You either love the attraction. Or you hate it. To be sure, the theme song for It’s A Small World is definitely an earworm. My grandfather used to sing it for the rest of the day after we rode it for the first time. Often off-key. Just to get us going.
But it’s always been one of my favorite attractions. If just for nostalgia.
And in light of what we are all experiencing together right now, the song has been stuck in my head for days. Forced quarantines. Social distancing. We are all affected. All over the world. This is going to be a tough road.
I think we need a little Disney distraction.
The Song
Walt Disney asked his staff songwriters, brothers Robert and Richard Sherman, to create a song for his “Children of the World” attraction. Supporting the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) the attraction was to be featured at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. In response to the 1962 Cuban Missle Crisis, the Sherman brothers created a song emphasizing world peace and unity. Walt loved it. So much so, he renamed the attraction It’s A Small World after the song title.
The Vision
Walt Disney was a visionary. And he certainly had a knack for finding the most creative talent. Mary Blair was a Disney artist and animator. She was responsible for art design in films like Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Ultimately, Walt felt her style would be perfect for what he wanted to create.
Alice Davis, Disney Imagineering and Costume Designer, created over 300 individual costumes. It’s rumored that she asked Disney about the budget. In fact, he told her, No budget, “Do whatever it takes to make these look like dolls every woman would want to have.”
The Attraction
After two years at the World’s Fair, the entire attraction was shipped to Disneyland Park in May of 1966. Over the years It’s A Small World was recreated to be featured in other Disney theme parks. Presently, It’s A Small World resides in 5 of the 6 Disney Parks around the world. All feature the same theme song. All in their home country’s language. At the present time, the song plays at least once every hour somewhere around the world.
Wherever you are, I wish you peace and love and good health.
