They ruined DL's Small World how much longer before they ruin ours?

[lnsemsf]

I've got a trip to Disneyland in 2 weeks and I'm quite looking forward to this. The idea seams fun, and the video of HKDL's ride which is similar was promising. They're small little dolls, next to other small little dolls, I don't see it as a major issue. They didn't put some giant 3 story tall Cinderella stepping on the laughing hyenas. I'm fine with a 5% change in 95% of a classic ride remains the same. All the other recent "plussing" of attractions has gone very well, and I suspect this will be no different.

 

[Nicole220]

I don't mind them. I won't be able to see it in real life for a few weeks, but from what I've seen they aren't terrible.

Alice is my favorite. The Toy Story characters and Stitch are the worst ones, imo.

edit: Simba is another good one. He blends in the most.

 

[gardener14]

After looking at all the photos over on another site, the new characters are mostly quite subtle. While they are unnecessary, they don't really detract from the look of the ride. They remind me of the long-standing scene with Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, and the windmill. There have always been a few characters like that representing various countries....the new ones just happen to be Disney-ized versions of characters that fit the countries, but most of them still have the classic look of the ride (Nemo and Dori don't fit the look to me). Mainly, I find it a fun little alteration much like adding Jack Sparrow to PotC, not a major change.

 

[yankspy]

I like it. :shrug:

Me too.

 

[TP2000]

When this change leaked out on Miceage a year ago I was totally opposed to the concept. (You can find my angry thoughts in posts under my name on Miceage and Laughingplace archives.) How dare they ruin the original 1964 Small World masterpiece with Disney and Pixar characters!

And then I rode the new version at Disneyland this evening after work. Three times in a row.

I love it! The Characters are totally adorable, and I never use the word "adorable"! My first time through I only noticed half of the characters, or saw them just as I was floating out of the scene, so I had to re-ride to take it all in. For the most part, the Character additions are placed so seamlessly, and look so orginal 1960's, and are so charmingly and artistically added to the pre-existing sets and scenes, that they look and feel as if they have been there since Lyndon Johnson was in the White House. They really did a great job with this, and they just seem like a natural fit in their culturally appropriate settings.

The only one that feels just a tad odd is Cinderella in the French scene. The rest of the French dolls are all done up in lace and sequins and glitter doing the can-can and toasting champagne. But Cinderella is in her housekeepers rags instead of fancy ball gown, and she seems a bit odd next to the ritzy French girls around her. But that was the one slightly jarring addition. All the other figures looked fabulous and totally fit in their environments.

They added quite a bit of whimsy to areas that were a bit flat previously, and you can tell the Imagineers really put a lot of thought into exactly where to place them. Alice and the white rabbit doll in the chess set? GREAT! Peter Pan and Tink flying above Big Ben? ZIPPY! Pumbaa bobbing in the water in Africa? AWESOME! The Three Caballeros in Mexico or Pinnochio in Italy in marionette form? BRILLIANT! Mulan and Mushu flying kites in China? CLEVER! Aladdin and Jasmine flying on a carpet above Arabia? EVEN MORE CLEVER! Woody and Jesse in the Desert Southwest with the cute new Indian children in the all-new Spirit of America showroom? YAHOO!

I learned my lesson. And that is that the Imagineers are profesionals, and when folks like Tony Baxter and Marty Sklar are personally involved in plussing a 45 year old ride you just have to trust they will do the right thing. With the new Small World ride at Disneyland, they did the right thing. And the new light show the exterior facade does with the LED lighting when the Disneyland Railroad trains go by is also awesome.

The whole ride looks brand spanking new, and the new Characters are now a total non-issue for me. I almost wonder why no one thought of this any sooner.

If Walt Disney World management wanted to do this with their ride, it would be a good thing. The Characters are clever and charming, and with the exception of Cinderella (in my humble opinion) are perfectly staged in their respective cultural scenes. It's an awesome refreshing of an old ride, and yet it is done so tastefully and so well that the new stuff meshes perfectly with the old stuff.

In short, I have changed my mind, and I think Walt would want to know "What took you guys so long to plus up that old boat ride we did for the World's Fair?"

 

[dxwwf3]

The characters themselves were created well and fit in the attraction, but they were NOT needed. The attraction was far from stale and was a perfect classic just the way it was. And from what I have seen is a much more popular attraction at Disneyland than at WDW anyways. I wish they had put the characters in at WDW first where very little is sacred anyways and then could have judged the reaction to see if it would have been a good fit for the more beloved version. At least they did do a great job of creating a mini-Rainforest scene and they deserve major props for doing something like that, which wasn't part of the original plans.

The actual implementation was done well, but the thought behind it is what bothers me. The thought that the best way to plus a classic attraction is just to throw up a few familiar characters into it. IASW had no film ties and was doing just perfectly as it was. Pretty soon people might expect all Disney attractions to have pre-existing characters in them and that is a HUGE problem. Originality is the exception enough already. I do expect that this specific change will go over well because it was well thought out and well executed though.

