Is It Still A Small World After All?

My wife and I were really disappointed when we took the family to Disneyland last month only to find two of our favorite rides were closed on the days we visited–THE HAUNTED MANSION and IT’S A SMALL WORLD.

We especially wanted to take our baby girl on IT’S A SMALL WORLD for the very first time.

I was told that the rides were closed most likely because crews were changing the rides back from their Christmas theme makeovers.

That may have been true for The Haunted Mansion, but I just discovered this morning the REAL reason It’s A Small World was closed.

It was…gasp…getting its first major makeover in 40 plus years. Our baby girl would never know the traditional ride of our youth.

For anyone not familiar with the ride, it was a throwback to the classic Disneyland many of us grew up with.  It’s beauty was in its simplicity. A slow moving boat ride through the different countries and cultures of the world. The dolls representing children from all lands were simple but elegant. And they all sang their unifying song together: “It’s A Small World After All”.

Well, apparently it was getting TOO small. It wasn’t appealing to the “younger generations” anymore. You know, the kids maxed out on sugar and television who apparently have to have adrenaline pumping 24 hours a day in order to enjoy their lives.

So Disneyland had infused the ride with more than a dozen of their classic characters–from Aladdin to Ariel the Mermaid. And…Heaven forbid…new music has been added to the ride.

I’m not understanding the need to do this. The lines were ALWAYS HUGE every time we lined up for it. It wasn’t as if the crickets and cobwebs had taken over the attraction.

I LOVE Disneyland to death. But I have to say I am disappointed with the news. You wouldn’t put Goofy on STAR TOURS or Minnie in the place of the Abominable Snowman on the MATTERHORN, would you?? Yes, they added Jack Sparrow to THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ride, but hey, he’s at least a PIRATE!! And it made sense to add NEMO to the newly brought back SUBMARINE ride. Hey, it was awesome that they brought BACK the subs!

But it’s hard to swallow that a ride with a specific theme and flavor such as IT’S A SMALL WORLD had for more than 40 years needed this overhaul.

I think it’s sad.

What’s next? A bank repo of THE HAUNTED MANSION? Nickleback songs on MR. TOAD’S WILD RIDE? Tearing down SLEEPING BEAUTY’S CASTLE for a stripmall? Transformers attacking on the JUNGLE CRUISE?

Sigh.

Bye bye IT’S A SMALL WORLD of our childhood. At least I have a tape of the whole ride on video somewhere for the kids–and us– to keep forever.