Tag: It’s a Small World

Disneyland’s ‘it’s a small world’ to Re-Open Next Week

According to ABC7 in Los Angeles Disneyland’s beloved “it’s a small world” attraction is expected to reopen next week, in time for Christmas.

A flood that occurred last month threatened to close “The Happiest Cruise that Ever Sailed” for the entire holiday season, but testing began this past Thursday.

Disneyland Resort officials had said that the repairs would normally would have taken months to fix, but crews have been working nonstop to get it done in about three weeks.

Even though the ride has been shutdown, the “it’s a small world” lighting ceremony has continued to take place nightly, and “It’s a Small World” projections have been an ongoing part of the park’s “Believe…In Holiday Magic” fireworks display.

‘it’s a small world’ Closing for Refurbishment Late this Summer

“it’s a small world” at the Magic Kingdom will be closed for refurbishment later this summer.

The closure is scheduled to begin on August 22nd and last through September 15th.  The attraction will be reopening to guests on September 16th.

If You Have a MagicBand ‘it’s a small world’ Now Says Good-Bye

Walt Disney World guests are now incorporated into the finale of the “it’s a small world” ride at Magic Kingdom, thanks to their MagicBands.

The final scene of the Fantasyland attraction has signs with the words for “good-bye” in multiple languages. There are also three big screens built in to display the names of the people in the ride boats.

The effect is triggered by activated MagicBands in those boats, a Disney World spokeswoman confirms. A FastPass reservation is not required to get a name up on the board.

This “surprise and delight” moment at “small world” could be part of a series about which that Disney creative types have hinted. For instance, princesses and other characters might be able to address guests by their names without asking through the magic of MagicBands.

The “small world” system may still need tweaking. On a Friday morning trip through the attraction, the screens were showing “good-bye” words — not names — as vessels backed up for an unrelated reason back into the watery attraction.

Eventually, boats traveled by lower-cased names — that’s the “small world” way, after all — such as “tina & lloyd” or “becky, molly, & sarah.”  We also spotted a screen saying goodbye to “jackson, jackson, daniel, daniel, & erin,” which appeared to have a redundancy issue.

Riders should look quickly as the three screens are on each side of the waterway and could, in theory, need to run through 24 names per boat as they float toward the exit.

The screens with names also sport a figure that resembles the hundreds of audio-animatronic children singing and dancing in the attraction, which opened with Magic Kingdom in 1971.

The “small world” addition is the latest power given to MagicBands, which were introduced at Disney World in 2013. So far the bracelets (with chip technology) mostly have been used as theme-park tickets and FastPass+ attractions reservations. Visitors staying at a Disney World hotel can use MagicBands as room keys and make charges to their room accounts while shopping in Disney theme parks.  The MagicBands also can now be linked to Disney’s PhotoPass system.

Initially, the bands were available only in select, solid colors. Since then, Disney has developed hundreds of designs that feature characters, theme-park locations, movies and special events.

From the Orlando Sentinel

Fire Forces Disneyland to Shut Down ‘It’s a Small World’

Disneyland - Small World

Flames soared high into the sky as the fire took hold at the Anaheim, Calif., theme park at 9:20 p.m. Saturday, reports NBCLA.

Dramatic footage filmed by terrified visitors appears to show a tree entirely ablaze.

Disneyland’s own fire crews arrived and brought the inferno, mainly confined to a backstage area near the ride, under control within 30 minutes.

No-one was injured in the incident and no buildings were affected, said park spokeswoman Suzi Brown.

A full investigation has been launched. The blaze is thought to have been linked to a nearby nightly fireworks display.

The attraction managed to re-open before the park’s midnight closing time.

Disney to Make It’s a Small World Movie

DISNEY PARKS SMALL WORLD

According to the Orlando Sentinel —

According to several published reports, Jon Turtletaub, the producer and director behind the “National Treasure” film franchise, will helm the project.

Reportedly, writer Jared Stern, who has been associated with the movies “Bolt,” “Wreck-It Ralph” and “The Lego Movie 2” will be working up the script and helping Turtletaub produce the movie.

There has been no word on who would be involved in working on the film’s musical score that would play atop the famous Sherman brothers’ famous tune.

The iconic ride is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year after debuting at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.  Disney park guests can find the attraction at five Disney parks.

Disney Parks Hosts: Richard M. Sherman Performance and Q&A

IASW Google Hangout

Join other Disney fans on April 10th at 1:00pm PT, for a very special Google+ Hangout On Air with Academy Award® winning composer and Disney legend Richard M. Sherman in celebration the 50th anniversary of “it’s a small world,”® the classic Disney Parks attraction that opened as a salute to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and children around the world at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

Want a chance to appear in the Hangout as a featured participant? Ask your question in the Q&A app and we may pick you!

