• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2025 ABC News
  • Travel

Take a virtual ride on Disney's 'It's a Small World'

2:49
Take a virtual ride on 'it's a small world'
ABCNews.com
Genevieve Shaw-Brown
ByGenevieve Shaw Brown
May 07, 2020, 4:14 PM

It certainly feels like a small world these days.

It's the ride every Disney park enthusiast has enjoyed and the song that's impossible to forget and now fans around the world can take a virtual journey on this beloved Disney attraction.

In 2014 for the celebration of the ride's 50th anniversary, ABC News published nine little known facts about "It's a Small World."

Related Articles

MORE: Shanghai Disneyland will reopen May 11

"It's a Small World" was created for the 1964 New York World's Fair. The composer of the song, Oscar-winner Richard Sherman, said in 2014: "We thought, 'Well, when the World's Fair is over, that will be the end of it. For two years, they'll have this thing.' We never dreamed it would have the 'legs' as they call it, the distance that it's run."

Money was no object for the dolls' costumes.

"I asked Walt [Disney] how much I could spend," according to Alice Davis, a Disney Imagineering costume designer, "and he looked at me and cocked his eyebrow, like he did sometimes, and said, 'We don't think like that here. I want you to do whatever it takes to make these look like dolls every woman in the world would want to have."'

Editor’s Picks

Take a virtual ride on Slinky Dog Dash at Walt Disney World

  • Apr 30, 2020

Take a virtual ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

  • May 05, 2020

There's a reason you can't get the song out of your head. During a 16-hour operating day in the parks, "It's a Small World" song is played, on average, 1,200 times.

Can you spot the sticker at the Disneyland attractions? After two hit seasons at the New York World's Fair in 1964 and '65, "It's a Small World" moved to Disneyland in California, where it was expanded and then reopened as a major attraction in 1966. Shipping stickers with 1965 dates can still be found on the back of some set pieces.

Related Articles

MORE: Florida theme parks get social distancing, other guidelines for reopening

Sad clown got a makeover. When the Walt Disney World attraction was refurbished in 2004-2005, the clown piloting a hot air balloon in the finale changed his demeanor. He now smiles and carries a balloon in his hand. Formerly, he frowned and carried a sign saying, "Help."

Location, location, location. The attraction at Tokyo Disneyland features the largest Japan section of any version.

It gets dressed up for the holidays. Disneyland in California, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland all have a holiday version of the attraction.

The original song concept didn't work out so well. Originally, the attraction featured the dolls singing the national anthems of the various countries. The result was, in Richard Sherman's words, "a cacophony." The Sherman brothers composed a simple song that could be translated into many languages and sung consistently throughout the attraction.

It really is a small world after all. With the 1992 opening of "It's a Small World" at Disneyland Paris, the cheerful anthem now is being played somewhere on the planet every hour of the day when the parks are open for business.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News.

Related Topics

  • Disney

Editor’s Picks

Take a virtual ride on Slinky Dog Dash at Walt Disney World

  • Apr 30, 2020

Take a virtual ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

  • May 05, 2020

Up Next in Travel—

What to know about secondhand travel booking: Expert tips to get discounts on dream destinations

July 14, 2025

America the Beautiful: 'GMA' travels to 50 states in 50 weeks

July 11, 2025

Charleston dethroned as No. 1 US travel destination by this Southwest city

July 10, 2025

Disney World closes iconic attractions to make way for new land

July 6, 2025

Shop GMA Favorites

ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Sponsored Content by Taboola

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2025 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2025 ABC News