it’s a small world – MouseScrappers.com

In the concluding section of my two-part article comparing the Fantasyland in Walt Disney World with its namesake in Disneyland Paris, I shall be looking at the Castles, the meet-and-greets and that unforgettable international cruise:a “it’s a small world”.

THE CASTLE

In both WDW and DLP, the Castle stands visible from the majority of Main Street as the parks’ most recognizable weenie. Standing at 167ft in DLP and 190ft in WDW, this structure (often thought to be one of the entrances to Fantasyland, although it is actually IN that land) is the focal point of the night-time show: Disney Dreams in DLP and Celebrate the Magic in WDW.

Whilst WDW’s Castle is named after Cinderella; the Paris equivalent is themed to Sleeping Beauty and is officially known as Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant. Both feature shops in their interior on the first floor. On the second floor in Paris is a walk-around area which tells the tale of Sleeping Beauty, whilst the equivalent story in Florida features a restaurant (Cinderella’s Royal Table). Above that is Cinderella’s Castle Suite, which I know very little about, but there is a lot of interesting information, and photos, on the subject at http://www.disneytouristblog.com/cinderella-castle-suite-tour-photos/

Both versions of the Castle feature coats-of-arms, stained-glass windows and (allegedly) a hidden Mickey in their tiles. The one in Paris however also has an animatronic dragon living in its dungeon, sixteen towers (to represent Aurora pricking her finger on her sixteenth birthday) and various water features.

For more about the Paris Castle, see my article of 2012 comparing it to its Californian counterpart: http://mousescrappers.com/wordpress/?p=3681

MEET-AND-GREETS

In Florida, Cinderella can regularly be met inside the Castle (specifically in the restaurant on the second floor). There is an equivalent eatery in Paris (L’Auberge de Cendrillion) which is equally classy, and also a good place for character meet-and-greets.

Although DLP doesn’t have any equivalents to the meet-and-greets in WDW based on Ariel or Merida (nor does it have any version of Pete’s Silly Sideshow) there are still several other locations in DLP’s Fantasyland where one can meet the characters.

One of these places is just in front of the Castle (the Royal Castle Stage) and another is just behind it, in a location where stage shows based on Sleeping Beauty and/or The Sword in The Stone are occasionally performed.

Other locations in DLP’s Fantasyland where you can encounter characters include Meet Mickey (pretty similar to the one in WDW’s Main Street) and Enchanted Tales with Belle. Enchanted Tales in DLP is a lot more simplistic than its WDW counterpart though, with none of the set, props or animatronics; it also features Belle in her “village” dress, rather than her “Princess” costume.

The final place in DLP’s Fantasyland where characters can be met is Princess Pavilion (similar to WDW’s forthcoming Princess Fairytale Hall, although hopefully the latter will be better run and with more to look at). Whilst Princess Fairytale Hall is to be on the location of the former Snow White ride; Princess Pavilion is on the site of the former post-show to “it’s a small world”.

IT’S A SMALL WORLD

The concept of both versions of “it’s a small world” (as well as the lower case lettering and the quotation marks) is remarkably similar in both Paris and California, with identically-faced dolls singing the titular song, which was written by the Sherman Brothers in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Both feature the same recurring motifs and many identical sets and figures –not necessarily in the same order- and both were opening day attractions.

The main differences to the ride itself occur in the Finale room, which in WDW is much busier, features the ditty sung only in English and has drabber lighting.

The following room, known as the “goodbye room” is also stylistically different; in WDW this features the word “goodbye” in various languages adorning flowery designs, whereas in DLP this room features oversized postcards with ethnically different characters bonding on each. This scene makes less sense in WDW though, seeing as this resort’s attraction doesn’t feature a “hello room”.

Generally though I prefer the interior of WDW’s “it’s a small world”, because there is more to look at, and (after one ride) you don’t get the feeling you have seen everything. Other reasons for it being my preference includes the trenching style meaning one can naughtily splash your friends, less chance of being bumped from the boat behind, better maintenance, better segueing and more interesting lighting effects.