 

[TP2000]

And from what I have seen is a much more popular attraction at Disneyland than at WDW anyways. I wish they had put the characters in at WDW first where very little is sacred anyways and then could have judged the reaction to see if it would have been a good fit for the more beloved version.

As a Disneyland guy, I also get the feeling that Small World is vastly more popular at Disneyland than it is at WDW. It's 15 minutes long at Disneyland versus 8 minutes at WDW, and has a huge marquee facility to draw people in, so that may be part of the draw in Anaheim. It could also be that every Christmas the Disneyland Small World is transformed into Small World Holiday, which is even more popular than the regular version, and that just drives more attention and energy towards the old ride.

But, I would caution us from claiming that WDW has "very little" that is sacred. There's plenty at WDW that is unique and beloved, even if it wasn't overseen by Walt Disney. And really, let's not forget that it's a small world was just a slapped together boat ride done at the last minute for Pepsi-Cola. Pepsi wanted to outdo Coca-Cola at the Fair, and they went to Walt at the very last minute in 1963 asking him if he had any ideas for a really good pavilion to blow the Coke boys out of the water. The ride was brilliant because it was so simple and charming. Pepsi won the World's Fair battle over Coke, and Walt won a free ride for Disneyland.

But let's not overthink the formation of the ride and pretend it was some sort of divine vision that was delivered to Walt by a flock of white doves from heaven above. It was a boat ride at the World's Fair designed to get people to buy more Pepsi. And it worked. :lol:

 

[SirGoofy]

This is the most positive thing that could happen to that ride. Now it might be interesting for a demographic above toddler. Maybe.

Agreed. I might actually enjoy iasw if they added these guys in. It would be fun to spot all the Disney characters in the scenes. \

I say bring it on!:sohappy:

 

[NMBC1993]

As a Disneyland guy, I also get the feeling that Small World is vastly more popular at Disneyland than it is at WDW. It's 15 minutes long at Disneyland versus 8 minutes at WDW, and has a huge marquee facility to draw people in, so that may be part of the draw in Anaheim. It could also be that every Christmas the Disneyland Small World is transformed into Small World Holiday, which is even more popular than the regular version, and that just drives more attention and energy towards the old ride.

But, I would caution us from claiming that WDW has "very little" that is sacred. There's plenty at WDW that is unique and beloved, even if it wasn't overseen by Walt Disney. And really, let's not forget that it's a small world was just a slapped together boat ride done at the last minute for Pepsi-Cola. Pepsi wanted to outdo Coca-Cola at the Fair, and they went to Walt at the very last minute in 1963 asking him if he had any ideas for a really good pavilion to blow the Coke boys out of the water. The ride was brilliant because it was so simple and charming. Pepsi won the World's Fair battle over Coke, and Walt won a free ride for Disneyland.

But let's not overthink the formation of the ride and pretend it was some sort of divine vision that was delivered to Walt by a flock of white doves from heaven above. It was a boat ride at the World's Fair designed to get people to buy more Pepsi. And it worked. :lol:

That was a cool bit if history.....thanks for sharing that

 

[dxwwf3]

It was a boat ride at the World's Fair designed to get people to buy more Pepsi. And it worked. :lol:

Very true, but it has taken on a whole life of its own since. I would be willing to bet that most people think of it as being a Disneyland original.

 

[Erika]

That was a cool bit if history.....thanks for sharing that

Agreed

 

[WDW1974]

I haven't watched any YouTube of it or any such nonsense that the kiddies (of all ages) do today. I'll see it for myself when I am out there. That said, it sounds like these changes are EXACTLY what I saw at HKDL -- and loved.

Of course, it also proves what some of us already knew -- that Marty Sklar is a liar, who has sold what soul he has left to remain with the company. Because he specifically said they weren't doing the same as HKDL and every scene described is exactly what I recall from HKDL with one exception (I haven't heard anyone say Marie was in the French scene as she was in HKDL ... but everything else? Check.)

Now, at first I was very against this ... and I'll refrain from taking a few shots at my buddy Lee because I think he is way off about the significance of this attraction and of the changes brought to it ... but I have warmed to them somewhat.

I'll also state that since the OP wonders when they'll 'ruin ours' that the original concept for adding characters was proposed close to a decade ago FOR THE MK ... and not DL or HKDL. They even put out a WDW LE pin series a few years ago that showed the characters in the scenes just as they eventually wound up in Hong Kong and Anaheim. This was a Tom Fitzgerald camp concept if I recall. It wasn't done because WDW management didn't want to pay for it, and it allowed them to delay the major refurb of SW for another 4-5 years (sound familiar?)

Even though I loved HKDL's version, a piece of me believes they shouldn't have changed DL's. Part of the reason for doing so in HKDL was to introduce the characters to an audience where they aren't all familiar. At DL, the only reason they are doing so is to further ram the characters down the throats of the guests. It's about selling merchandise and subliminal type marketing no matter the spin.

So, I do have mixed emotions.

It's not that they didn't do a great job because they did.

