Celebrity Feuds
Disney Ruining the World?

It's a Small WorldNo, not our world, the Small one. According to the LA Times, the family of the woman who helped create "It's a Small World" is begging Disney not to screw up the iconic ride with "idiotic" changes.

The ride has been closed since January to upgrade its boats - which some think was needed in order to accommodate the ever increasing weight of the general population. But now other changes are being tossed around.

Miceage.com is reporting that Disney Imagineers are considering adding Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Peter Pan, Nemo and other Disney characters to locations throughout the ride while replacing the Papua, New Guinea, rain forest scene with an American tribute.

In an open letter to Disney execs, the family writes, "The Disney characters of themselves are positive company icons, but they do NOT fit in with the original theme of the ride. They will do nothing except to marginalize the rightful stars of the ride 'The Children of the World.'"

Disney officials say some additions will be made to Small World but that no decision has been made on specific creative changes to the ride despite the speculation.



Reader Comments

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1. They have to change the ride because of the general weight of the population? Kids get off the video games and everyone here needs to limit their TMZ time and move! So change the name to "It's a fat world" after all. Americans do love thei junkfood,

Posted at 3:37PM on Mar 20th 2008 by It's a fat world

2. Oh great.....................now I can't get that song out of my head! "It's a small world after all......................."!

Posted at 3:42PM on Mar 20th 2008 by Dallas

3. Absolutely correct, number one poster. Maybe it should be called "It's a BIG world."

Posted at 3:45PM on Mar 20th 2008 by ReneeNW

4. That's the most boring ride in the universe.

Don't add Mickey Mouse, add Britney and Anna Nicole!

Posted at 3:45PM on Mar 20th 2008 by Shalayla

5. Wow. I really hope they don't change it. It wouldn't be the same. And the family is right: Putting those Disney Characters somewhere in the ride is defeating the whole point of the ride: The Children of the World. I'm all for putting a bigger tribute to America in there though.

Posted at 3:47PM on Mar 20th 2008 by DisneyFan

6. I actually read a longer article on this and they want to take out some of the children of the world to accomidate a huge Hooray for the USA spot at the end. I guess it is a small world, but a gigantic United States! Disgusting, the ride was designed in 1964 for the World's Fair and the theme was Peace Through Understanding, not look at how big and bloated and ethnocentric we can be!

Posted at 3:49PM on Mar 20th 2008 by Sarah

7. Some rides are not the most exciting yet I believe a lot of people remember how great they were when we were kids. I will love for my children to see what I so when they get there. I wish no changes were made so we can all keep that memory and be able to have future generations see it our way !

Posted at 3:52PM on Mar 20th 2008 by Oscar

8. This ride is an iconic original and adding Disney characters is ridiculous. Keep Mickey in Toontown and Nemo on his sub ride and call it a day.

Posted at 5:50PM on Mar 20th 2008 by MidwestDisney

9. Please don't change a thing. My husband proposed to me on this ride. Due to this, it will always remain a favorite for us.

Posted at 3:55PM on Mar 20th 2008 by DisneyFamily

10. SERIOUSLY YOU SHOULD GO SOMETIME TO ALL OF THE ABOVE WHO THINKS IT SHOULD BE CALLED FAT WORLD AND SO ON..YOU SOUND TOO YOUNG TO BE ON TMZ AND JUST ABOUT OLD ENOUGH TO GET ON A RIDE THERE. NAME CALLING WOW THATS THE BEST YOU COULD DO, LETS USE GROWN UP WORDS NEXT TIME. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY TO YOU ALL! BACK TO THE ACTUAL QUESTION FOR ME I WOULD NOT LIKE TO SEE MICKEY OR ELMO ADDED, IT REALLY DOES'NT FIT THE THEME OF THE RIDE BUT THATS JUST MY OPINION.

Posted at 4:44PM on Mar 20th 2008 by LOSERS

11. When I was 10 years old the Small World ride broke down...for 3 hours...They never turned off the MUSIC..I thought I would go insane. To this day I cannot listen to the song. Everytime I have taken my children to Disneyland, I have skipped this ride.

Posted at 3:54PM on Mar 20th 2008 by CA MOM

12. Maybe they should add more than just one little Mountie to show that Canada is a part of the world. We just went thru the ride in November and it certainly perpetuated the thought that the USA figures that Canada is really just a part of them. Almost like us Canadians getting a big middle finger from Old Walt.

Posted at 3:54PM on Mar 20th 2008 by Colkay

13. It not so much junk food, as people just hate to exercise, unless they play ball games. If not most sports fans just lay in front of TV wishing they could play pro ball!

Many High School 'Super Jockos' end up fat has beens too.

Posted at 8:28PM on Mar 20th 2008 by tomcat

14. Let's face it: 99% of us only ride "Small World" because our feet our killing us and we need to sit for a while before marching on to Toon Town.

Posted at 3:57PM on Mar 20th 2008 by Creeker

15. So now we are making rides bigger so our ever increasing asses can ride the rides at a theme park --- gee...what good values Disney is promoting!

Posted at 3:59PM on Mar 20th 2008 by a. klein

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