Credit: DisneyChaos unfolded at Disneyland Resort yesterday, with police dispatched to the scene of the incident.
With nearly 70 years of theme park experience under its belt, Walt Disney Imagineering is the master of immersive, magical experiences. From Pirates of the Caribbean to Space Mountain, all Disney Parks are packed with iconic attractions – but few have reached the same level of fame as “it’s a small world.”
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Even non-diehard Disney fans are aware of the boat ride, which can currently be found at all but one Disney castle park worldwide (the exception is Shanghai Disneyland, where Imagineers allegedly decided to scrap “it’s a small world” and Jungle Cruise for fear of being accused of “cultural imperialism”).
First introduced at the 1964 New York World’s Fair before moving to Disneyland in 1966, the ride (which features the iconic aesthetics of Mary Blair) features a boat tour through vibrant scenes depicting children from around the world. Each scene is characterized by its distinct cultural music and audio-animatronic dolls, all set to the famous Sherman Brothers’ über-catchy theme song, “It’s a Small World (After All).”
While the ride is a pretty untouchable feature at Disneyland Resort (by which we mean Disney park fans may riot should it ever be majorly changed), it has undergone its fair share of updates over the years.
The ride now features a handful of Disney characters at most locations worldwide, such as Peter Pan and Lilo and Stitch, while Tokyo Disneyland is set to temporarily introduce Marvel characters to the attraction next winter for its temporary overlay known as “it’s a small world with Groot.”
Seeing as the ride’s theme is world peace, you’d think that “it’s a small world” is one of the calmest spots in Disneyland Park. However, it’s been the scene of various dramatic incidents over the years. Only last year, a guest made headlines when they climbed out of the whimsical boat ride and stripped naked. Multiple other guests have decided to leave their boat to explore the attraction in the past.
Now, yet another incident has occurred near “The Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed,” although this time, the details are a little less clear about what actually happened.
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According to X (formerly known as Twitter) user @DisneyScoopGuy, the entire area around “it’s a small world” was blocked off yesterday, with cast members and at least seven police officers on the scene. Several male guests were also escorted out of the area via a backstage route.
The entire area in front of It’s A Small World at Disneyland is blocked off with cast members and at least seven police officers just escorted multiple men (not pictured) out through the area where the parade exits backstage
The entire area in front of It’s A Small World at Disneyland is blocked off with cast members and at least seven police officers just escorted multiple men (not pictured) out through the area where the parade exits backstage pic.twitter.com/z1kLlo4xtR
— Matt DH (@DisneyScoopGuy) July 17, 2024
While we still don’t know why the guests were removed from the park, it’s safe to assume that it resulted from some kind of rule-breaking. Disneyland Resort has strict rules for what guests can or cannot do in the parks, but that doesn’t stop some from pushing the boundaries.
For example, content creators have previously been kicked out (or even banned) from Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort for outlandish pranks, such as pretending to be cast members or trying to stay in the park overnight. We’ve also seen guests escorted out of the park for fighting with other guests, as well as wearing certain costumes.
However, if these guests were caught behaving badly, it must’ve been pretty significant to get the area blocked off completely from other guests – and to get the actual police involved.
What’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever witnessed at a Disney theme park?