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Credit: Tokyo Disney ResortIt’s been 24 hours since the revelation that “it’s a small world” will get a Marvel makeover, and Disney fans are still reeling from the news.
Nearly 60 years after “it’s a small world” first set sail on the Happiest Seas, yesterday marked a groundbreaking moment for the classic attraction as Tokyo Disney Resort announced plans to repurpose it as a Marvel ride, renamed “it’s a small world with Groot.”
The new Marvel overlay – which will debut in winter 2025 and apparently last for roughly six months – will see characters from the franchise integrated into the existing attraction. Each character will be designed as per the trademark Mary Blair aesthetic, with the ride’s new poster giving us a sneak peek of Baby Groot, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and other Marvel staples looking far cuter than usual.
Now that other timezones have caught up on the news, reactions to “it’s a small world with Groot” are flooding in from Disney fans across the globe. As we predicted, they’re not exactly positive.
The biggest issue for most fans lies with Tokyo Disneyland totally disregarding the initial concept of “it’s a small world” (AKA world peace and international unity). “I know this is temporary, but I find it infuriating and a zillion times more disrespectful to the spirit of the attraction than the addition of (actual) Disney characters ever was,” said X (formerly known as Twitter) user @JustEllenIGuess. “Dreadful.”
Fans were previously irked by Disney adding in iconic film characters such as Lilo and Stitch, Ariel, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland to the attraction, preferring that it remain separate from big IP. This move seems to have caused even more offense.
For many, this is the latest in a long line of IP-ridden overlays for Disney’s theme parks. It’s even been compared to the worst of the worst, The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management (which was axed after a fire that diehard Disney fans celebrated in 2011, giving you an idea of just how much this overlay was truly hated).
This is the “Tiki Room Under new Management” equivalent for Tokyo Disneyland.
I don’t use the word hate much, but I hate this.
This is the “Tiki Room Under new Management” equivalent for Tokyo Disneyland.
I don’t use the word hate much, but I hate this. https://t.co/NkCdgKzphK
— Dark Ride Arts (@DarkRideArts) March 27, 2024
More shocking than a Disney theme park rewriting attraction history is the fact that Tokyo Disneyland is the one to do it. While Marvel isn’t exactly unpopular in Japan, the franchise’s fanbase is nowhere near as big or passionate as that in the United States or Europe. Tokyo Disney only gained the theme park rights to Marvel in January – and needless to say, nobody saw “it’s a small world with Groot” as the obvious first major step of integrating superheroes into the resort.
If this was anyone’s answer to ‘What will TDR’s first marvel ride be’ then I want you to choose my lottery numbers!
If this was anyone’s answer to ‘What will TDR’s first marvel ride be’ then I want you to choose my lottery numbers! https://t.co/qxW70ewmKg
— 8 Bit Theme Park (@8_theme) March 27, 2024
On the plus side, there are fans local to Tokyo Disneyland who seem more excited about the prospect of a Marvel ride in Fantasyland. “I’m looking forward to this,” said @daisukeasakura in a post originally written in Japanese. “The character looks like Mary Blair!!!”
One user (@atsuko84_BiSH) wrote: “I’m looking forward to next year too,” while @yusebe16 claimed that they will “definitely go” and praised the fact that the poster focuses on newer characters, especially Kamal Khan (AKA Ms. Marvel).
Personally, we think the idea of “it’s a small world with Groot” is adorable. A permanent overlay would be a different conversation – and should that ever become the case, we’ll eat our words – but a six-month, temporary installation will not, contrary to popular belief, erase half a century of theme park history. Consider this our confession that we’re Team Groot.
How do you feel about “it’s a small world with Groot”? Let us know in the comments!