It's a small world
Travel around the world aboard a gentil boat ride and encounter hundreds of singing children, that teach you that this planet isn't that big after all...
"There is just one moon and one golden sun, and a smile means friendship to everyone. Though mountains divide and the oceans are wide, it's a small world after all..."
It is indeed a small world. Especially nowadays, when you can reach every corner in just a day thanks to airplanes. Television delivers images from all over the globe right into your living room and the telephone and the internet allows us to communicate with people from all continents instantly.
And Disney's It's a Small World builds upon this spirit of unity and friendship among the children of this planet.
At Disneyland Paris, It's a Small World - which can be found at every Magic Kingdom - is housed within a beautiful palace-like building. Its colourful facade reminds of sights and different types of architecture from all over the globe. But the main item on the outside of the attraction is a clock tower, that offers a carillon every 15 minutes.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
After boarding one of the small boats, you enter the show-building, where hundreds of singing dolls accompany the guests on their voyage around the world.
Even though many clichées are being used, the attraction is nothing but charming. Guests encounter sights like the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Alps and the St. Basilius Cathedral but also Don Quixote at the European section of the ride; kite-flying children, pandas and the Taj Mahal in Asia; Queen Cleopatra (also a singing doll) and funny jungle animals in Africa; a mermaid, hula girls in Hawaii and kangaroos in Oceania; Incas, Samba dancers and a Mexican fiesta in South America and last but not least we meet one of the famous Floridian crocodiles before it goes on past Canada, a farm, New York City's skyline, the Golden Gaten Bridge and Hollywood in Northern America.
The big finale is probably very appropriate for Disneyland: children from all over the world have gathered together at a bright and beautiful amusement fair.
And even though the song will haunt you for hours, you might agree - after noticing that the other guests around you are from different countries - that it's acutally a small world...
 |
 |
Tips
Don't miss the little pavilion at the exit of the ride: here, the attraction's sponsor France Telecom presents a nice little installation featuring modern communication in a detail-rich setting continuing the concept and style of the ride. Small monitors (which are housed in big recreations of world-famous sights like the Eiffel Tower or castle Neuschwanstein) offer a view onto children from all over the world and how they communicate with each other - which is almost as charming as the ride itself.
And since 2004 a newly installed interactive feature named "SmallTalk" allows young guests to choose a character from It's A Small World and through this character communicate with other characters of international children. A small but certainly entertaining feature.
From the beginning of the holiday season till St. Valentine's Day It's A Small World is transformed into It's A Small World - Celebrations with a new season style soundtrack and lavish new costumes and props. In this special version the children all present their most important and festive celebrations of the year. But there is something special to discover in time for the Halloween Festival already, when most of the decorations are not yet up: a Halloween-scene in the American landscape shortly before the finale of the ride!
