Opened: 1971
Ride Length: 10 minutes, 30 seconds
Lightning Lane: Yes
The “legend” has it that if you ride "it’s a small world" at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, the song will stay in your head forever, it's a small world after all. A lot of people claim this ride is just a cliché or is “just for kids.” People will tell you that they avoid it like the plague. These are the same people that will turn around and moan that the Carousel of Progress should be saved, or that they never should have taken out Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Their reasoning is that these are Walt Disney’s Legacy.
"it's a small world" Review:
The Distinctive Design of "it's a small world" - A DIS Attraction Review
After the World’s Fair ended, "it’s a small world" was moved to Disneyland, where it remains one of the park’s premiere attractions. It has also been a staple of Disney World since 1971.
There have been some minor modifications and touchups, but for the most part it has remained that brightly colored attraction that people love and love to hate.
Mary Blair’s original concept for the ride was a vision in stark white and gold. The huge smiling clock face that adorns Disneyland’s version is known to millions as the face of "it’s a small world". This is the classic look for this attraction.
Watch the clock in the loading area every 15 minutes for a little surprise.
Handicapped Accessibility: Guests must be able to transfer from their ECVs into a wheelchair in order to ride.
Handheld captioning is available.
Fun Fact: The ride's artist and designer Mary Blair also created the huge multi-story murals on the Grand Canyon Concourse at Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort.