Disney's "it's a small world" Confirmed to Shutdown Soon, Retheme Incoming

An iconic Disney park ride is closing soon.

A colorful scene from the "It's a Small World" ride at a theme park. The image shows an ornate boat with a doll dressed in traditional attire, carrying a drum. In the background, three other dolls, also traditionally dressed, play handheld drums. — Credit: Disney

Disney has an incredible amount of classic theme park rides and attractions under its belt, some of which are considered the best in the world. Though they are all years old, rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan’s Flight, Haunted Mansion, and Alice in Wonderland still hold something other theme parks simply don’t have: Disney magic.

These attractions are quintessential parts of not only Disney but theme park history. However, there’s one ride so ubiquitous that we probably didn’t even need to mention it for you to visualize it.

Love it or hate it, “it’s a small world” has taken riders around the world for decades. The boat ride can be found at both of Disney’s U.S. theme parks, as well as locations around the world.

The version of the ride found at Tokyo Disney Resort is especially exciting to talk about, as the resort is about to give “it’s a small world” a very big update.

A person with glasses and long hair tied back is sitting on the floor, carefully working on a small costume for a tree-like character with a head of leaves. In the background, another person is adjusting a figure dressed as Thor from Marvel. Various tools and equipment are scattered around. — Credit: Disney

Starting December 27, 2025, “it’s a small world with Groot” will return to Tokyo Disneyland. The special overlay does not have an end date.

The attraction will close on November 27.

Tokyo Disney’s “it’s a small world with Groot” initially started this January and ran through June 30, 2025. The new take on the classic ride features a variety of Marvel characters, all of whom carry on the same endearing styling of the original “It’s a Small World.”

“Groot from the Guardians of the Galaxy series and his friends from Marvel Studios’ movies will be visiting Earth,” reads the official announcement on the Tokyo Disney Resort website. “Look forward to meeting friends from all over the world and spending the holidays surrounded by children!”

In one of the most surprising and divisive moves from Tokyo Disney, the resort transformed its version of “it’s a small world” into a new Marvel-themed adventure earlier this year. The actual ride remained the same, only with references to the Marvel Cinematic Universe sprinkled in.

Disney concept artwork for the new Space Mountain expansion coming to Tokyo Disneyland. — Credit: Disney

Much like Disney’s American theme parks, Tokyo Disney Resort is undergoing significant changes of its own. Work is currently underway on updating Tokyo Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, which includes the complete redesign of Space Mountain.

The classic roller coaster had been a part of Tokyo Disneyland for decades, but closed permanently in 2024. In the year since, the ride has been demolished and rebuilt, with every piece from the track to the actual building being rebuilt.

The revamped version of Space Mountain is expected to open in 2027.

What do you think about “it’s a small world”?