"it's a small world"
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"it's a small world" (lowercase and quoted) is currently an attraction at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. Like several other Disneyland attractions, "it's a small world" got its start in the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair, and after the fair closed the ride was transferred to Disneyland; when the other parks opened they, too, had versions of the ride.
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The outer façade of the building is a gigantic clock. On the quarter-hour, stick puppets representing different cultures parade out of the clock, then a bell tolls as a pair of giant doors swings open to reveal two large toy blocks — one block with the hour, and one block with the minutes, written in highly stylized numerals.
The exterior has been slightly redesigned and repainted over the years, first as all-white with gold trim, then in myriad pastel colors, in white with pastel accents, and is currently all-white with gold trim as it was in the 1960s.
The gardens around the building are decorated with topiary animals.
Inside the building, the ride features stylized animatronic dolls in national costumes singing the title song in numerous languages. At Disneyland, boats carrying the riders visit the regions of the world in separate rooms:
- The Arctic regions with dolls representing Canada and Scandinavia, with the song sung in Swedish.
- Europe, with the song sung in German, English with an English accent, French and Italian.
- Asia, with the song sung in English and Japanese.
- Latin America, with the song sung in Spanish.
- Africa, with the rhythm of the song marked with drums then sung in English.
- Oceania and Australia, with the song sung with an underwater gurgling sound and English with an Australian accent.
- A rain forest with Polynesian drummers.
- A grand finale with representatives from all the cultures of the world dressed in white versions of their native costumes and singing in English in chorus. A cowboy and American Indian standing together are the only dolls during the ride that represent the United States.
At the other Disney parks, the path of the flume winds around one large room, emphasizing its theme that the world is small and interconnected.
The ride and its song are intended to be sweet, though many find the repetitive song corny and annoying. Despite this, "it's a small world" remains one of the most popular attractions in the parks.
During November and December, the ride is decorated with Christmas and New Year decorations, and the chorus of "Jingle Bells" and a bridge of "Deck the Halls" are added to the song.
The English language lyrics of the song, originally intended as a ballad, were written by the Sherman Brothers. The song started out with a slower tempo and sounded more like a mellow tune. It wasn't until later on that it changed into what it is today.
At the Magic Kingdom in Florida, the ride recently reopened with a state-of-the-art sound system, a few new animatronic figures, and a loading area similar to the ride's façade at Disneyland.
The song and the ride have been the subjects of numerous parodies:
- In the film Shrek
- By Disney's own film The Lion King and Jim Henson's MuppetVision 3D attraction
- An episode of The Simpsons, "Selma's Choice," featuring Duff Gardens and its Little Land of Duff ride ("Duff beer for me/Duff beer for you/I'll have a Duff/You have one too!")
- An episode of the television series Courage the Cowardly Dog set in "Doc Gerbil's World," an underground river complete with Audio-Animatronics and a repeating, monotonous soundtrack.
- An episode of My Life As A Teenage Robot, where Brad, Tuck, and Jenny are at an amusement park and ride on a ride called The World Ain't Big.