Please desecrate the original theme

[Daniel Drezner]

Via Andrew, I see that Virginial Postrel is writing about Disney's attempts to revamp the "It's a Small World" ride:

Disneyland is revamping the "It's a Small World" ride to accommodate today's fatter passengers on its boats and, more controversially, to include Disney characters among the anonymous dancing dolls.

The family of the ride's designer, Mary Blair, recently joined fans in protest, sending a letter to the company denouncing the "gross desecration of the ride's original theme."....

"Small World" was designed for an audience that would rarely, if ever, encounter foreign cultures. Now it's a time machine back to a world in which international travel was rare and large-scale trade and immigration unknown.... Amid the complexities and conflicts of real globalization, the international appeal of Disney characters is as good a testimony as any that the children of the world really do share something in common.

I'm completely biased on this question.

The first and only time I ever visited the Magic Kingdom was when my wife-to-be took me there in my mid-twenties. The very first ride we went on was "It's a Small World." By the end of the ride I was so freaked out that I was convinced the dolls were whispering, "you must kill Mommy and Daddy" to the children. Maybe this is because I remain a Warner Brothers kid when it came to cartoons, but there it is.

I fully support anything that improves that ride, and I suspect Postrel is correct in arguing that the children would concur. Their parents, however, will likely rebel, because for them the ride is not about globalization, but nostalgia.

Question to readers: has anyone else had a bad Magic Kingdom experience, or does my reaction indicate the absence of a soul?

Comments

I think your experience indicates a bit more drug use than may have been strictly healthy.

believe me, I recognize the symptoms...

Posted by wiredog | April 1, 2008 11:45 AM

Are you sure LSD wasn't part of your experience? ;-)

I do have to say that I've always thought that "It's A Small Word" could seriously mess with people if they were high while going on that ride.

Posted by Joe Klein's conscience | April 1, 2008 11:48 AM

Time to adjust your meds.

By the way, that's not Sullivan, it's his mini-Kirchik, "Patrick." Sullivan had a psychotic break trying to reconcile his Bush adoration and his Bush hatred and was committed to an asylum. And he was hearing voices whispering, "you must kill Mommy and Hillary."

Posted by Wilt Disney | April 1, 2008 11:56 AM

I rode through "small world" at the NY World's Fair. The result was horrid PTSD with weeks of nightmares of being chased by mechanical Eskimo babies and the song, the damn song playing in my head over and over.

Posted by Ronsonic | April 1, 2008 12:30 PM

Anyone that favors the Warner Brothers animation is OK in my book.

Posted by Yancey Ward | April 1, 2008 12:57 PM

Like me, you have no soul. But I am heartened to find someone else, finally, who couldn't stand the place. The entire experience is based upon getting you to accept the fact that you have to stand in line for hours at a time while you pay them for the privilege. After our first (and last) visit I told my kids flat-out that their next visit there was with their own children.

Posted by robertl | April 1, 2008 1:03 PM

When I was in the 7th grade, I was escorted to Disneyland's "jail" for throwing pennies from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at diners in the adjacent restaraunt. Can't really blame them for that, though.

Posted by Ross G. | April 1, 2008 1:06 PM

I have never seen more widespread agony and despair than in the Magic Kingdom on any given summer day at about 4PM. Hordes of hot, overtired, hyperstimulated and over-sugared, wailing toddlers and children being dragged by the arm from ride to ride because the parents PAYED FOR THE WHOLE DAY and refuse to pack it in when it's time to go make for the true magic of it all.

That being said, I enjoy Disney World but do have the creepy feeling that they would like to grab your ankles, turn you over and shake the money out of your pockets if only they could get away with it.

Posted by BladeDoc | April 1, 2008 1:14 PM

I like the Small World Ride.

Really. Every few years I visit Orlando (relatives, including until recently a great-granddad) and take my kids to Disney World. And I vastly prefer the rides that do not (or did not) pay homage to any Disney cartoon--Small World, Pirates, Safari, Swiss Family Robinson, Tiki house. Disney used to have a dragon character called Figment, and those rides captured the feeling of dropping into a great adventure of your imagination, which might have been inspired by a variety of movies but wasn't dependent on memorizing one movie.

They did this to the Tiki Show--it used to be this lovely fantasy where the birds and plants all sang; then they revamped it so two cartoon birds, from Aladdin and Lion King, came out right in the middle of the song and interrupted it--tossing you right out of the cool little jungle fantasy. It was an awful change. I imagine adding Disney characters to Small World will be another awful change, making it less about imagining other lands and all about recognizing a few licensed characters.

Even though I think 2 of the 3 Pirates movies are quite good, I enjoyed the ride more when I didn't have a single "correct" narrative for it.

