There have been some pretty crazy rumors circulating around Disney World’s it’s a small world attraction and a supposed overlay involving Tangled. The rumor, as originally seen on a site that doesn’t really deserve to be named (think illness Disney), suggests that the iconic ride will disappear due to “not many guests” visiting the attraction.
Normally I wouldn’t spend any time dismissing a rumor that is so far removed from reality, but this deserves to be debunked due to how big the rumor has grown.
It feels kind of silly to write about this when the alleged “rumor” was barely a full paragraph. Alas, its popularity deserves some actual facts.
For starters, it’s a small world is still a very popular attraction at the Magic Kingdom. Even with the majority of guests choosing to use their FastPass selections elsewhere, the ride still effectively moves a large number of guests along through the standby line. The park’s slowest times still see it’s a small world with a wait hovering around 20 minutes. It’s hardly unpopular.
If you’re curious, the ride’s theoretical capacity (meaning the estimated capacity of the attraction if it fills every boat and the ride doesn’t have to slow down or have a delay) checks in at about 3,000 guests per hour. That number ranks as one of the highest in the Magic Kingdom.
Why would Disney abandon an iconic ride in favor of an intellectual property that was deemed to not be popular enough to earn an attraction of its own during the creation of New Fantasyland? It wouldn’t and it won’t. It does have some nice restrooms, however.
All of that being said, it is possible the Disney World version of it’s a small world may receive some attention. A refurbishment has been reported by many Disney insiders. Meanwhile, Disneyland’s version added in 29 Disney characters, each in their native land, back in 2008. It’s possible that if there really is an urge to inject some characters into the ride that the Magic Kingdom would follow Disneyland’s lead, but not abandon the ride entirely.
Be careful what you read. A lot of stories are made up just to get people talking.
Photo via Disney Parks Blog.
