Something Disney parks is notorious for is turning Disneyland into a magical Christmas wonderland during the second or third weekend in November. Christmastime at Disneyland is one of the most popular times of the year to visit, to smell the glorious scents of the fresh baking, see the castle lit up in thousands of lights, and greet Mickey and Minnie in their holiday gear. Majority of the attractions remain the same during Christmas, aside from the already-made-over Haunted Mansion Holiday which stays up until January the next year. Another attraction that gets a major makeover during the Christmas season is it’s a small world, where it transforms into the vibrant “it’s a small world Holiday”.

It’s a small world holiday by Tom Bricker. Image from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tombricker/38593096182/in/photolist-a3W6MU-aK7aPg-6ACGC5-hoMpJg-7AWtQm-ewz9xZ-kz5ZHc-9EyRb7-7JBgY4-aRyFwn-fjtNv1-8UDvgj-a57Fqz-6UfTHd-9bwefM-7gHKgY-8TY6Em-21sB2vN-aRRqER-6dktmA-21NkGW3-jVKxRR-9UQHd7-8x56EK-aVztw2-7vszqP-7cFUYR-6se8cL-65nimE-9BzZU3-7p9NVZ-6V2Jeg-6xrLCk-7BFK1z-6ZgMSh-6vX1TN-7PD81f-6DmXkH/

A Brief History of it’s a small world

In 1964, the New York World’s Fair was held to give a chance to large corporations to present their new innovative products to consumers. It was also a chance for many countries, large cities, and brands to come together in one place to celebrate the theme of the fair, which was “Peace Through Understanding”. There was 650 acres of pavilions featured, with hundreds of restaurants and attractions. Some of the corporations that were involved were General Motors, AT&T, Ford, Chrysler, Pepsi Cola, and of course our very own Disney.

Disney contributed the Carousel of Progress, The Skydome Spectacular, The Toucan and Parrot Electric Utility Show sponsored by General Electric, the Ford Magic Skyway, International Gardens, Auto Parts Harmonic sponsored by Ford, the Greatest Moments with Mr. Lincoln in the Illinois pavilion, and Children of the World sponsored by Pepsi. Disney put together the Children of the World attraction in 11 months with the art stylings of Mary Blair, animatronic design genius of Marc Davis, and sculpting techniques of Blaine Gibson. The iconic music was written by Disney’s trusted composers, the Sherman Brothers, who had just finished working on the Mary Poppins soundtrack. Walt loved the “it’s a small world” song so much, that he had renamed the attraction after it. The attraction was an instant hit at the World’s Fair, bringing in over 10 million tickets.

Because of the success of the ride, Walt and the WED team felt that it only made sense to relocate it to Disneyland the following year. The entire attraction was shipped to Anaheim, and was reassembled for the grand opening on May 28, 1966.

“Mary Blair’s illustrations were, of course, the spark. But this was one of those great Disney “team efforts,” and many Disney legends joined her: Marc Davis; Blaine Gibson; Rolly Crump, Harriet Burns and numerous others. And, of course, Bob and Dick Sherman added that song we can’t get out of our heads. I interfaced with all of them to write and produce a 24-page souvenir book that was sold at the Fair, because Walt wanted to showcase and thank the team for an extraordinary accomplishment.”

— Martin A. Skylar

The Opening of it’s a small world Holiday

Though Disneyland was already highly successful during the holiday season, it’s the continuous goal of a growing business to find ways to improve. This is when the idea of a holiday overlay for an attraction came about, and it’s a small world was the perfect place to add new and exciting elements to. It’s a small world closed in October 1997, and reopened a month later on November 25th 1997 as a winter wonderland. This was the first major makeover the attraction had seen since 1966. Though the new overlay was supposed to be taken down on January 4th of 1998, it was extended until January 25th due to popular demand. The goal of the overlay was to show guests how the holidays are celebrated in various different countries.

It’s a small world holiday in January 1988. Photo by: Werner Weiss. Image from: https://www.yesterland.com/swholiday.html

The Details of it’s a small world holiday

If you have never had the opportunity to ride it’s a small world during the time of the overlay, you’re missing out on a lot of excitement. You’re first greeted by the garden topiaries decorated in Santa hats and bows. A Santa Claus hat is also fitted right on top of the clock face at the center of the attraction façade. At night, the exterior of the ride is lit up in 50,000 lights, with another 350,000 lights surrounding it. Also once it hits evening, every 15 minutes those lights turn into a spectacular light and projection show.

Your small world boat remains the same, but the adventure you go in once you enter the boat is completely different. You’re greeted with large “Happy Holidays” signage as you make your way into the building. Toys, bells, snowflakes, and elves are featured throughout the ride. Your boat travels throughout 10 different scenes, showing you how each country celebrates for the holidays. In the first scene, there’s a magnificent lit-up sculpture that hangs above you. The next scene, which is a crowd favourite, has a Christmas tree that has 150 candles upon it. Your boat passes through a gingerbread house entrance, and you’re surrounded by even more Christmas decor and sparkling lights.

As you approach the last scene of the attraction, you are met face-to-face with a 14-foot bright white snowman who towers above with a “Happy Holidays” sign in hand. The snowman was added in 2011. It is a marvelous sight to see.

The it’s a small world holiday soundtrack

Who could ever dream of replacing the Sherman Brother’s title song it’s a small world? Well, Disney sure could! In order to fit the Christmas theme of the new overlay, Disney remixed the iconic song with Deck the Halls and Jingle Bells. The dolls can be heard singing both songs in multiple different languages. It really ties together the entire experience.

2019 Updates

In 2019, a new addition was added to the ride to make it even more immersive: scents. Something that Disney-lovers always rave about is the fact that they could “smell oranges” while riding the former “Soarin’ Over California” attraction in California Adventure. This is a memory that sticks out for a lot of people, and it only makes sense to bring it back in a different way. And what’s better than a holiday smell? There were 3 scents that were added throughout the ride: a cherry blossom scent in Asia, a holiday cinnamon scent and tropical coconut scent in the South America section.

Fastpasses were introduced for this ride in 1999, as it proved to be one of the most popular attractions from November to January. They were taken away until 2005 when it was reimplemented. They returned again in 2017, and were brought back once again for 2019.

Reference list:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/en-ca/events-tours/holidays-at-the-disneyland-resort/

https://www.disneytouristblog.com/crowd-calendar-disneyland/

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/06/1964-the-new-york-worlds-fair/100749/

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/1964_New_York_World%27s_Fair

https://thekingdominsider.com/history-ride-small-world/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Small_World

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/It%27s_a_Small_World_Holiday

https://www.yesterland.com/swholiday.html

https://thedisneyblog.com/2019/11/07/11-fun-facts-about-its-a-small-world-holiday/

https://dapsmagic.com/2017/11/its-a-small-world-holiday-a-christmas-tradition-at-the-disneyland-resort/

https://touringplans.com/disneyland/attractions/its-a-small-world