2008 Woodie Awards
"it's a small world" Renovations Complete
Nicole Fluet
Issue date: 4/8/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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For anyone who hasn't been on it, the attraction consists of a quintessential boat ride through theme rooms representing the countries of the world. Each room contains dolls in their country's attire, surrounded by landmarks or other sights to symbolize the realm they are from. The two hundred and eighty nine dolls sing and dance to the theme song, repeating the words "it's a small world after all," in five different languages: English, Spanish, Swedish, Japanese, and Italian. The end of the ride displays the word "goodbye" in every language represented during the attraction.
On May 2, 2004, the popular ride closed down for remodeling, with a decorated box warding off those interested in getting a peek for what's to come.
The remodeled ride opened March 20, 2005 to an eager crowd. The crowd found, however, that the only new additions to the attraction were a reformatted entrance and a little bit of paint and glitter. The once dulled, mechanical dolls were repainted and the once colorful entrance was redesigned to only display white and gold. Also added was high-tech digital sound, which is apparent when listening to the song as it plays over and over throughout the ride.
It is an understatement, however, to say that the ride was not changed at all. With the introduction of digital sound to the attraction, the song is now more comprehensible to those listening and much more enjoyable. It is very apparent that the changes made were needed and very welcomed, making a must-see ride even more enjoyable.
The ride itself is one of the original rides built with the Magic Kingdom Park. It has attracted audiences with its opening and continues to entertain, after being refurbished for future enjoyment. The catchy tune and colorful characters will remain in a person's memory forever just after one boat trip around this small world.