When it comes to Disney's it's a small world, there are usually two types of people—those like me, who love its charm, nostalgia, and sincerity, and those who dislike the “creepy” dolls and repetitive music. This slow moving boat ride gives guests a scenic tour of 29 different countries and regions of the world, depicting their customs, architecture, and natural wonders. It features almost 300 smiling audio-animatronic dolls dressed in authentic traditional costumes and singing the well-known Disney anthem of unity and world peace. Whether you love it or can't stand it, this classic attraction is a strand of Disney theme park DNA.
From the initial concept to the finished design, Walt Disney was directly involved in the development of it's a small world. So even if the ride itself isn't your idea of a good time, it's still a major piece of Disney history. Before its introduction, riding in a boat through a scenic environment wasn't a thing, and the use of animatronic characters on attractions was still novel. This happy tribute to the children of the world ushered in an entirely new type of ride and influenced the development of many more attractions to come.
In honor of the attraction's 60th anniversary year – the ride first debuted at the 1964 New York World's Fair as we share below – we wanted to share some favorite secrets about this beloved attraction.
10 Things You Might Not Know About “it's a small world”
Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.
it’s a small world is so famed that chances are it’s on your cultural radar even if you’ve never been to Disney World or Disneyland. If nothing else, you’ve probably heard its earworm of a title song.
However, you might not know some of the more interesting details about this classic Disney ride. Which artist influenced its iconic aesthetic? Where did guests first experience the attraction? Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions and more!
It Debuted at the 1964 World's Fair
Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.
Before it came to Disneyland, it’s a small world debuted as a last-minute attraction at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Disney used several World’s Fair attractions to test concepts and develop entertainment and ride systems for Disneyland, including others, like the Carousel of Progress and Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.
Now synonymous with Disney Imagineering, WED Enterprises (named for Walter Elias Disney) created it's a small world under Pepsi sponsorship to honor the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. They called it Pepsi-Cola Presents Walt Disney’s “it’s a small world” – A Salute to UNICEF and all the World’s Children (imagine that on a ride marquee). It was so popular, it hosted 10 million children during the New York City run! Tickets sold for 60 cents per child and 95 cents per adult, and the proceeds went to UNICEF.
It's a Disneyland Original
Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.
Given the high demand for it’s a small world at the World's Fair from 1964-1965, Disney packed it up and shipped it across the country to California, where it became a permanent attraction at Disneyland. Disney added a large new panoramic outdoor facade featuring a 30-foot smiling clock that rocks back and forth as it ticks. The clock strikes each quarter-hour, and a parade of wooden dolls dances out of its base. When the last doll goes back inside, a large pair of central doors swings open to reveal toy blocks displaying the hour and minutes.
Imagineers also added a new scene representing Oceania, which had originally been left out of the World's Fair version due to time constraints, along with new rooms greeting guests and bidding them farewell in different languages.
Because of its popularity at Disneyland, it's a small world has been replicated in Disney parks around the world, including Walt Disney World in Florida, where it was an opening day attraction in 1971. Still, the original Disneyland version is kind of a big deal.
Water From Around the World Went Into the Ride Canal
Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.
To honor the spirit of the attraction, Walt Disney invited 16 children from all over the globe to attend the dedication ceremony at Disneyland on May 28, 1966. He requested that each child bring a vial of water from their nearest sea to pour into the Seven Seaways Canal, symbolizing unity and peace. Obviously, that same water no longer flows in the canal nearly 60 years later, but the historical gesture is just one of the secrets that make the ride at Disneyland so special.
An Iconic Disney Artist Heavily Influenced the Style of the Ride
Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.
If you’ve watched Disney animated classics like Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, or Cinderella, you’re familiar with the child-like modernist art style of Mary Blair. Her work is often reminiscent of picture book illustrations, which makes sense because she worked as an illustrator for Little Golden Books at one time. Walt Disney was so impressed with Blair's unique use of color and geometric shapes, he hired her as the art director for many of his animation projects. Her bright 2D paintings, paper collages, and concept art became style references for several iconic Disney features, attractions, and resort designs.