I will admit they did a good job with Buzz Lightyear, avoiding the Toy Story narrative for one of "Here's a lazer gun! Shoot all the alien targets!!!!!!" which was very successful for my then-3-year-old son, whose score was about 20 times mine. Still, that wasn't changing an existing ride. And it did exactly the opposite of Tiki Room--let kids put their own narrative on "I'm flying a spaceship blasting stuff!!!!" rather than tightly marching them through one movie.

Posted by Deborah | April 1, 2008 1:16 PM

paid. seriously, in caps too. I suck.

Posted by BladeDoc | April 1, 2008 1:19 PM

You're soulless!

And Disneyland has a jail? Do they practice enhanced interrogation techniques while dressed up in Mickey Mouse costumes?

Posted by DSG | April 1, 2008 1:23 PM

While I love Disneyland greatly, you are definitely not alone. (Favorite related quote "Disneyland is a great place for an amusement park. I wish they would build one there.")

Among people who really like Disneyland, It's a Small World is widely ridiculed as a source of unhappiness. I think the real problem is that many small children love It's a Small World, and drag their parents on the ride again, and again, and again. Think of it as the "Barney effect" on parents, started years before we even had VCRs.

Finally, you should pause in sympathy for the Disney cast members who work at Its a Small World. They can be listening to the music for hours...

Posted by Tom | April 1, 2008 1:24 PM

You wanna talk traumatic "Small World" experiences? I was on that ride once (as a small child) when it broke down. That is, the boats stopped moving, though the animation and the music kept going. I think we were trapped in there for about 45 minutes.

Posted by Michelle Dulak Thomson | April 1, 2008 1:52 PM

I vote for absence of soul. But then, I grew up in Orange County and have wonderful childhood memories of Disneyland.

On the bad experiences front, the only one I can think of is the teacup ride. Seriously. Once, when I was a kid, I ended up in a teacup with some brawny teenager who really got the thing spinning like a hat. I was glued to the side the entire time, pretty much scared to death, and never got on it again. I haven't been to Disneyland in years, but I suppose I should go back someday just to wash away that bad memory. Either that, or target some little kid for the same treatment I got.

Posted by Kevin Drum | April 1, 2008 1:54 PM

http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/

This is an interesting blog on Disney park design related issues.

They've has a couple of posts on the Small World revamp.

The Disney purist community was happy the ride was being refurbished, but is now quite unhappy with the non-small world characters being inserted into the ride. That's what all the fuss is about.

Posted by Judge Crater | April 1, 2008 2:14 PM

Incidentally, this very topic has been the subject of much discussion over in Slate's Fray.

Posted by Phil K. | April 1, 2008 2:35 PM

When I was four my family went to Disneyworld for the first time. It was wonderful, except, even as a small child, I hated-hated-hated the It's a Small World ride.

I'd been to the Disney theme parks several times since then (I went to college less than an hour from Anaheim and Disneyland was one of those places we would go when we had a little extra time and cash) and tended to avoid that particular ride. But my husband had never been to a Disney park and I felt it was one of those experiences you had to have.

The first afternoon we entered The Magic Kingdom and one of the only rides that did not have a long wait was the Small World ride, so I figured I would torture my husband with it.

He loved it. He loved the retro-ness of it. He loved it stylisticly. He loved the idea of it.

I'm still married to him, but sometimes I wonder why.

Posted by Kate | April 1, 2008 2:51 PM

I have never been to Disneyland, but have seen the TV version of It's a Small World so many times I can't count. That's becuase the Wonderful World of Disney is one of the greatest US exports (at least in terms of air time).

I am also not an American. I would qualify as at least six of the characters in the ride. So let's just say that I am an Irish Eskimo. We are happily dancing with shamrocks in our igloo.

Which is like seeing the entire United States as a cross between Dukes of Hazzard and Happy Days. What people of colour?

So let them put in the Disney characters. At least for honesty. And to show how closs The Simpsons came when they came up with Duff World.

It's a Duff World after all ...

Posted by Randy | April 1, 2008 3:15 PM

I have never been to Disneyland, but have seen the TV version of It's a Small World so many times I can't count. That's becuase the Wonderful World of Disney is one of the greatest US exports (at least in terms of air time).

I am also not an American. I would qualify as at least six of the characters in the ride. So let's just say that I am an Irish Eskimo. We are happily dancing with shamrocks in our igloo.

Which is like seeing the entire United States as a cross between Dukes of Hazzard and Happy Days. What people of colour?

So let them put in the Disney characters. At least for honesty. And to show how close The Simpsons came when they came up with Duff World.

It's a Duff World after all ...

Posted by Randy | April 1, 2008 3:17 PM

Randy, I think you mean:

"Duff beer for me,
Duff beer for you,
I'll have a drink,
you have one too!"

(Bart, stop bothering your sister! Lisa, drink the water!)

Posted by Matt | April 1, 2008 3:37 PM

'It's a small world' does have kind of a 'you are just escaping' feel to it; so while it is a wild, structured menagerie that compels some interest, it is satisfying to get away. Oddly enough I guess that effect is what carnival rides are supposed to have and Disney achieved that more with its middle brow ride than with the 'just entertainment.' Thanks for mentioning your reaction which reminds me of something I hadn't really paid attention to.

