it's a small world

it's a small world is currently open with its holiday overlay. During this time the attracition is thoroughly redecorated for Christmas and the music is changed.

Perhaps the most divisive ride in all the Disney theme parks, "it's a small world" has permeated the general culture more than any other attraction. Originally designed for the 1964 World's Fair in New York City, "it's a small world" moved to Disneyland in 1966 and has since been something every visitor has to do at least once. Whether to do it ever again after that is a decision each person has to make on their own. Travelling in small boats with an endless score of variations on the song "it's a small world (after all)" guests pass approximately 300 animatronic dolls representing the many cutlures from around the world. The very exterior of the ride is an attraction with its complex cuckoo clock going off every 15 minutes and topiary cut to animal shapes.

Disneyland Resort > Disneyland Park > Fantasyland

General Information

Location: On the far east side of Fantasyland before the entrance to Mickey's Toontown.

Date Opened: 5/28/1966

# of Ride Units:

Ride Capacity: With each boat having four rows fitting up four or five people, this is a very high capacity ride that keeps the line moving.

Restraint Method: None

Ticket Rating: E Ticket

Ride Photo: No

Time Commitment

Open/Close: Opens and closes with the park.

Wait Times: Lines tend to get longer in the mid-afternoon but generally won't get much longer than 30 minutes since the ride has such a high capacity.

Length of Ride: 14 minutes

FastPass: No

Single Rider: No

Queue Description: No real themed queue, just a corral that winds around in front of the building's facade.

Access Information

Health Restriction: Should be safe for all health conditions.

Ride Access: The regular queue is not accessible to wheelchairs or ECVs and there is a separate entrance to the left of the regular queue entry.

Wheelchair Transfer: There is one boat in the attraction that is designed to accommodate wheelchairs. It has a platform that raises, allowing you to roll onto the boat and then lowers back down. Since only one boat has this, it may be a bit of a wait before it comes around and then is time consuming to enter and exit, so if it is possible to transfer into a regular boat, that would probably be preferable for everybody involved.

Service Animals: Yes

Audio: No assistive devices are available and sound is used extensively through the ride.

Weight and Size Issues: The seating in the boats is very accommodating and few should have issues with room.

Parenting Information

Height Restriction: No

Child Swap: No

Other Issues: Although it�s tempting to play in the water, make sure children keep their hands inside of the boats.

History and Trivia

At this location: Other than track for the Disneyland Railroad, this area was unused until the Fantasyland station was added in 1956. The opening of "it's a small world" required realigning the track and moving the Fantasyland station to the left.
This attraction's history: The original "it's a small world" attraction was designed under contract as Pepsi-Cola's exhibit at the 1964 World's Fair in New York City. The visual look was designed by acclaimed Imagineer Mary Blair, to go along with the ride, Walt Disney asked the Sherman Brothers to come up with a simple song that could be repeated in many languages; to the delight or horror of millions of park guests, that is exactly what they provided. Extremely successful at the World's Fair, the ride was transferred to Disneyland in 1965. Over the years various changes to the show, music, and facade were made. During a refurbishment in 2004, almost everything was restored to the original version, including the facade which was returned to its original white rather than blue and white.