More to DL's Small World renovation than meets the eye?!?

[Big Disney Fan]

What do I mean by the thread title, you ask? Well, you guys probably know that DL's IASW is getting its boat flume redone to be deeper and the boats will be overhauled to accommodate heavier people. And you probably also know that Disney characters will be populating the upcoming version of the ride at Hong Kong Disneyland, right?

But did you know that, at least according to Al Lutz, there are rumors of the Imagineers, in the course of the ride's remodel, actually adding some real physical updates to the ride scenes? I would strongly suggest that the faint of heart leave this thread at this time.

For example, rumor has it that like HKDL's upcoming version, the original in California is to be getting the characters as well. And the rainforest scene, which separates Oceania (covering Hawaii, Australia and the South Pacific) from the finale, is supposedly being replaced by a scene devoted to the U.S.A., just like the ride in France and the one coming to Hong Kong.

What are your thoughts on the subject? Oh, and here's the thread that provides the skinny on the subject, courtesy of Al Lutz's website, MiceAge.com: http://www.miceage.com/allutz/al022608a.htm. You'll have to scroll down toward the bottom until you see it, passing by the article on problems plaguing the new Mark VII Monorails coming to DL.

[blackcauldron85]

I was going to post about this- I just learned of it today (I somehow missed this thread before). Here are a few more links for people to read:

http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/?p=1530

http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/200 ... tears.html

http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/200 ... peaks.html

I have mixed thoughts on it. A huge part of me, though, thinks that they shouldn't mess with the Disneyland ride, as far as taking out the rain forest scene. If they want to expand the ride and put in a new scene at the end that doesn't change anything else in the ride, then that *might* be alright. Basically, just don't change the Disneyland one. If they're going to play around with the international parks' version of the ride, then that's one thing. I agree with the letter from Mary Blair's son (the last link I posted)- changing things in the ride will lessen Mary's impact with Disney- Mary Blair was such a huge impact on it's a small world that it'd be a real shame to mess with it.

As much as I love the Disney characters, I don't know if they'd fit in with the attraction...maybe if their dolls would be in the style of the children around the world dolls in the attraction...???

[Big Disney Fan]

Maybe they should put part, if not all, of the rainforest scene in the tunnel between Latin America and Oceania and use that as a bridge between the two scenes. Of course, they'd have to remove the tunnel.

Also, the characters just might be done in the doll style, especially if the upcoming HK version is any indication.

[blackcauldron85]

Have you heard that the HKDL version of the ride will have the characters in the doll style?

[Big Disney Fan]

Have you heard that the HKDL version of the ride will have the characters in the doll style?

Yes, that's sort of what I said, and if that upcoming version is any indication, maybe the characters being added to other versions of the ride may not be so bad. Everybody is blowing gaskets about the remodel because they fear the characters being added will do an injustice to the ride, but I think if they're done in doll style, they may not be so bad.

Anyway, how's this for ironic: the idea of introducing characters to IASW is actually not a new concept. In fact, the idea of introducing characters to IASW is as old as the ride itself!

You see, the original design of the 1964 New York World's Fair IASW actually implemented Disney characters in the attraction. They were eliminated because it was felt they did not fit with the World's Fair theme.

When the attraction was moved to Disneyland, the original plans for the characters were again discussed to be added, but between financial constraints and other projects in the works, the ride was still character-less.

So this idea of Disney characters in IASW is not new. The only difference is that Disney now has more characters to pick from.

[blackcauldron85]

I guess I was asking because I'm curious as to if it's just speculation or if there definitely will be doll-style characters in the HKDL version. Do you know when that version will be open?

[Big Disney Fan]

I guess I was asking because I'm curious as to if it's just speculation or if there definitely will be doll-style characters in the HKDL version. Do you know when that version will be open?

I think it will be next month.

[dizfan]

Pictures of the characters from HKDL have popped up, they actually look like random small world dolls dresses as the characters instead of the characters themselves.

[dizfan]

Pictures of the characters from HKDL have popped up, they actually look like random small world dolls dressed as the characters instead of the characters themselves.

