True confession: The first theme park attraction that mesmerized me was “it’s a small world” at Disneyland. I was 6 years old, on a family vacation to California, and the boat ride was exhilarating to me. It was populated with kids, bright scenes and unusual settings. I didn’t want it to end.
(The first theme park to terrorize me was on the same trip: Matterhorn at Disneyland. That’s another column).
The “small world” ride at Magic Kingdom has been front of brain lately after the addition of a character in a wheelchair. It’s a simple, subtle act that fits into the long-standing “there’s so much that we share” message of the ride.
Yet the attraction is mocked, possibly more than any other Walt Disney World ride. Here are my reasons everyone should get over themselves about “it’s a small world.”
It’s a classic, after all
We’ll get the elephantine earworm in the room out of the way. Yes, the theme song is repetitive, but note the clever weaving of international culture and instrumentation, thanks to zones of speakers that are timed to match what visitors are seeing.
And it’s by the Sherman Brothers — the guys who brought us “The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room,” “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” and “One Little Spark” in the parks and “A Spoonful of Sugar” on the big screen, amid dozens more — for Pete’s sake.
History in the making
The ride is a floating Disney history lesson that dates back to the 1964 New York World’s Fair, which also jump-started Carousel of Progress, the PeopleMover and “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.”
Also, consider the ride’s creators to be an all-star Disney lineup starting with Walt Disney himself, plus songwriters Robert and Richard Sherman, Mary Blair, Marc Davis, Alice Davis, Rolly Crump and Blaine Gibson.
Animal magnetism
While the identical animatronic dolls get heaps of attention, a menagerie of animal figures are spread throughout the attraction. It starts slow with reindeer and goats but builds momentum as we hit the jungle scenes.
On a recent trip, I scribbled a list of animal sightings. It’s not comprehensive, but among the “small world” animals are a poodle, an elephant, sheep, an asp, giraffes, a camel, frogs, monkeys, a rhino, a zebra, pirouetting penguins, an alligator, koalas, a panda, a hippo, platypuses, a leopard, fish, kangaroos and what I think is a dingo.
The laughing hyenas made a big impression on preschool me.
There are various birds, including some not found in nature, with heads that spin around completely.
It may be that the French poodle is the only dog, and I didn’t see any domesticated cats. Dogs are represented well in other Magic Kingdom locations, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion and Carousel of Progress.
Art smart
In “small world,” there are opportunities to expose young folks to more arts. Sure, the choreography of the cancan girls is a bit … mechanical, but the grass-skirt dolls can keep a beat.
There are a variety of instruments with roots in far-off lands to inspire, and visual storytelling pops up here and there, say, with the presentations of the sun.
The ‘small world’ ride probably was my first exposure to the concept of a grand finale, where the stories all come together in a new way and, of course, live in harmony.
(I believe that the only animals in that bright white grand finale room are a couple of geese, which at least color-coordinate well. Discuss.)
Moving into the future
The addition of the doll in wheelchair continues the push for unity and helps reflect the world population a little more.
The new figure is near the beginning of the ride, right after boats go through the archway. A blond boy playing the flute is sandwiched between an accordion player and a violinist. (You can hear a flute playing the theme song then.)
He’s right in front of you, but you might miss it because of the other distractions.
The doll is a good thing, but would it be greedy to want more than one?
As the preschooler behind me in the boat yelled at the end, “Again! Again!”
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