The It's a Small World Animals are characters featured throughout the It's a Small World attraction.
History[]
Background[]
The "It's a Small World" attraction not only features singing child-like dolls who are citizens of Fantasyland living a miniature world within the Glockenspiel clock-building, the attraction itself also features various animals spotted throughout various parts of the attraction appearing in various sections representing fauna from various countries. Various of the animals can be spotted through various parts of the attraction where they were placed to represent a specific country in figure form (whether animatronic form or static), decoration form (statues, costumes, etc.), or even in painting form. Additionally besides these, topiaries representing animals are found in the outdoor parts of the attraction - albeit only in the Disneyland version of the attraction.
Due to the success of the attraction since their debut in the 1964 New York's World Fair as well as the attraction later being moved to Disneyland, the "It's a Small World" attraction was later constructed at Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland, still featuring the animals throughout the attraction. In addition to the attraction's success, many merchandise inspired by the attraction not only feature dolls but also animals spotted throughout the attraction - particularly featured as toys or even in games and books inspired by the attraction (albeit certain species not appearing in the ride itself).
Appearances[]
It's a Small World[]
The animals appear throughout every version of the attraction placed into various sections representing specific countries (example: goats placed into the Europe section representing Switzerland; a panda placed into the Asia section to represent China; llamas placed into the South America section to represent the Andes; kangaroos, koalas, lyrebirds, and platypuses placed into the South Seas section to represent Australia, etc.). As guests pass by, various animals can be seen reacting to the music while the dolls sing the song, "It's a Small World" to promote world peace.
Some other animals also appear in the attraction representing Disney and Pixar characters, such as a meerkat figure representing Timon from The Lion King, fish figures representing Nemo and Dory from Finding Nemo, a raccoon figure representing Meeko from Pocahontas, etc. Animal figures representing Disney and Pixar appear in the Hong Kong Disneyland version, the post-2009 Disneyland version, and the post-2018 Tokyo Disneyland version.
Aside from the animals located within the ride itself, several animal topiaries are also displayed within the Small World grounds exclusively in the Disneyland version of the attraction. Certain types include two dolphins leaping, a deer raising its front hooves, a giraffe, a lion, an elephant, a bison, a sea serpent, or even an ostrich.
It's a Small World Holiday[]
Various animals reprise their classic appearances in this Christmas overlay, alongside the dolls who also reprise their classic appearances celebrating their different holidays. Some of the animal decorations which do not appear in the original overlay also appear in this attraction - particularly a Chinese dragon decoration in a section representing China, a snake placed in the section representing Egypt where the Sphinx is at, etc.
From 1997 to 2008, one section of the attraction in the California version featured a dark passage with doves holding banners to promote Peace on Earth written in various languages which the next room after that was the finale room.
Other appearances[]
Film[]
Tomorrowland[]
In the movie Tomorrowland, the 1964 World's Fair version of the attraction is seen in Frank Walker's flashback.
Television[]
Phineas and Ferb[]
The scene where the dolls sing "It's a Small World" was parodied in the Phineas and Ferb episode "The Lake Nose Monster" as "Lair Entrance: The Ride", a ride inside the entrance of an OWCA lair, albeit consisting of singing animals instead of child-like dolls.
It's a Small World: The Animated Series[]
Various animals appear in several episodes seen in the background with the Small World dolls being the central characters. While often seen as background characters, the episode "One Golden Sun" focuses on a rhino calf leading the children on a trip all over Africa. In addition to containing several animals that appear in the background, one such animal who appears in every episode of the series contains a bird named Wazoh, who serves as the friends' companion throughout the series. Although he does not talk throughout each episode's plot depending on which episode he appears, he does have a speaking role in the segment featured at the end of each episode titled "Words with Wazoh", where he teaches the viewers to learn words in English and Spanish respectively.
Video games[]
Epic Mickey[]
A boat ride paralleling the It's a Small World attraction appears when Mickey Mouse enters the attraction. Upon arriving, the player has the option to either repair all the hippos using Paint or thin all the pipes using Paint Thinner. Painting all the hippos opens the door and the big hippo located in the next room opens its mouth revealing an E-Ticket. If the player thins all the pipes without painting all the hippos, the large hippo in the said room does not open its mouth unless the player returns to the room the repaint the broken hippos.
Kinect: Disneyland Adventures[]
In the It's a Small World segments of the game, animals can be seen as cardboards representing specific countries (example: toucans and parrots appearing in a section representing South America, crabs and seagulls in a section representing Hawaii, etc.). Additionally, animals such as a hippo with an oxpecker, and a crocodile also make cameo appearances where they randomly pop up when the player is sailing to various other continents (causing at least 4 to appear in a game is required for a hidden secret).
Gallery[]
.jpg "Hyenas (It's a Small World).jpg (49 KB)")
Disney_0.jpg "It's a small world - Disneyland Alice in Wonderland photo(c)Disney 0.jpg (140 KB)")
.jpg "Three Caballeros IASW (Tokyo Disneyland).jpg (218 KB)")
Merchandise[]
Trivia[]
- The laughing hyena sound effect used for the hyenas in the Africa section in every version of the attraction was also used in the 1955 Disney animated feature film Lady and the Tramp. It is heard during part where Tramp tells Al, an alligator, to help Lady get rid of her muzzle to which the two dogs manage to dodge him as a hyena sound overlapped with other animal sound effects can be heard in the background. In addition to this, one brief scene shows a hyena (voiced by the late Dallas McKennon) happily laughing in his cage. It should be noted that this sound effect used for the hyenas in the "It's a Small World" attraction is the same one from Lady and the Tramp.
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