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

(Page 8 of 8) Previous 15 Comments

106. KR4PREZ, Don't you hate people like that? I would have called security right then and there and have them removed from the park. I have no tolerance for that kind of rude behavior. That man had no business in ever putting a finger on you, whether it was to move you out of the way or for anything!

Hope you still enjoyed your trip!

Posted at 1:06PM on Mar 21st 2008 by Vivi

107. Vivi! I went back to enjoying myself about an hour later when we ran into that family again in line for Mickey's Philharmagic and their children were so obnoxious that after waiting 15 minutes, they had to get out of line just in time for us to enter and have a great experience. And you're right, no one should touch anyone for any reason, but to make way for his belly was the "icing on the cake". I love Disney and the Imagineers' decision to change the Small World ride is tragic. They must be from the same ilk as the types who no longer give a rat's ass. No pun intended, much.

Posted at 1:27PM on Mar 21st 2008 by kr4prez

108. Ah! the pleasures of life! Revenge is a sweet b*tch :-) I totally understand what you went thru. I don't know if you have seen the postings around the park that "due to the design of some rides, we may not be able to accomodate guests of certain shapes and sizes", or something like that. I thought that was brilliant. Or in some rides, where they have put a "test" cart so you can see if you would fit in it before you get in line? Another brilliant idea from the Disney Company (although I will have to say that I saw the same thing in universal Studios.

On another subject, I did really enjoy what they did with Spaceship Earth. Totally renewed and it was very entertaining.

Posted at 1:50PM on Mar 21st 2008 by Vivi

109. Can't we all just get along??

Posted at 2:21PM on Mar 21st 2008 by 3kids

110. Sometimes change is good! For someone who loves Walt Disney World & has been so many times, I get discouraged & bored with seeing the same old things all the time. I find myself going to the other three parks more often, because they are newer & have several different events going. Events & other things are changing more often, so people should be open to rides at the Magic Kingdom changing to show off the current world as it is! This certainly can (& should) include Mickey Mouse. After all, isn't that what Disney is all about!!!

Posted at 2:51PM on Mar 21st 2008 by DisnyBabe

111. Why do Disney Characters HAVE to be added at all? I'll tell you why. In the last decade .... Disney has gone NUCLEAR on it's characters .. and how many more ways they can further exploit them. Even at the cost of some of their attractions which carry a delicate "narrative" that can be so easily messed up by it's highly recognizable characters.
There are a THOUSAND ways to upgrade this 40+ year old attraction to the standards shown at the WDW, Disneyland Paris, and the Tokyo Disneyland versions.

Disney has made many creative blunders in it's recent past that extend from Disneyland's 1998 Tomorrowland make-over .... to the Light Magic parade in 1997 .. not to mention the highly criticized California Adventure Park .. not to mention 2 later versions of an EPCOT (former) classic "Journey Into Imagination" .. Plus two attractions in WDW's Tomorrowland that are a creative joke: Stitch Encounter and the new Monsters Inc. Comedy Club.

I don't trust one PR person within Disney who state ...... they have this classic's "best intentions in mind" .. with all those above creative blunders.

Leave well enough alone ........ and let us enjoy the careful theme throughout this 14 minute gem.

Posted at 2:45PM on Mar 24th 2008 by TL67

112. All of Main Street is a tribute to America, and the entire park next door is a tribute to California. How much more do we need to pay tribute to where we already are? If Mr. "Patriotism, yay!" Disney didn't feel the need to add a U.S. segment originally, why do we need it now? And It's A Small World does already have a cowboy and indian representing the U.S.

And as much as I love the Disney characters, I just don't want to see them amongst the classic dolls and whimsical animals. The America section replacing the Rainforest, while not something that I like, isn't a complete deal-breaker for me, but combined with having Disney Product Placement scattered throughout, I now understand the aversion that many others feel for the ride. I could always put up with the song because the ride itself was enchanting, but now it'll be disenchanting. Having to constantly wince at seeing Disney character promotions amongst the original dolls while having That Music over and over again just sounds like torture.

Is the next step getting Coca-Cola to sponsor the ride, and have every doll holding a bottle of Coke? Hey, and let's replace the music with even more annoying advertising jingles. It's A Large Ad Campaign After All.

Yes, update the boat design and redo the waterways. If nothing else, it's undoubtedly time to fix some of the infrastructure after all these years. But if these are the changes that they're going to make to the ride, I won't be riding those new boats.

Damn, if I had known they were going to do this, I would have made more effort to ride it one last time during my last visit in October.

Posted at 11:49AM on Mar 24th 2008 by drb

113. The one thing obviously that would occur to any changes to this ride that would omit a section and especially an entire country, is the insult to that country or that part of civilization. Omitting the Rain Forest, as rumors have it be known, (especially at this time of age, with the deforestation of the rain forest and its effects on Global Warming. (yes it does exist, I have personally seen it)) is showing the rest of the world that Disney, as well as its affiliates such as ABC, that they do not care about the situation in the Rain Forests and Global Warming.

So I ask this of the Leaders of Disney corporation. Do you wish to insult these countries and cultures? Do you also wish to except the consequences of showing non support of the deforestation of the Rain Forest and the impact that it will have on Global Warming?

For the people that want it changed or removed. If everyone in the world only liked the exact same thing as everyone else did? Then this world would be extremely boring.

Now for those that now can not get the themes song "It's a small world" out of their heads now. I have the cure for this strange and serious illness. There are two separate cures for it so you may now choose which one wish to use. The first cure is "Won't you be my neighbor" and the other being "I love you, You love me, we're a happy family." (I find it funny on ho I have never watched that show, but some how know the words to part of the song. LOL)

Now I know that I didn't make everyone happy yet, because that again is something that I nor anyone else can do. That is to make everyone happy from one single act. If that was possible then we would not have these wars that we have.

Thank you for allowing me to have my input on the subject. Now off to see if I can find someone that really might have a say on this subject that will possibly listen to what it is that I would like to say on the subject.

Posted at 11:53AM on Mar 28th 2008 by Spockearss

114. don't change it.

Posted at 4:22PM on Apr 5th 2008 by fox

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