Los Angeles Times: "Disneyland is jeered over ride restyling"

The Los Angeles Times continues to report on the Small World refurbishment. This time, the story leaves the Times' blog and lands a spot in the paper's Saturday 3/29 Business section. The story also mentions SavetheSmallWorld.com and our "Save The Rainforest, Save the Small World" campaign.

Los Angeles Times 3/29: Disneyland is jeered over ride restyling

[ . . . ] Walt Disney Co. isn't saying how many familiar characters will appear in the revamped ride or how prominent they will be. But relatives of artist and ride designer Mary Blair sent a blistering letter to Disney executives last week, berating what they called an "idiotic plan" that "represents a gross desecration of the ride's original theme."

"The ride itself is a classic ride," said Kevin Blair, the designer's son. "They should leave the ride the way it was with the children of the world and leave all the Disney characters out. It just bastardizes the whole ride."

[ . . . ]

Some fans of the original ride, however, fear the changes are a crass attempt by Disney to make the attraction more commercial and sell more plush toys, dolls and other products. Many are posting plots and pleas on savethe smallworld.com and other Disney-related sites.

The Los Angeles Times' Funland theme park blog also mentioned the SavetheSmallWorld.com web site today.

LA Times Funland blog 3/29: Theme park news: Uno meets Snoopy; Save Small World; Pixar parade repairs

Save Small World campaign
> The Save Small World website debuts, urging aggrieved fans to write, e-mail and call the Mouse with their displeasure. Blue Sky Disney also weighs in on the controversy.

But what have you done? Get out there and send a letter, make a phone call. Let your voice be heard. Save the Rainforest, Save the Small World.

[ Photo: Los Angeles Times ]

"Walt was concerned about the message..."

The recently-announced additions to Disneyland's "it's a small world" attraction have sparked criticism from fans that adding characters would trivialize the main stars of the show -- the Children of the World -- and make the attraction into nothing more than a 10-minute boat ride advertising the Disney DVDs and plush sold at the attraction's gift shop.

Apparently Walt Disney wasn't interested in making "it's a small world" into an advertisement, either.

From page 34 of Imagineering and Disney Legend John Hench's Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of Show:

"Post shows were developed by Walt [Disney] to enhance the exit from a show, and to provide a place for a corporate sponsor to have a presence. In It's a Small World at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, Walt was concerned about the message at the end of the attraction - it felt too much like advertising to him. He wanted a farewell for guests at the end of their boat ride celebrating the children of the world. So we created a scene that said good-bye in several languages over the music of the show's famous song."

"It was about children, the freedom of color..."

"I think it hit her at the right time. It was a powerful package for her. It was about children, the freedom of color, and that Walt had asked her to do it. Like she'd died and gone to heaven. It had to be the crescendo for her because I've never seen anything as powerful in her work. She just whipped this stuff out."

- Rolly Crump, Imagineer
on Mary Blair's work with "it's a small world."