[Big Disney Fan]

Pictures of the characters from HKDL have popped up, they actually look like random small world dolls dressed as the characters instead of the characters themselves.

Where can I find the pictures?

[Nala]

One of the reasons we chose WDW was because "It's A Small World" was closed but also because we had never been to Florida. When we were in DL in '87, that was my favourite ride and both my mom and I enjoyed it.

[Big Disney Fan]

It looks like a great Imagineer is on hand to debunk some of the controversy of the ride. His article should tell all, or at least most:

Marty Sklar responds to IASW issue.

Take a look.

[blackcauldron85]

http://www.mickeynews.com/News/DisplayP ... _1229Small

Details of a closely guarded secret are beginning to leak out about the Disney characters to be added to the It's a Small World attraction at Disneyland.
The controversial plan caused an uproar last March among Disney purists, who called the changes a "gross desecration" of ride creator Mary Blair's stylized artwork.

Cast your vote: Should Disneyland change It's a Small World or keep it the same?

Disney inadvertently let the secret slip by releasing a limited-edition pin collection featuring 14 of the approximately two-dozen Disney characters "as they will appear" when the Small World attraction reopens to annual pass-holders on Feb. 5 and the general public on Feb. 6. Screamscape caught the blunder.

The characters include:


Mulan and Mushu
Cinderella with Jaques and Gus
Woody and Bullseye
Pinocchio
Aladdin and Jasmine
Ariel and Flounder
Lilo and Stitch
The collectors pins, created by artist Monty Maldovan of the Disney merchandising group, represent a simplified version of the characters and settings as they will appear in the Small World attraction.

In a previous post, we revealed that the Alice in Wonderland and White Rabbit characters would be incorporated into the classic boat ride. Disney officials have insisted that Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy will not be added.

In general, the Disney character additions will fall into two categories — dolls and toys. "Face" characters such as Mulan and Aladdin will look like traditional three-dimensional Small World dolls wearing their character's distinctive costumes. Nonhuman characters such as Stitch and Flounder will be represented by "toys" that more closely resemble their animated film depictions.

In a pair of pleading open letters to Disney brass, Small World creator Mary Blair's family as well as a dozen Disney and Pixar creative artists begged the Anaheim theme park to preserve Small World.

Soon after, an online campaign urged 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.

Then, in a pair of combative public rebuttals, Walt Disney Imagineering Executive Vice President Marty Sklar and chief Disney archivist Dave Smith fired back at critics of the Small World changes.

[Kram Nebuer]

I remember seeing the pin set the above article speaks of, but I assumed it was in regards to the new small world attraction in Hong Kong Disneyland that opened with the Disney Characters already in the ride. Were there things on the back of them that said they were previews for the original Disneyland attraction additions?

I like the idea of having the Disney characters integrated into It's A Small World. I was always fascinated at how they try to put appropriate characters in their stories' origin countries at Epcot, it would be cool to see them in It's a Small World too. Only problem is that if they do a lot of the classic Disney characters, they'll clog up the Europe scenes. I think in addition to Alice in Wonderland, they should have Mary Poppins somewhere flying around with her umbrella. Peter Pan and the Darling children would be cool too, but they already have their own attraction.

Pictures of the characters from HKDL have popped up, they actually look like random small world dolls dressed as the characters instead of the characters themselves.

Where can I find the pictures?

There are pictures in this article at the Honk Kong Disneyland Source, a fan made tribute to HKDL maintained by UD's very own Loomis!

http://news.hkdlsource.com/story/287

[blackcauldron85]

http://www.mickeynews.com/News/DisplayP ... _E_229Song

What's the most played song in the world?
"It's a Small World,' which plays on a continuous, 48-bar loop at one of five Disney theme parks around the world.

What's the most annoying song in the world?

See above.

After a yearlong rehab, Disneyland will unveil the completely revamped It's a Small World attraction on Feb. 5.

The beloved boat ride, which originally debuted at the 1964 World's Fair before moving to the Anaheim theme park, will add approximately two dozen new Disney characters throughout the attraction, install a controversial new scene and update the now-classic song.