It's just that it was a change that wasn't needed there and, despite the fact the characters are integrated so well and they are, their presence does alter -- however small and subtle -- the message of the attraction. And it isn't about selling characters and their merchandise now anymore than it was about selling Pepsi back in '64 in NYC. I know one of the most important folks behind the original attraction and I can say that without one bit of doubt. This was special to Walt.

It's a very simple message of world peace and harmony ... and the waters get muddied a bit when the characters get added.

Still, I can't work up anger over it ... they did a very nice job ... they didn't 'ruin' anything ... they have ruined plenty else.

And I wouldn't worry about them coming to O-Town because WDW management isn't going to pay now anymore than it was in 1998 or 99 when the idea was first pitched.

~Pass the Pixie Dust~

 

[dxwwf3]

At DL, the only reason they are doing so is to further ram the characters down the throats of the guests. It's about selling merchandise and subliminal type marketing no matter the spin.

So, I do have mixed emotions.

It's not that they didn't do a great job because they did.

It's just that it was a change that wasn't needed there and, despite the fact the characters are integrated so well and they are, their presence does alter -- however small and subtle -- the message of the attraction. And it isn't about selling characters and their merchandise now anymore than it was about selling Pepsi back in '64 in NYC. I know one of the most important folks behind the original attraction and I can say that without one bit of doubt. This was special to Walt.

Couldn't have said it better :sohappy:

Still, I can't work up anger over it ... they did a very nice job ... they didn't 'ruin' anything ... they have ruined plenty else.

And at the same time, I feel the same way as well.

 

[wherewhy]

I'm totally in favor of it.
The characters are small and unobtrusive. Might just breathe some life into a stale attraction.
I know I won't ride it until they put them in at MK. Sooner the better.

I also agree, this has been a stale attraction for some time. One that I ride every time just to get even with my wife for all the nagging...:lookaroun:lol: This would be a welcome addition for us to WDW

 

[TP2000]

That was a cool bit if history.....thanks for sharing that

You're welcome. I am a bigger modern World's Fair buff than I am a Disney buff. There's lots of good books and material out there on the Disney involvement in the New York fair.

Walt had his WED guys propose a copy of Disneyland's Enchanted Tiki Room for the Coca-Cola Pavilion at the '64-65 World's Fair (The first example of a Disney theme park clone!). Coke backed off the big cost of a Tiki Room show because they had corporate surveilance info that Seven Up was going for a modest pavilion and "sandwich garden", and Pepsi-Cola was rumored to be even more frugal with their Fair funding. Coke didn't think it was worth the cost.

Pepsi decided at the last minute to go in big instead of small, and they contacted Disney in the spring of 1963 with just less than a year until opening day of the fair. Originally the Imagineering folks told Pepsi they already had more work than they could handle with Ford, GE and Illinois and they couldn't take on another pavilion. Walt learned a couple days later that someone had said no thanks to Pepsi and their big budget, and he demanded they call Pepsi back and tell them he'd do it. Walt had an idea for a little boat ride and he pitched it to the Pepsi executives. Desperate for a meaningful presence at the Fair, Pepsi said they'd back it and told Walt they'd support whatever he could pull off in 11 months time.

The rest is history. And Coca-Cola was furious.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

It's nice to see people who were so against this idea from the start willing to reconsider after seeing the finished product. I was impressed after seeing photos from the job they did in Hong Kong, and don't see any reason not to do the same in Orlando.

As for the reasoning that the characters don't belong because they aren't UNICEF kids...neither are hyenas, and (as I recall) neither was the clown in the balloon. As long as an element fits, what else matters? :shrug:

 

[TP2000]

One of the major additions to the Disneyland version was the makeover of the old Rainforest/New Guinea room into the new Spirit of America room. For the first time for the two American parks, Small World now has a room themed to America. The Rainforest scene and the New Guinea scene were moved back into the South Seas room, and in their place the farms of the Midwest, the Desert Southwest with cowboys and Indians, and a sort of Hollywood Bowl sunset thing was added.

Here's the video of this new room from this morning. The Spirit of America room arrives at the 2:50 minute mark on the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjUP...w.mouseinfo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88594

I'm not that familiar with the layout of the WDW version. Is this something that could also be added to the Orlando version?

 

[dazzer68]

things move on, alot of times has passed since this attraction was built and people have changed with it. the iasw rides need a revamp, and what person would get on a disney ride and be upset at finding disney characters on a disney ride in a disney theme park. come on, move on.
its no big deal, most people are always moaning about the ride any way, so to those people DONT RIDE IT.
i have seen the videos, and i like it.the charcaters are appropriate to the areas, discreatly done, and i bet most people wouldnt even notice. at least it had a good spruce up

 

[DisJosh]

It looks to me like the Disney-ized children of IASW were seamlessly integrated. The average guest probably won't even notice!

 

[FigmentJedi]

I don't mind it too much. Though, I am in the camp that says they should have tried doing it in WDW first, but still, it isn't RUINED FOREVER like some people have been saying