Disneyland will revisit a painful period in its history that triggered a “Small World War” among die-hard fans when the Anaheim theme park introduces new dolls based on Pixar characters to the beloved It’s a Small World attraction.
Walt Disney Imagineering will add Coco characters to the It’s a Small World boat ride at Disneyland when the attraction reopens on April 25 following an extended refurbishment.
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Miguel and Dante dolls from the 2017 Pixar animated film will be silhouetted by a marigold bridge in the Mexico section of the water dark ride.
Miguel will play his guitar while wearing a mariachi outfit. Dante will appear as a bird-like dog in his rainbow-colored alebrije spirit guide form.
Disneyland caused a “Small World War” among fans in 2008 when 29 new dolls based on Disney and Pixar animated characters were added to It’s a Small World. Alice in Wonderland was introduced in the England scene, Cinderella joined the France scene and Woody and Jessie from “Toy Story” were featured in a new American West scene.
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“The Imagineering Story” docuseries on Disney+ delved into the challenge of updating cherished Disneyland attractions and the inevitable uproar from fans that accompany any change to Walt Disney’s original theme park.
“Guests want everything to stay the same, just as they remember the first time they ever came,” Imagineering art director Kim Irvine said in the Disney+ docuseries. “But that’s really not a good idea because things become stale. Walt wanted all of these attractions to be updated. He kept saying you’ve got to keep this thing alive, fresh and new.”
During the uproar, “disgusted” fans raged online about Disneyland’s “idiotic plan” that would cause “pointless destruction” and “gross desecration” of Imagineer Mary Blair’s designs for It’s a Small World.
“While this was happening I was afraid to go out on the street at night,” Irvine said in the docuseries. “It was really serious and people were very upset about it.”
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The Small World outcry prompted Disney Legend Marty Sklar to pen an open letter to aggrieved fans.
“We all agree that It’s a Small World is a Disney classic,” Sklar wrote in the letter. “But the greatest ‘change agent’ who ever walked down Main Street at Disneyland was Walt himself. In fact, the park had not been open 24 hours when Walt began to ‘plus’ Disneyland and he never stopped.”
Sklar directly addressed the allegations that Imagineering was ruining Walt Disney’s creation.
“I’ve heard that we are planning to remove the rainforest, add Mickey and Minnie, create an ‘Up with America’ tribute, to effectively ‘marginalize’ the Mary Blair style and Walt’s classic,” Sklar wrote in the letter. “In fact, just the opposite is true. We want the message of brotherhood and goodwill among all children around the world to resonate with more people than ever before, especially today’s young people.”
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The new Coco dolls aren’t the only changes coming to It’s a Small World.
Disneyland will add new lyrics to the It’s a Small World attraction on July 17 as part of the park’s 70th anniversary celebration.
The new lyrics, penned by the late songwriter Richard Sherman, will incorporate a “Last Verse” written for the catchy and infectious earworm song that plays on a continuous loop in the attraction.
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Tokyo Disneyland added Groot and other Marvel characters to its version of the Small World attraction in January during a limited-time experience that runs through June 30.
There are no plans to bring Groot or other Marvel characters to the It’s a Small World attraction at Disneyland, according to Disneyland officials.