Walt Disney Imagineering music director John Dennis was charged with blending in new musical arrangements and counterpoint melodies to the maddeningly catchy multilingual song — "plussing" in Disney-speak.

"It was really about introducing some new elements to make it exciting and to give it a new twist, but not to take it over and change it," Dennis said. "We found places and gaps to sort of fill in and create little new vignettes without taking anything away." The changes include...

...three new musical arrangements based on the "Small World" melody, including folk instruments, wood flute and percussion in the African scene, traditional Chinese instruments in the Asian scene and solo vocals, guitars and bass in the new pre-finale scene.

Similar existing "musical arrangements" include the gurgling mermaids, yodeling yodelers and the oh-lah-lahing can-can girls. The biggest musical change involves the addition of five new instrumental counterpoint melodies derived from classic Disney films, including one in the Asian scene, one in the South American scene and three in the European scene.

Among the newly introduced Disney counterpoint melodies in the European scene is "All in a Golden Afternoon" from "Alice in Wonderland."

The sauntering lilt of "Golden Afternoon" was weaved into the holes and rests of "Small World" with only a few minor key and tempo adjustments, Dennis said.

"You might not catch it the first time," Dennis said. "Even if you don't catch any of these, the experience isn't diminished at all." Beginning with a list of 40 to 50 Disney songs, Dennis selected the five new counterpoint melodies based on how well they fit thematically and musically with "Small World."

"There were cases where harmonically and structurally the two pieces of music were just too far apart and it was going to cause too much of a problem," Dennis said. "We could have done it, but it wouldn't have sounded right."

Local musicians recorded the new arrangements and counterpoint melodies at the Imagineering sound studios in Glendale.

The irksome yet ingenious original "Small World" composition cleverly arranged two distinct melodies over the same chord progression.

Walt Disney asked songwriters Robert and Richard Sherman to pen a simple tune after the original concept of a soundtrack featuring numerous national anthems proved an "insufferable cacophony." Disney suggested a rondo — a circular song sung in round — like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."

"For a man who wasn't a musician, wasn't a composer, Walt had a sense of music and a sense of story and a sense of presentation," Dennis said. "He knew a good tune could go straight from the head to the heart. He learned that in his feature films. He knew a song could move a story along very quickly."

The Shermans quickly wrote the song we know today as "Small World," but thought it too simple, penning several more tunes they preferred. Disney liked the simple version and the rest is musical history.

"The Shermans were so clever in creating a harmonic structure that worked for both the verse and the chorus seamlessly," Dennis said. "The nature of the music of 'Small World' is that seamless aspect. It goes and goes and goes. It never stops, it never ends."

[dizfan]

There will also be a new lighting treatment for the facade at night. I saw some of the testing in person a couple of nights ago, it looks fantastic!

[Owlzindabarn]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29019618

The whole idea sounds ghastly to anyone who ever loved, or understood what the original concept was about. Disney can carp on and on about their "new magic" all they want--we all KNOW what it's really about--commercialism at its lowest.

The article says something about how Disney would be proud. Yeah, right--he's probably spinning in his grave. That is, if they didn't move his grave when they took out President Lincoln.

[magicalwands]

Today Disneyland is opening the ride from 10-8 to Annual passholders only, then grand opening it tomorrow. As a passholder, I will try to get myself on the ride and hopefully get many pictures or even a video of the horrific thing Disney has done and post them here. I don't know how Kim Irvine can call herself an Imagineer when she ruined the ride. Sure Walt Disney said "Disneyland will always be under construction," but there is just something special about leaving at least one ride untouched by Imagineers today and the last person to have ever worked on it was Walt himself.

[dizfan]

Went on it this morning, a lot of it is really nice. Audience response seemed positive as well.

[blackcauldron85]

Went on it this morning, a lot of it is really nice. Audience response seemed positive as well.

You say that a lot of it is really nice, so does that mean that some of it wasn't so nice? Did you enjoy the ride any more or less?