It's a Small World of understanding

By: Scott Dennis

Posted: 5/9/08

Walt Disney's "It's a Small World" attraction is currently shuttered for a nine-month refurbishment.

The reason for this downtime, according to journalist Al Lutz, is that the 1964 flume ride wasn't designed to handle today's heftier population. Boats have reportedly been bottoming out in particular sections of the ride, causing substantial backups.

Since there are no security cameras inside, trapped guests have nothing to do but learn the attraction's catchy theme song until the backup reaches outside the entrance, in view of the ride operators.

In order to fix this little problem, Disney is going to deepen the flume and construct lighter boats to replace the 1964 originals, on top of restoring the look of the tired ride to its original luster.

The attraction's appearance, designed by Disney artist Mary Blair, will shine once more.

Fans of the ride (yes, there are a few) were thrilled to hear that their ride would be looking better than ever when it comes out of refurbishment in late 2008. But a recent revelation has sent the entire Disney fan community into a firestorm of controversy.

The ever-investigative Lutz recently revealed that Disney designers have been going through the ride with temporary cutouts of Disney characters, placing them in scenes throughout the ride in order to see where they'd look best in each setting.

First applied in Hong Kong Disneyland's version of the ride, the concept of adding Disney characters to Small World is now being prepped for inclusion in the Anaheim original.

Since then, Disney has defended the changes by stating that the characters would all fit the look and feel of the classic. The reason for the additions, Disney has said, is to make the ride "even more relevant to our guests."

Okay - my turn.

Relevant? When in the hell did children and world peace become not-relevant?

For those of you who've been to Disneyland, have you ever come off the ride saying to yourself, "Hmm, I really didn't get what that was all about."

Saying "It's a Small World" isn't relevant enough is like saying maps aren't relevant to a geography classroom.

Sure the ride is slow, and the song will roll around your head for days, but the intent of the ride - corny as it may be - is clearly understood. Disney used this same excuse when they added characters from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies into the original ride.

In fact, the company has cited that particular refresh as proof that, despite fans' early criticisms, this renovation will be loved by fans once it opens to the public. While the additions of Captain Jack Sparrow and company were enjoyed by many guests, many fans in fact detested their intrusive presence in the ride.

A director on SpongeBob has even claimed that while "the old 'Pirates' transported riders to a completely unique world and a completely different time period," the new version "breaks the fantasy" and "brings riders into the modern day."

In a letter to the fan community, Disney stated that the additions to Small World would be in the "distinctive 'Mary Blair' style."

Mary's son also wrote a letter, decrying the character additions and calling the changes "an insult to Mary Blair, her art and her memory and to the entire Blair family itself."

What Disney doesn't seem to realize is that it isn't the style in which the characters are depicted that bothers Disney fans; it's the concept.

Why in Walt's name would they even consider adding Disney movie characters such as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc. into "It's a Small World"?

Whenever questioned about this, the company will say that Walt Disney himself was all about changing the park, which obviously means that he (still dead, by the way) would be fine with these changes. If that be the case, then why did he not put them in when he originally built the darn thing?

It's not like he didn't have any Disney characters available at the time. It was a purposeful decision not to put Disney characters into a ride (as Walt himself avowed) whose stars are, "the children of the world."

Why, then, would Disney add its ever-so-profitable movie characters to the ride now? The first reason that comes to mind is the company's desire to sell more plush and character-related merchandise.

The other plausible motive is to advertise the re-opened attraction as "Now featuring so many Disney characters!"

Re-opening the ride with just a new flume and refreshed look wouldn't be nearly as marketable, I suppose. And, whether Disney encourages it or not, the classic ride would become (to the majority of guests) a game of hide-and-seek.

We can look to Hong Kong for a precedent. There, Disney is promoting the newly opened attraction as a ride where one can "Come see Peter Pan, Aladdin and more!" They're also encouraging guests to "Keep your eyes open" to find all 38 Disney characters "hidden" throughout the ride.

For fans, the heart of the controversy lies in the intent of the attraction. The message of the ride, once so lucid, will be diluted and obscured by the addition of familiar Disney characters.

Mary Blair's dolls were designed to look generic in order to emphasize our similarities; adding distinctive movie personalities will undeniably pull focus.

At the end of the day, "It's a Small World" is about worldwide understanding, not something you can buy in a gift shop.

Scott Dennis is a freshman in fine arts. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Barometer staff. Dennis can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.