Disney fires back at Small World ‘rumors’
In an open letter to critics of planned changes to Disneyland’s It’s a Small World attraction, Walt Disney Imagineering Executive Vice President Marty Sklar put to rest several “swirling” and “inaccurate” rumors that the theme park giant’s creative arm was intent on “ruining Walt’s creation.”
Cast your vote: Should Disneyland change It’s a Small World or keep it the same?
[Ed.: With 690+ votes cast so far, results are running nearly 50/50.]
The Small World boat ride, currently down for a 10-month rehab at the Anaheim theme park, will not be removing the Papua, New Guinea, rain forest scene to make way for an “Up With America” scene and will not be adding Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters in an effort to turn the “classic attraction into a marketing pitch for Disney plush toys,” according to Sklar.
“Now, based purely on rumors that are mostly inaccurate, we are being criticized for touching another one of Walt Disney’s ‘classics,’ ” Sklar wrote in a letter published by Mouse Planet staff writer Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Sklar’s fury appeared directed at another open letter by the family of Small World creator Mary Blair that accused Walt Disney Imagineering of a plan to “bastardize” her stylized artwork and “marginalize” the original theme of the attraction.
Imagineering officials recently acknowledged that Alice in Wonderland and other Disney characters would be added to Disney’s Anaheim attraction.
“To make It’s a Small World even more relevant to our guests…,” Sklar wrote, “we decided to seamlessly integrate Disney characters into appropriate thematic scenes in the attraction and do it completely in the distinctive ‘Mary Blair style.’ ”
A recently launched online campaign to “Save the Rainforest” urges Small World fans to call, write or e-mail Disneyland, Walt Disney Imagineering or Disney’s corporate headquarters to put a halt to the proposed changes.
“We all agree that It’s a Small World is a Disney classic,” wrote Sklar, a 50-year Disney veteran. “But the greatest ‘change agent’ who ever walked down Main Street at Disneyland was Walt himself. In fact, the park had not been open 24 hours when Walt began to ‘plus’ Disneyland, and he never stopped.”
Find the latest amusement and theme park news at the
Los Angeles Times Funland blog: www.latimes.com/funland
— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
[Image: Disney]
8 Comments on “Disney fires back at Small World ‘rumors’”
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April 6th, 2008 at 1:34 am
Wups, rumor central (aka MiceAge) blows it again. Unless you want to descend into complete paranoia and claim that Marty Sklar is lying. Here’s a thought: how about reporting the facts instead of Al’s latest fevered nightmares?
April 6th, 2008 at 2:02 am
These changes are so incredible that Disney’s own animators are speaking out against them.
http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/2008/04/world-of-animation-speaks.html
Your move, Sklar.
April 6th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
To Not Al:
Al gets it wrong again? Not quite. Al reported that characters were being added to “it’s a small world” - and he was correct. They are. Disney has confirmed this.
He never mentioned characters like Mickey Mouse being in the attraction - that was bad reporting by sites like TMZ.com.
What’s interesting is that Disney never gave us a straight answer on the Rainforest scene until this letter from Marty Sklar. Could it be that the Rainforest was salvaged due to the open letter from Mary Blair’s son, and the efforts of Re-Imagineering and the “Save the Rainforest” campaign launched by fans? It’s not entirely impossible.
April 8th, 2008 at 7:32 am
I believe I have figured out the solution to the “it’s a small world” controversy that should satisfy all parties involved.
First, let’s review: first, there is a faction of Imagineering that believes the attraction would gain additional popularity with the addition of characters from Disney animated features. Then there are many of the attraction’s fans who believe those characters would distract from or dilute the ride’s intended message of a prayer for world peace.
The solution: rather than adding the pantheon of Disney characters to “it’s a small world,” why not add the “it’s a small world” kids to the pantheon of Disney characters.
When Disney announced, years ago, that they would follow Country Bears, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates with a Jungle Cruise movie, almost every newspaper and blog that ran the story made the same joke: “What’s next, It’s a Small World: The Movie”?
And now that I’ve thought about it a while, my response is: yes, please! Picture a Disney animated film finally done in the style of Mary Blair, a tribute to her vision and genius, and all about a group of children traveling the world to spread a message of peace through friendship, understanding, and of course, song.
Would it be hard to pull of well? Probably so, but I know we could trust Disney to handle this beloved property with care, reverence, and style. As a result, the ride would continue to have the long lines it already enjoys for decades to come.
April 9th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
The Cal State Fullerton Daily Titan, my beloved alma mater, says Small World needs a makeover that retains the ride’s classic nature.
An editorial by the Los Angeles Times Opinion section adds its voice to the Small World protest chorus, asking: Is nothing sacred?
— Brady Mac Donald / Los Angeles Times staff writer + theme park blogger
April 12th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
I love the vintage art style of the current Small World Ride. It has a charm that keeps me coming back season after season. It is my favorite Disney ride. Our world truly IS a small world, and we need to be reminded!
February 11th, 2009 at 11:41 am
If they want to leave in the new America scene, that’s fine. But they should at least remove the Disney characters. They’re not supposed to be there!
February 11th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I’ve seen the new changes on an Internet video. If they want to leave in the new America scene, that’s fine. But they should take out the Disney characters. They don’t belong there and they never did!