Small World Annual Refurbishment = Paint!

TP2000 · Jan 19, 2015

This isn't major news, but it made me smile. It's not really 60th Anniversary related either, so I didn't put this there. But...

It's A Small World is being repainted already, ahead of its upcoming refurbishment closure to remove the Holiday overlay. It looks a little creepy all tarped in white, almost like a modern art installation of some kind.

The attraction continues to operate, and the Disneyland Railroad continues to travel in front of the tarped façade. When it's just a white monolith, the façade suddenly looks much smaller.

Did you know they re-leaf all the real gold leafing on the façade when they paint it? Good thing gold prices have dropped over the past year! They will probably save the repainting of the clock tower and areas closer to the ride flume for the actual refurbishment closure from next week into February.

And one other thing, the Toy Shop they installed about 20 years ago when Mattel replaced Bank of America as the ride's sponsor (and the facade got repainted in pastels) needs help. It looks like exactly what it is; a bad 1990's take-off on Mary Blair's 1960's style, but done far less elegantly and more economically than what was really required.

I wish they would do one of two things with this 1990's addition;

1. Rebuild it to more accurately reflect Ms. Blair's brilliant mid-1960's design aesthetic.
2. Tear it down.

Photos are from the always wonderful, weekly Dateline Disneyland update. http://micechat.com/92286-disneyland-gets-ready-for-60/

Californian Elitist · Jan 19, 2015

Great. Now if they could just do the same for Space...

George Lucas on a Bench · Jan 19, 2015

This is major news. The outside palace has looked really dingy for years now. It's probably the most beautiful structure in all of Disneyland.

Twilight_Roxas · Jan 19, 2015

I like how they kept the front showing during refurbishment.

lazyboy97o · Jan 19, 2015

TP2000 said:
Did you know they re-leaf all the real gold leafing on the façade when they paint it? Good thing gold prices have dropped over the past year!

While more expensive up front, gold leaf typically last longer than gold paint. Nobody wants "it's a small world" to look like it has been smeared with poo the way Tomorrowland 98 spent most of its life looking.

TP2000 · Jan 20, 2015

Endor Sightseer said:
This is major news. The outside palace has looked really dingy for years now. It's probably the most beautiful structure in all of Disneyland.

Agreed. The Small World façade is a real gem of 1960's Imagineering, when Imagineers were at the very top of their game.

Here's a fun photo from the 1960's showing Small World Mall as many of us older folks remember it, before Toontown in 1992 and the Light Magic terraces and expressway in 1997 kind of ruined the approach to this wonderful E Ticket. And that fabulous painted slurry that almost all of Disneyland was painted with. You knew you changed lands when the pavement turned a different color.

GiveMeTheMusic · Jan 20, 2015

TP2000 said:
Agreed. The Small World façade is a real gem of 1960's Imagineering, when Imagineers were at the very top of their game.

Here's a fun photo from the 1960's showing Small World Mall as many of us older folks remember it, before Toontown in 1992 and the Light Magic terraces and expressway in 1997 kind of ruined the approach to this wonderful E Ticket. And that fabulous painted slurry that almost all of Disneyland was painted with. You knew you changed lands when the pavement turned a different color.

Wow. That is dramatically different.

kap91 · Jan 20, 2015

TP2000 said:
Agreed. The Small World façade is a real gem of 1960's Imagineering, when Imagineers were at the very top of their game.

Here's a fun photo from the 1960's showing Small World Mall as many of us older folks remember it, before Toontown in 1992 and the Light Magic terraces and expressway in 1997 kind of ruined the approach to this wonderful E Ticket. And that fabulous painted slurry that almost all of Disneyland was painted with. You knew you changed lands when the pavement turned a different color.

Yeah I like the modern approach with tons of trees and curving paths way better. That looks like a concrete wasteland.

TP2000 · Jan 20, 2015

GiveMeTheMusic said:
Wow. That is dramatically different.

You're trying to be polite, aren't you?

