that!
The question is: If everyone knows how allegedly terrible and monotonous of an attraction it’s a small world is, is it really worth keeping around?
For those of you who honestly haven’t the slightest idea what I’m talking about, it’s a small world is an attraction at Disneyland and Disney World, a boat ride through dioramas of animatronic children representing different countries of the world. The children, in their respective languages, are singing two verses of a song and repeating ad nauseam. Common jokes entail forcing people to ride over and over as a method of torture. It’s not really that bad.
it's a small world was one of four attractions presented by Walt Disney at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, along with the Carousel of Progress, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and the Primeval World Diorama (then a part of the Ford Wonder Rotunda). Each attraction was sponsored and built under the conditions that they’d all be moved to California as part of Disneyland once the event had concluded. In Disneyland it’s a small world became a considerably popular attraction, and consequently Disney World got its own, more-compact version upon opening in 1971.
Who have we got to blame for the song? Credit goes to the Sherman Brothers, the highly-regarded composers behind the soundtracks to countless Disney films and theme park attractions (among well-noted work for other parties). These are the same guys who gave us the songs in Mary Poppins, the Jungle Book, the Carousel of Progress, and Journey Into Imagination. I personally don’t feel that it’s a small world’s theme song is really so horrendous; the problem is hearing those few verses repeated over and over and over, something pretty much necessary in preserving the continuity of the attraction. A few more verses would be ideal, but would probably become difficult to keep the song in sync throughout the entire course of the ride.
The idea behind it’s a small world was to promote equality and togetherness amongst the separate nations, a foray into social and political commentary somewhat unusual for Disney. It wasn’t quite as bold a venture as would be Epcot’s World Showcase some years later, but international tensions were still present, as was apparent in Disney’s reluctance to initially include Communist Mainland China. Nonetheless, the attraction’s message was a positive one, and it’s a small world has managed to otherwise remain fairly unchanged until today.
Needless to say, however, no attraction’s popularity can hold out forever. There isn’t much of a crowd outside of it’s a small world anymore; waits range from 5-15 minutes at most, even during the peak seasons. It’s primarily ridden by younger children and senior citizens, heavily as the result of its calm and uneventful ride. Nothing scary or over-stimulating here; just a slow-moving, 5-minute long boat trip, making it more or less the longest ride that Fantasyland has left to offer. It’s colorful and friendly, despite moderately stereotypical representation of some countries. As for other age groups, it’s pretty much a case of who adheres to the idea of it’s a small world potentially making your ears bleed. Some people like it, and some don’t.
Part of the problem that I have with it’s a small world is the general state of disrepair into which it’s fallen in the absence of a sponsor. It looks dirty and dingy inside, and many of the animatronics have been sitting out of order for some time. There’s a lot going on to divert your attention, but nitpickers such as myself often have no better purpose than to spot things that aren’t working. I think the general argument among detractors of it’s a small world really is that the whole thing has become a bit tacky and outdated-looking after all this time, especially if they can’t keep it clean and functioning properly. I’m all for preserving the attraction and can easily find appeal in its simplicity, but I believe it very un-Disneylike to let the place fall apart.
Then again, I’m not sure that it’s a small world could ever really gain the appreciation of its critics, even in perfect working order.
So, what could possibly be done if so few people take this attraction seriously? Turn it into a lackluster parody of itself as was done with the Enchanted Tiki Room as punishment for its monotony? No, I was never a big fan of that decision. Could they update it’s a small world with a fancy new presentation maintaining a similar theme? As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, I think that the overall appearance may be beside the point. This may simply be a case where there is no right answer.
My outlook? Just fix what’s broken and clean the place up. Regardless of everything said about it, it’s a small world is a classic ride, a notable remnant of Walt Disney’s vision and spirit with an excellent message to boot. And it’s worth preserving. Not every attraction is going to appeal to every person, and thinking otherwise is one of the biggest flaws in Disney management today. They’re just too sure there’s a right answer to everything.
Recommended:
Yes
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cactus_matt
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Location: Florida
Reviews written: 40
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