The exterior of DLP’s “it’s a small world” however is much prettier than WDW’s. In part this is because the load/unload zone is outdoors (and away from any restaurant windows). Both now feature the infamous clock, although DLP’s is the only one of the two which puts on a mini-show every quarter hour and it is visible from further away. The overall look is more aesthetically pleasing, featuring topiaries, real-life ducks, a three-dimensional model of the globe design seen in two-dimensions above the entrance to the first scene of WDW’s ride, and the Railroad tracks.

For more about the Paris “it’s a small world”, see my article of 2012 comparing it to its Californian counterpart: http://mousescrappers.com/wordpress/?p=3860

This week, in my final article to compare the Fantasylands in California and Paris, I shall be looking at “it’s a small world”, the ride which –according to Marty Sklar- has a “song [which] will drive you bananas if you hear it often enough, but from a message standpoint … is a timeless attraction”.

Both versions of the attraction keep the title in lower case and enclosed in quotation marks. For this article however, I shall use the abbreviation of iasw, although I have known several Cast Members use the initials FAD instead, standing for “F-ing Annoying Dolls”.

Both rides last approximately fifteen minutes and feature the titular song as composed by the Sherman Brothers for the “Children of The World” pavilion at the 1964 World Fair. However, the song was re-recorded for the Paris’ park, using choirs from around Europe.

iasw in Paris was an opening day attraction. It has only had one sponsor (France Telecom) which has been funding the ride from park-opening until 2009. Over the years, California’s iasw (which opened in 1966) has had several sponsors, including Bank of America. Mattel and Sylvania. At the World’s Fair, it was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola but promoted UNICEF.

The “America” scene in Paris is much bigger than the equivalent room in California; the scene existed in Paris long before it was added to the one in Anaheim. Paris’s iasw also features a Middle-Eastern section (not appearing in Anaheim) in which the dolls sing in Arabic.

With the exception of Ariel, Paris’ iasw does not feature any of the 29 Disney/Disney*Pixar characters added to the California version in 2009; however, France’s ride does feature Slinky Dog from Toy Story (who doesn’t appear in the Anaheim ride). Both versions feature Hidden Mickeys and Magic Carpet from Aladdin.

Both rides start with a “hello room” and end with a “goodbye room” with the penultimate scene being the “Finale” where representations of dolls from previous scenes wear white and sing together. In the version in California, all dolls sing in English in this section; in Paris this scene also features verses in French and German.

Neither version offers Fastpass (although California’s “it’s a small world holiday” was the world’s first attraction ever to offer this service, back in 1999).

Further differences include: the Great Britain scene in France doesn’t feature the song being performed in a (bad) cockney accent; the French version doesn’t feature a “hidden Mary Blair” halfway up its Eiffel Tower; the French attraction is completely covered so as to help protect it from the elements; the French ride is made up of one big interconnected room, rather than lots of little rooms; the floor is flooded in Paris whereas the water only exists in troughs in Anaheim; the clock face outside the park (with a display every fifteen minutes) in France is shaped like the sun and the moon, whereas in California it is based on the dolls’ faces. (The clock and the identical faces were both designed by the same man: Gregory S. Marinello).

Whereas California’s iasw annually turns into “it’s a small world holiday”, France’s becomes “it’s a small world celebration”.

In terms of similarities, both versions of the ride feature a sun or moon in virtually every scene, both are continually loading mass capacity attractions (with the one in California being the first ever Disney ride which could be described thus), both feature topiaries around the exterior (although France’s version also features fountains), both feature the Disneyland Railroad visibly traveling between the queue area and the show building, and both feature the “please remain seated” spiel at the end of the ride in English, French and Spanish.

Portions of this article first appeared in my musings for DLDHistory.com in August 2011, which also featured an interview with Chris Bailey who was the director of the (now-closed) post-show for DLP’s iasw.