While it may look weird to our modern eyes, the original Small World Mall of the 1960's and 70's was a giant open plaza leading from the Matterhorn to Small World. It allowed that gorgeous Mary Blair façade to create a huge visual punch when approached on foot or seen from the air via the Skyway, and it really nailed down the back of the park. You knew you were at the end of Disneyland when you saw Small World looming ahead.

It's A Small World as seen from a passing Skyway cabin. Light Magic in '97 is the thing that really changed this area the most.

And yes kids, that is what the SoCal air looked like in the 1960's and 70's. The smog was so prevalent and the air so perpetually hazy that you could go a year or more before seeing the Brea hills from Anaheim, much less the San Gabriel Mountains. Versus the dramatically cleaner and clearer air of 2010's SoCal.

GiveMeTheMusic · Jan 20, 2015

TP2000 said:
You're trying to be polite, aren't you?

While it may look weird to our modern eyes, the original Small World Mall of the 1960's and 70's was a giant open plaza leading from the Matterhorn to Small World. It allowed that gorgeous Mary Blair façade to create a huge visual punch when approached on foot or seen from the air via the Skyway, and it really nailed down the back of the park. You knew you were at the end of Disneyland when you saw Small World looming ahead.

It's A Small World as seen from a passing Skyway cabin. Light Magic in '97 is the thing that really changed this area the most.

And yes kids, that is what the SoCal air looked like in the 1960's and 70's. The smog was so prevalent and the air so perpetually hazy that you could go a year or more before seeing the Brea hills from Anaheim, much less the San Gabriel Mountains. Versus the dramatically cleaner and clearer air of 2010's SoCal.

I must say I do prefer the current setup with small world being revealed as you approach. It's very dramatic as well as serving a great function for parade viewing capacity. I'm sure it will be put to good use this summer when whatever they're calling Paint the Night premieres.

kap91 · Jan 20, 2015

Look at all the trees! That's the thing I love most about Disneyland. The whole park feels like it's in a forest- however unintentional it might be. Lol off topic.

Figments Friend · Jan 20, 2015

Beautiful photos TP, as usual.

LOVE the shot of the 'clear air' mountains view from atop the Fun Wheel at DCA
Many times i have looked at that scene in person from up there and started to have all sorts of imaginings.....

Nice photo !

Sage of Time · Jan 20, 2015

Very happy to see the refurb... and yes, the facade looks TINY under tarps. How funny.

Hope they move onto the clock tower, next. There's a nasty crack in the clock face from the nose, down, if you know where to look. Hope that gets patched up.

TP2000 · Feb 2, 2015

So... is this the first time the façade has been repainted since it returned to it's white/gold color scheme around 2003 in preparation for the 50th Anniversary? I can't think of another full repaint since then.

TP2000 · Feb 2, 2015

And with the ride now closed for refurbishment, it's now entirely tarped over and undergoing a full repaint. This should look fantastic when it's done!

Including the side flanks that are set into the huge banks of ficus trees on the east and west of the actual ride.

More photos at http://micechat.com/93538-disneyland-diamond-celebration/

nemofinder22 · Feb 2, 2015

The facade was looking really awful. Great to see it being painted.

I really really hope the screens that went up around the various parts of the facade for "The Magic, The Memories and You"( I still can't believe that was a thing) don't make a come back for "Disneyland Forever."

Sage of Time · Feb 2, 2015

nemofinder22 said:
The facade was looking really awful. Great to see it being painted.

I really really hope the screens that went up around the various parts of the facade for "The Magic, The Memories and You"( I still can't believe that was a thing) don't make a come back for "Disneyland Forever."

Considering that they want to make IASW Mall a big location for the projections/pyro... it would seem likely.

Californian Elitist · Feb 2, 2015

It's about time. "small world" was really dirty.

dweezil78 · Feb 2, 2015

I feel like the facade is almost impossible to maintain given its color (or lack thereof). Sure a nice paint job will give it some much needed sparkle, but unless the thing is cleaned on a very regular basis, all it takes is one damp day to sludge up all the dirt and dust that collects on that thing and it's back to looking rundown again.

Sage of Time · Feb 3, 2015

Here's hoping they fix that massive crack on the clock face...

Small World Annual Refurbishment = Paint!

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