Last month, we reported that many Hawaiian Hula audio-animatronics on “it’s a small world” at Walt Disney World Resort are broken or missing. Now, it seems Disneyland Resort is experiencing similar issues.
TikTok user @thedisneypixel visited Disneyland Park and shared a video from the classic Fantasyland attraction:
Two animatronic Hula dancers are missing, one is motionless, and one is dancing as intended. Disneyland Resort hasn’t announced plans to refurbish “it’s a small world” or repair broken animatronics.
This happy little boat cruise started as a World’s Fair attraction before it found its home in Fantasyland at Disneyland Park, Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. From Disney:
Board a whimsical boat ride for a song-filled journey around the globe—this cherubic chorus is pure joy!
“The Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed”
Voyage along the Seven Seaways canal and behold a cast of almost 300 Audio-Animatronics dolls representing children from every corner of the globe as they sing the classic anthem to world peace—in their native languages.
Amid vibrant backdrops, you’ll travel through country after country, and by journey’s end, you’ll see that it really is a small world after all.
Spot Familiar Faces
The ride opened in 1966, but additional characters debuted in 2009—thoughtfully placed in the appropriate nations.
During your cruise, keep an eye out for Peter Pan and Tinker Bell in England, Cinderella in her native France, Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket in Italy, Aladdin and Jasmine in the Middle East, The Three Caballeros in Mexico, Ariel and Flounder under the sea, Lilo and Stitch in the South Pacific, and Woody, Bullseye and Jessie in the southwestern U.S.A.
A Famous Façade
Don’t miss the attraction’s delightful moving façade, complete with spinning flowers, whirligigs and icons of famous world landmarks. Every 15 minutes the 30-foot-tall clock tower opens to display a parade of 24 animated figures. Once the procession ends, 2 toy jesters appear and herald the current time.
“It’s a Small World (After All)” is a timeless classic and one of the most well-known songs of all time. Walt Disney asked the Academy Award®-winning brothers, Richard and Robert Sherman, who were hard at work on Mary Poppins, to create a singular song that could be sung by Audio-Animatronics figures in multiple languages.
Designing a (Small) World
Walt Disney selected Mary Blair as art director and Alice Davis as costumer to bring “it’s a small world” to life.
Classic Mary Blair Flair With her distinctive use of color, geometric shapes and simple, childlike art style, art director Mary Blair was known for her unique visual aesthetic. Her colored paper collages give you the impression of sailing through an illustrated children’s book.
Authentic Costumes Under the direction of designer Alice Davis (with help from her husband, Imagineer Marc Davis), Disney seamstresses sewed over 300 costumes in all. Authentic materials were used for each region’s traditional attire, from silks for the saris of India and fine wool for the Scottish bagpiper.
Credit: Disney
Disney History, After All
“it’s a small world” was created for the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair. Personally overseen by Walt Disney in support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the attraction was a huge hit for 2 seasons at the fair and was eventually shipped back to Disneyland park, where it opened on May 28, 1966.
Some familiar new faces debuted in with the addition of dolls representing Disney and Pixar characters—thoughtfully placed in the appropriate nations.
Due to its immense popularity, the attraction has been replicated around the world and is considered a Walt Disney classic.
Have you noticed any issues with “it’s a small world?”
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