Posted by
Mike and Chris Pettey
on October 14, 2020
Category:
Disney vs. Disney
Tags:
Disney vs. Disney
Disneyland
Disneyland Paris
Hong Kong Disneyland
It's a Small World
Magic Kingdom
Tokyo Disneyland
It’s a Small World is an indoor boat ride traveling through scenes representing the various nations of the world. The attraction can be found at five of the six Disney Resorts across the globe. We’ve ridden every It’s a Small World attraction in person.
Major Similarities & Differences
You can watch fantastic videos of all versions of the attraction online, so we won’t spend time re-hashing the details of each experience. Instead, we will just point out the major similarities and differences we feel are worth calling out:
- The California, Tokyo, and Hong Kong versions feature nation-specific characters from various Disney films, among the other dolls.
- The California and Paris versions feature an outdoor loading and unloading area, while the others load and unload guests indoors.
- All five versions are located in their respective park’s Fantasyland areas.
- The large façade found on all versions except Florida is painted in pastel colors, except the California version, which as part of Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary in 2005, was repainted from pastel to its original white with gold trim.
- All versions except Florida receive a holiday-themed overlay each year during December, at which time the entire attraction is themed to various winter holidays across the world, and the “It’s a Small World” theme song is often mixed together with renditions of different seasonal tunes, depending on the country.
The Rankings (from least favorite to favorite)
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The exterior of Disneyland’s original version of It’s a Small World is hands-down the most beautiful of them all. Unfortunately, that’s about the only place where this one truly excels. Built for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, this original version of the ride was physically moved across country to the California park in 1966. And it shows. The boats travel along a very obvious canal that is physically completely separate from the show scenes. This makes the ride feel very “temporary” – like it could easily be packed up and moved to another location someday. The building is also very large and mostly hollow – and in places it can feel like one of the least “magical” areas of any Disney park. On top of this, the California original is plagued by broken effects, with some of the overhead features that haven’t worked in over a decade. In many attractions, this might not be such a sticking point, but in a ride where the primary feature is the number of moving parts, it’s a problem. We do award points for the way the Disneyland Railroad travels through the exterior façade, and there’s no denying the charm of the Disney characters that have been added into the attraction, but overall, this version shows its age not only by nature of it being the first, but also being constantly in need of repair. It’s last on our list for those very reasons.
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At the other end of the spectrum from California, the Florida version of It’s A Small World has what is without question the most uninspiring façade in the world. Simply another tournament-style tent entrance, it’s easy to mistake this headliner for just another Fantasyland dark ride. Inside though, the wide-open loading area is complimented by a view up into the Village Haus restaurant – and we love whenever both dining and attractions are intertwined like this. The ride itself is devoid of any Disney characters, and maintains a very old-school, original feel of the attraction. Today, it may be the most “true to its roots” of any of the five iterations. This one benefits from “flooded” show scenes, where the water from the ride path carries on to the sets themselves. It’s a major plus that really bridges the gap between riders and the show. Unfortunately, like it’s California cousin, Florida’s version also suffers from far too many broken props and effects. Sometimes these can literally go unfixed for years, and there’s just no excuse for this in such a popular Disney ride. Still, it’s got a great overall old-school vibe, and is a do-not-miss attraction. At the end of the day, those flooded sets really make a difference, helping Florida’s version just edge out California’s, yet still only being good enough for fourth place on our list.
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The newest version of It’s a Small World was added to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2008, three short years after the park debuted. The ride was desperately needed in this struggling park, and displays a near carbon copy of the impressive original California façade. The ride itself, however, boards in an extremely unimpressive interior load area, and the boats here travel a segregated canal similar to that found in California. The sets however are spruced up significantly – the overall tone and feel to the ride is somewhat of a departure from the original Mary Blair style. The dolls are similar, but the set pieces feel a bit more colorful and modern. That’s not to suggest this is a bad thing at all; the different tone actually compliments the many Disney characters found within. Several of the characters can clearly be heard humming their respective film’s theme songs, all interwoven into the classic It’s a Small World theme. The unique highlight of the Hong Kong version is an extended scene featuring Hong Kong itself, a tribute to the home of this Disney Park. Overall, the effects are more reliable here, and the finale utilizes some impressive fiber optic tech not found in any other version. It’s all good enough to make this version of It’s a Small World the third best in the world.
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Complimenting the gorgeous landscapes of the Paris park, this version of It’s a Small World impresses with it’s beautiful outdoor loading area, fountains, and landscaping. It’s a sight to behold, surpassed (only slightly) by the California original. After boarding the boat, and traveling along a covered outdoor portion, the ride heads inside and directly into a very elaborate extended European scene…completely understandable, given the location. From there, the guests enjoy a very vibrant and exciting version of the attraction with a completely different tone from any other. The Disney characters are missing, and the dolls retain their original look, but the set pieces are much more modern, with their own unique style. This version of the ride also lacks the hard transitions from room to room, country to country. Instead, the journey “around the world” flows very naturally, and the ride feels nearly like one large uninterrupted set piece. This version of the attraction also contains the flood sets, which enhance the experience by creating that fantastic connection between set pieces and guests. Finally, the ride returns to a covered outdoor section before reaching the unloading area, passing more of the gorgeous outdoor scenery. In a park that already has a lot going for it visually, the Paris version of It’s a Small World is just one more optical highlight – and the second-best version of the attraction in the world.
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At its core, It’s a Small World is all about quantity. It’s about showcasing the nations of the world with hundreds of colorful moving pieces and parts, giving riders more to see than can be experienced in a single journey. And this is where the Tokyo version really excels. After walking through a large replica of the California original façade, the interior queue and loading area are filled with their own set of unique animatronics and props. Guests are then transported into an idealized version of the attraction where many things may look familiar, but everything works. We’ve raved regularly about Tokyo’s preventative maintenance program, and perhaps nowhere in Tokyo Disneyland park is this more obvious than It’s a Small World. Everything functions as it should here – from the mouths on every doll, to the high-wire acrobats, to the spins and dances of every single nation. It’s one of those moments that screams: this is how the ride should always be! Now throw in a laundry list of “greatest hits” from the other versions around the world: the fantastic flooded sets from Paris and Florida, the whimsical Disney characters from California and Hong Kong (the most of any version, including some rarities!), and the original charming Mary Blair style from California and Florida. It all makes Tokyo’s It’s a Small World a near-perfected version of the attraction – and as a result it sits rightfully atop our list as the best in the world.
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Written by
Mike and Chris Pettey
YOUR THOUGHTS?
Agree or disagree with our rankings? Have you experienced any of these attractions – either in person, or virtually via the internet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
5 Comments
Ridiculous. To have Disneyland ranked below Florida is RIDICULOUS. It is both an affront to history, Mary Blair’s legacy and common sense.
I completey agree to all. Just came back from Tokyo Disneyland and did Its a small world at each of every other loactions.
I was completely blown away by Tokyo’s perfect version!
Rides like these is where Tokyo’s maintenance program really shows its strength – and helps set apart a lot of their attractions as the best in the world. It makes a huge difference for us when everything is working correctly, and in pristine condition. Thanks for the comment!
I think that florida’s one has less immersive sets compared to california’s. However i like the way florida’s flume connects to the sets and water around.
The flooded sets in Florida is what gives that one the edge for us.