Disney's Small World Ride Turns 50
Thursday, April 10, 2014
By: Amy Kiley

April 10, 2014 | WMFE, Orlando--Disney World celebrates the 50th anniversary of "It's a Small World" Thursday. A choir will sing the ride's song outside Cinderella's Castle at 8:30 a.m., and the whole world has a chance to join in the song.

[The Small World image is courtesy of Walt Disney World.  "Today" in the audio version of this story refers to its air date, April 10.]

Disney World celebrates the iconic, “It’s a Small World” ride Thursday with a worldwide sing-along of its iconic song.  Park visitors can join the chorus before the afternoon parade.  Others are already contributing their voices online at smallworld50.com.  Disney will release the compiled sing-along audio later in the day.

Walt Disney himself helped create the small world ride to honor UNICEF at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.  The ride doesn’t have the latest 3-D technology or superhero characters.  So, why are people still “singing its praises”? 

Disney World blogger Dave Shute thinks … “It’s a Small World” transcends technology and time. “Technology, at the end of the day, is only one of many mechanisms like color and motion and action and story and narrative and structure and setting expectations and fulfilling them that can be part of a great ride,” he says, “But, a great ride can also be very simple.”

Shute says “It’s a Small World” pulls together these elements in a way that still appeals to children – and even some adults.  And, he says, the ride’s song is really … “catchy.”