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September 4, 2008

A Few Thoughts On Disneyland's (Controversial) "it's a small world" Upgrade

Elaine and I are off to Disneyland later this month, and one of the attractions we won't be riding is "it's a small world".

(It's closed for refurbishment through November 29.)

The refurbishment isn't a new thing - the ride's been offline for months - but as I was researching the state of the park for our trip (Haunted Mansion and Fantasmic! are also closed ... sigh), I was reminded about what a crazy firestorm of criticism Disney got subjected to when it announced the rehab in the first place.

The Disneyland version of "small world" is old - it's the original, the one built for the 1964 World's Fair. And, after drilling that song into everybody's head for the last 44 years, the ride, unsurprisingly, needs a bit more than a paint job and some new screen doors.

(Incidentally, one big improvement - pun intended - that's being made is to widen and deepen the fiberglass canals that carry riders through the building. Seems that tourists are a bit bigger in 2008 than they were in 1964, and, as such, it's not uncommon for boats to, uh, bottom out and get stuck. The new-n'-improved "small world" will address this issue. Be sure to read Al Lutz's article from Oct '07 for the juicy details.)

The problem with the rehab is that, in addition to the road-widening initiative, Disney is also "plussing" the attraction to make it more modern. They're cleaning up the audio-animatronics, adding a new "USA" section, and (this is the supposedly-offensive part) adding a handful of Disney characters to the lands where they're "from" (e.g., Mulan is in China, Aladdin in Persia, Lilo & Stitch in Hawaii, and so on).

Yeah, let that one sink in for a minute. (The nerve, right?)

Some Disney fans have seriously lost their shit over this. There are "Save the Rainforest" petitions on the Internet, open letters from the upset family of Mary Blair (one of the original artists and designers of the ride); these led to an open-letter response from Disney itself, and, when that didn't do, legendary Disney Imagineer Marty Sklar posted his open letter. Dogs and cats living together ... mass hysteria.

Honestly, I don't see what all the fuss is about.

Al Lutz (who I read, respect, and adore) wrote the following earlier this year:

"The premise behind small world is simple, it's a ride about 'the children of the world' and for over forty years it has continued to pull in solid rider numbers despite a gradual decline in show quality. Thanks to an extremely well executed holiday makeover it has even grown those numbers to become a vital component of the Christmas season plans for the park.

So why mess with the successful original concept by turning it into a character hunt? Why not just restore and enhance the original? Forget the American section, we're the hosts you know."

Here's the thing - none of what Disney is doing in Anaheim is new. The Disneyland Paris version of "small world" has a "USA" section. Hong Kong Disneyland has the characters (you can view a ride-through here). The Anaheim version of the ride is, if anything, behind the times - it needs to get brought up to code. (In fact, the Disneyland Paris "small world" is, without quesion, the nicest version of the three I've ridden - Anaheim and Orlando being the other two).

Leaving the ride stuck in the past has a price, too. I am reminded of my experience riding Space Mountain at Disney World in January '06. I'd just ridden the new, rebooted-and-rebuilt Disneyland Space Mountain six months earlier, and, when we hit the Orlando version, the experience was still fresh in my mind. I wrote:

The Anaheim Space Mountain is a brand-spanking-new, modern coaster with kick-ass effects and music that's synchronized to the ride. The Orlando Space Mountain is a 35-year-old roller coaster in the dark. There's no comparison between the two. At all. Anaheim makes Orlando look old n' busted. Disney really ought to rebuild the Orlando version as soon as possible. We're talking potential brand damage, here, people.

And this, basically, is what will happen with "small world" if it doesn't change with the times. Yes, I love the ride. Yes, it's cool to know that the version I've been riding is the exact! same! version! that Walt Himself rode in 1964. But you know something? Times change, tastes change, and Disneyland is not a museum.

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom is about just this thing - preservationist friction between people that want to keep the Haunted Mansion exactly as it was built, while other voices want to update it. It's a normal, understandable tension, and one to be expected, but c'mon - let's be fair. Adding Ratatouille's Remy to the France exhibit isn't the end of the world, particularly if it's done tastfully.

To be fair to my fellow Disney freaks: yes, it's possible for Disney to fuck up a ride by making it "hipper" - the travesty that is the Disney World "Enchanted Tiki Room - UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT" is a poster child for How Not To Do It. Putting Iago in the classic venue and then mocking the attaction itself by calling it out of date is clearly a bad idea. These days, however, Disney creative is being run by people who get it. It would never happen now. (In John We Trust.)

Change is good. The parks aren't intended to be frozen in blocks of Lucite, preserved for eternity As Walt Knew Them.

Let's catch our breath, mmmkay? November 29 will be here soon enough.

Posted by Gavin Shearer at September 4, 2008 4:45 PM. Posted to Disney.

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