Feeling a bit camera shy but still have a great question to ask? No problem! You can still ask it in the Q&A app or Tweet it using #SmallWorldHangout – our moderator will be asking Mr. Sherman a selection of the best fan-submitted questions during the Hangout!

Fans around the world are also invited to join the global sing-along by visiting www.SmallWorld50.com – a “global hub” of music and harmony where guests may record videos of themselves singing the classic song and create virtual “it’s a small world” dolls to benefit UNICEF.

Disney Parks Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of ‘It’s a Small World’ Invites the World to Join a Global Sing-Along

DISNEY PARKS SMALL WORLD

In a historic, global event, guests and cast members at Disney Parks around the world will unite in song to celebrate the 50thanniversary of “it’s a small world,” the classic Disney Parks attraction that opened as a tribute to peace and hope at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Fans from around the world can join the festivities in a first-of-its-kind, online global sing-along atSmallWorld50.com.

On Thursday, April 10, 2014, hundreds of voices from Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan, Disneyland Paris in France and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort will sing the unforgettable theme song of the “happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas.”

Fans around the world also are invited to join the global sing-along virtually. SmallWorld50.com launches today as a “global hub” of music and harmony where guests may record videos of themselves singing the classic song and create virtual “it’s a small world” dolls to benefit UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund). UNICEF provides health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more to children around the world.

” ‘it’s a small world’ has inspired hundreds of millions of people through its timeless theme,” said Tom Staggs, chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Every moment of every day there are Disney guests enjoying ‘it’s a small world’ somewhere around the globe.  The 50th anniversary of this attraction represents a celebration of the shared optimism, hope, and humanity of people throughout the world.”

New Video Features People Around the World Singing “It’s a Small World”

To help announce the celebration, Disney Parks released a video featuring people around the world singing, dancing to and playing “It’s a Small World.” Filmed across six continents in more than 25 countries, the video features international “performers” – including bagpipers in Scotland, Bollywood movie actors in India, a firefighter in New York City, and members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir – to create one worldwide video.

That video and others will be part of the launch of SmallWorld50.com, the global website for the attraction’s anniversary. Fans around the world are encouraged to participate online by recording on the Small World 50 website videos of themselves singing “It’s a Small World” and by creating virtual “it’s a small world” dolls to share with their friends through social media.

The Walt Disney Company will donate $150,000 to benefit UNICEF in honor of the 50th anniversary of “it’s a small world,” plus $1for every sing-along video recorded on SmallWorld50.com and another $1 for every virtual doll created on the website, up to$100,000. Disney began its relationship with UNICEF in 1964 with the debut of “it’s a small world” at the New York World’s Fair. More recently, Disney and UNICEF have worked together to create a brighter tomorrow for thousands of children through programming that helps foster imagination and creativity.

Throughout the day, Disney Parks also will sponsor Google Hangouts that invite people from around the world to participate in the anniversary events. Fans are encouraged to visit SmallWorld50.com for details.

Disney Store adds to the Golden Anniversary celebration with the “it’s a small world” doll collection, inspired by the original Fantasyland attraction, and stores nationwide will offer fans a chance to celebrate at “it’s a small world” events. From Thursday, April 10, to Sunday, April 13, children are invited to visit a participating Disney Store to take a journey on an imaginary boat ride around the globe, learning how to say “hello” in various languages and singing “It’s a Small World” along the way. Guests are encouraged to call their local Disney Store or visit DisneyStore.com to confirm participation and details.

The Creation of a Classic 

One of the most beloved attractions in the history of Disney Parks, “it’s a small world” is featured at all five Disney Resorts around the world. The original attraction premiered at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City, created by Walt Disney himself and WED Enterprises, which eventually became Walt Disney Imagineering (the creative masters behind Disney theme parks and attractions).

The attraction features a gentle boat ride through a Lilliputian land populated by colorfully dressed Audio-Animatronics dolls representing children from many regions of the world singing a simple song about universal harmony. A team of WED artistic geniuses, including Disney Legends designer Mary Blair and costumer Alice Davis, created its now iconic style.

In 1963, Walt Disney was asked to create an exhibit for the 1964 World’s Fair to salute UNICEF and children around the world. With Walt’s blessing, Marc Davis, one of the original Disney animators, designed the boat ride attraction through the regions and countries of the world. The first version of “it’s a small world” entertained and thrilled more than 10 million visitors in New York from 1964-65. In 1966, after some major enhancements, including an enlargement of approximately 33 percent, the attraction found a permanent home at Disneyland in California.

In the attraction, hundreds of dolls “sing” the familiar song, “It’s a Small World,” in five languages (English, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Swedish). Academy Award® winning composers Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who won two Oscars® for their work on Disney’s feature film “Mary Poppins,” were asked by Walt Disney to create a simple, yet catchy piece that could be sung in many different languages while guests traveled by boat through the attraction. The resulting song, “It’s a Small World (After All),” became one of the most well known and happiest of all Disney tunes.

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