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Disneyland’s It’s A Small World re-opens

Posted by ThemeParkMom on February 5, 2009 | No Comments

Photo by Andrew in Raleigh

Disneyland’s It’s A Small World ride is opening to both cheers and jeers for the new renovations. The ride, which debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair, has been closed for more than a year for refurbishing. The attraction now has a “Spirit of America” section. And a new flume channel for boats, because the old one had sprung leaks and had so many patches that boats no longer sailed smoothly through the ride.

But “It’s A Small World” now also has 29 Disney and Pixar characters, sprinkled into the countries where their stories take place. And while many see that as just more of the Disney magic, there are traditionalists who believe it’s too much of a marketing ploy.

The L.A. Times says Disney’s imagineers consulted illustrator Mary Blair’s original drawings for the ride, to try to remain true to her vision. In fact, Disney says the “Spirit of America” section part of Blair’s original concept, but never made it into the original finished product. But even Blair’s family has called inserting the characters “a gross desecration.”

It’s A Small World was sponsored by Unicef at that World’s Fair, and it was designed to spread a message that all the world’s children are the same. Will a glimpse of Peter Pan or Ariel negate this message?

An L.A. Times reviewer says the characters are inserted in a subtle way and that they don’t detract from the ride’s nostalgic feel. Here’s a video look inside. What do you think?