Mary Blair contributed many elements to the design of it's a small world, including its striking, sometimes dissonant primary color scheme. Using paper cut-outs, she created unifying architectural principles that could be applied to each country, reinforcing the “small world” theme. The look of the dolls themselves, with their big heads and tiny features, comes directly from a series of Hallmark cards she designed for Disney in the 1940s. Finally, her design for the attraction's facade, using rectangles, squares, triangles, and circles fitted together to hint at temple fronts and minarets, was an important reference for the final product.
Academy Award-winning Songwriters Penned the Title Song
Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.
Originally, the soundtrack for the “Children of the World” attraction (a working title) was going to feature the national anthems of every country represented on the ride, playing in their respective areas simultaneously. Walt Disney decided this idea was better in theory than it sounded in reality and brought in his longtime staff song-writers Richard and Robert Sherman (affectionately known as “The Boys”) to write a new theme song for the ride.
Disney wanted a single tune that could be translated into many languages and played as a round. The Sherman Brothers, who were already working on the Academy Award winning music for Mary Poppins, wrote “It's a Small World (After All)” with the Cuban Missile Crisis in mind. This event influenced the song's message of peace and camaraderie.
At first, they presented their composition to Disney as a ballad, but he wanted something more cheerful and upbeat. So, they increased the tempo and sang it in counterpoint. Walt was so delighted with the result, he named the attraction for the song. It now plays about 1,200 times a day at each park in English, Japanese, Swedish, Italian, and Spanish!
Bonus Secret: You can find a sun and a moon in every room on the ride, because the song says,
“There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to ev'ryone.”
The Disneyland Version Features Characters from Disney Movies
Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.
Another detail that sets the Disneyland version of the ride apart is the 2009 addition of Disney characters planted among the dolls in their countries of origin. You can find Peter Pan, Tink, Alice, and the White Rabbit in England; Cinderella, Gus, and Jac in France; Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket in Italy; Aladdin, Jasmin, carpet, and Abu in the Middle East; Mulan and Mushu in China; Simba, Pumbaa, and Timon in Africa; the Three Caballeros (Donald Duck, Jose and Panchito) in Latin America; Ariel, Flounder, Dory, Marlin, Lilo, and Stitch in the South Seas; and Woody, Jessie and Bullseye are in the North American Southwest.
We would love to see an update on these character cameos—perhaps the Rivera family from Coco in Mexico, Anna, Elsa, and Olaf in Norway, or the cast from Encanto in South America?
Each Doll's Face Is Identical
Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.
They may have different skin tones, hair color, clothing, and props, but the animatronic dolls on it's a small world are all the same size and shape. A keen observer will also notice the same smiling face on every doll. This is all an intentional part of the design, reinforcing the thematic idea that our shared human experience makes us the same in some big important ways!
Authentic Costumes
Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.
Designer Alice Davis, wife of Imagineer Marc Davis, created the traditional clothing for the dolls in each region. Disney seamstresses sewed over 300 culturally accurate costumes, using authentic materials from their native countries. The Scottish bagpiper is outfitted in fine wool tartan, while the dolls in India don saris made from silk.
The Boat System Has Been Reused in Other Disney Attractions
Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.
The propulsion system used on it's a small world was so efficient in moving boats through the attraction and guests through the queue, Disney decided to reuse it in the development of other rides, like Pirates of the Caribbean (which is a classic in its own right) and Gran Fiesta Tour in the Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT.
Wearing Your Magic Band on the Ride Could Put Your Name on the Exit Signage
Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.
At the end of Magic Kingdom's version of the ride, you may be surprised to see your name on one of the signs as your boat exits the attraction. Wearing your Magic Band on the ride allows Disney's RFID technology to identify you in their system. Don't worry—only your first name will appear on the screen, and other guests have no way of knowing who you are unless you tell them. This fun feature is simply a small private way to personalize the experience for you.
That concludes our list of facts and secrets about Disney's it's a small world (always spelled with lower case letters to emphasize the “small” part)! Look for our other guides to the secrets of famous Disney attractions!
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