Hello all, and welcome to our first edition of Rumor Response. As the news cycle around Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge begins to dwindle, and the number of new announcements coming from the park scale back, the rumors have began flying again. Unsubstantiated rumors only stir the pot, upset people, and increase the FOMO that leads to overcrowding and longer lines (Did you bother to get up at 2 AM and drive to Disneyland for Star Wars Opening Day Merchandise? It was exclusive right? Wrong, it’s all still for sale across almost every Disney store in Disneyland). It’s our goal to prevent this uprise, and keep people educated. So here is one, of hopefully not many, Earz Up “Rumor Response” articles.
Goodbye to “it’s a small world”?
According to this article, It’s a Small World is going to be removed from Disneyland! The Mary Blair classic attraction, harrolding back to 1964’s New York World’s Fair, with over 300 audio-animatronic children folicking in a spirit of internatinual unity and singing a theme of global peace, is rumored to be scheduled for demolition, according to the author; who cites an exclusive survey and a favorite ex-husband as the article’s two sources. However, beyond stating the sources, the article does nothing with the information. No copy of the alleged survey question is included in the article, and the ex-husband’s connection to the attraction is excluded as well. All we have is the word of the author.
This might remind you of a widely reported survey that went out two years ago, as Disney was preparing for Hollywood Studio’s 25th anniversary. At the time, a survey went out asking about a potential rename of the park. Luckily, none of the new names made it through the survey, as Disney Hollywood Studios is still the name of the park. But see, the difference between this survey (which is also noted for only going out to a select few) and the current Fantasyland Survey is the fact that it was widely reported on. If this Small World survey is real, where are the tweets, facebook posts and everything ask asking “Is Small World REALLY going away”? Surely whoever thought it was newsworthy enough to share it with Micechat actually thought to send it out to Social Media first? Right?
But ignoring that, what would it mean to remove Small World from Disneyland? Well, for starters, Small World is estimated to have a capacity of 2,650 riders per hour, making it the second highest capacity attraction in the park, keeping it available to 2.6% of the parks maximum population (estimated at 100,000) over a 12 hour operating day, allowing almost a third of all guests to ride it. Small World is a Fastpass attraction that has wait times comparable to the recently refurbished Pirates of the Carribean, and is a significant crowd draw for Disneyland’s Holiday events, where lines for the attraction often reach over an hour. The attraction is heavily advertised across social media, television, radio, and billboards when other events within the park aren’t going on. This is especially true during the holidays, where the Small World Facade covered with lights is an integral offering for the park. From an operational perspective, Small World still draws crowds, is easily accessible by guests, and maintains good ridership making it a positive contributor to Disneyland.
While removing the attraction would free up a ton of space, it wouldn’t come without a plethora of hurdles. Small World sits with the entrance of Toon Town immediately to it’s West, to the East is the Parade route. More importantly, the attraction’s facade is crossed by the Disneyland Train every 15 minutes. At night, the facade is projected onto for Fireworks Displays, serving as the second most common firework gathering point in the park (often Rivers of America draws larger crowds, but this is simply due to the show being immediately after Fantasmic. On nights where Fantasmic does not run, Small World is busier). Lastly, the Small World Facade is a recognizable landmark and a cultural icon, with a lavish history, that would surely gather protests if it’s removal was announced. Relocation of the attraction would mean a complete reconstruction of one of Disney’s largest show buildings. Simply put, there’s nowhere to put it.
While contemplating future changes to Disneyland Resort is fun and exciting, fueling a rumor so audacious as the removal of Small World only serves to make guests more culpable for other rumors, making the “news” less established in real facts. As a reader, stay vigilant, and consider what a news site is saying. Removing Small World makes no sense. It would decrease the capacity of the park, remove a significant draw during the holidays, and expose the park to a PR nightmare. There are more underutilized structures across the park that would better serve as an expansion pad.