It's a small world Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
"it's a small world" (lowercase and quoted) is currently an attraction at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland Park, and Disneyland Paris. Like several other Disneyland attractions, "it's a small world" got its start in the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair, and after the fair closed the ride was transferred to Disneyland; when the other parks opened they, too, had versions of the ride.
The outer façade of the building is a gigantic clock. On the quarter-hour, stick puppets representing different cultures parade out of the clock, then a bell tolls as a pair of giant doors swings open to reveal two large toy blocks — one block with the hour, and one block with the minutes, written in highly stylized numerals.
The exterior has been slightly redesigned and repainted over the years, first as all-white with gold trim, then in myriad pastel colors, in white with pastel accents, and is currently all-white with gold trim as it was in the 1960s.
The gardens around the building are decorated with topiary animals.
Inside the building, the ride features stylized animatronic dolls in national costumes singing the title song in numerous languages. At Disneyland, boats carrying the riders visit the regions of the world in separate rooms:
- The Arctic regions with dolls representing Canada and Scandinavia, with the song sung in Swedish.
- Europe, with the song sung in German, English with a British accent, French and Italian.
- Asia, with the song sung in English and Japanese.
- Latin America, with the song sung in Spanish.
- Africa, with the rhythm of the song marked with drums then sung in English.
- Oceania and Australia, with the song sung with an underwater gurgling sound and English with an Australian accent.
- A rain forest with Polynesian drummers.
- A grand finale with representatives from all the cultures of the world dressed in white versions of their native costumes and singing in English in chorus. A cowboy and American Indian standing together are the only dolls during the ride that represent the United States.
The ride and its song are intended to be sweet, though many find them quite annoying; still, "it's a small world" remains one of the most popular attractions in the parks.
The song and the animatronic characters have been lampooned several times, the most famous and recent one being in Shrek.
During November and December, the ride is decorated with Christmas and New Year decorations, and the chorus of "Jingle Bells" and a bridge of "Deck the Halls" are added to the song.
The English language lyrics of the song, written by the Sherman Brothers, are as follows:
"It's a world of laughter, a world of tears
It's a world of hopes and a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world
There is just one moon
and one golden sun
And a smile means friendship to ev'ryone
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world"
At the Magic Kingdom (at the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, FL), the ride is currently closed for renovations and is not expected to reopen until early to mid-2005. It will have a state-of-the-art sound system when it reopens.