Posted by Michael | April 1, 2008 3:46 PM

its a ride for little kids, not adults

my 2.5 year old loved it, was his favorite ride

i liked it because he did

Posted by meerdahl | April 1, 2008 4:55 PM

I went on It's a Small World for the first time in 20 years in January. I thought I would hate it, but it didn't have a line and I wanted the entire Disney experience.

I kinda liked it. It had a nice retro feel. It is obviously stereotypical, but it is about acknowledging and celebrating other cultures.

Disney World is significantly more fun when you do not have kids with you, so long as you are able to appreciate the immersive experience that is Disney.

Posted by Kineslaw | April 1, 2008 5:21 PM

Circa 1978, my family got stuck on It's a Small World at Disney World. We were trapped for at least hour. My father to this day refuses to talk about it.

Posted by BRH | April 1, 2008 6:17 PM

I've never been to Disneyland or Disney World ( and don't feel I've missed much.) But I am with you on being more a Warner Brothers kid. Bugs Bunny is the shit!

Posted by J.R. | April 1, 2008 6:58 PM

The worst Disney experiences are supplied by
businesses which insist on holding events for adults in these parks. I've been to two conventions, once as a vendor, and once as a sales manager, where adults were "treated" with a night in Disneyland/Disneyworld, after a long day spent in seminars or on a convention center's hard concrete floors. In both cases, all I desired was a cold beer or five fingers of good scotch up neat, and some peace and quiet. Instead, I was subjected to the sounds of Disney, absent the only thing that makes such places tolerable, which is the sight of children you
love having a wonderful time. Ick. At Disneyland, I reached my breaking point when I finally sat down at the fifties diner they had there (does
it still exist?), asked the waiter what sort of beer was available, and the surly brat replied, "Do I have to list them all?" I replied, "You do if you want to keep your braces intact, you little shit."

O.K., I actually only said that in my head, but the rest of it is true.

Posted by Will Allen | April 1, 2008 8:28 PM

And he was hearing voices whispering, "you must kill Mommy and Hillary."

It must have been his imaginary friend Chelsea.

Posted by matt foley | April 2, 2008 8:28 AM

Disney is completely overrated unless you are six years old or younger. The majority of rides are thinly-veiled corporate marketing schemes that travel under 5 miles per hour. You can get a better ride and a better education by riding public transit.

Posted by Wallace | April 2, 2008 9:26 AM

I went to Disney World many years ago with my 7 year old. He loved it, but to this day, I have the horrible memory of standing in line for 45 minutes at "It's a Small World After All" and hearing that obnoxious music blaring at me. I remember nothing about the ride, just the music.

Posted by Patrick | April 2, 2008 9:50 AM

My bad Disney World (I think, I can't remember which is in Orlando) experience was the Easter Parade. Every year Disney invites this group of women from Mobile called the Azalea Trail Maids to walk in the parade in full Antebellum regalia. Naturally, they need sharp-dressed escorts, so Disney used to go to the Orlando Naval Training Center for Chiefs and Officers in Dress Whites (the choker collar uniform). I volunteered one year and found myself walking all through Disney, next to a very pretty girl with hoop skirts so wide that I had to hold my elbow out as far as it would go so my leg wasn't banging her dress. The whole parade the float behind us was playing "Easter Parade", and to this day that song drives me insane!

Posted by Richard Sanford | April 2, 2008 12:40 PM

Nice. Did you bang more than her dress?

Posted by Tony Snow-White | April 2, 2008 8:01 PM

When I was 7 I got stuck in the Haunted Mansion in Disney World. It turns out that there is nothing inherently scary about a wall of glowing spiders when you're sitting in the room for 10 minutes (of course, I can't remember anything about that ride being scary). I think getting stuck in the Small World ride would have been far worse.

Posted by Mario | April 2, 2008 10:22 PM

Come on people, surely you have seen the movie Shrek, where Shrek encounters a sendup of "Small World" when Shrek activates this music box in a deserted "Farquar World."

Toy Story is Disney while Shrek is from their competition (SKG Dreamworks). The premise of Shrek is that the Disney stand-in is laying off its "storybook characters", who end up in Shrek's swamp and on his doorstep.

I have also heard that the Lord Farquar character (voice of John Lithgow) was a dig at Michael Eisner.

Posted by Paul Milenkovic | April 2, 2008 10:40 PM

It looks like the majority of you are whinging killjoys.

Posted by Youngblood | April 3, 2008 1:57 AM

I understand that the Disney interns have informal competitions every now-and-again to see who can tolerate the most number of continuous rides.
Which means my mom should probably get some kind of medal for the number of times I played the song as a child.

Posted by Nony Mouse | April 3, 2008 12:14 PM