Marty's Small World

I have loads of respect for Marty Sklar. So when he pipes up about this Small World character overlay, you have to take notice.

Two things I'll point out...the most minor point first:

Point One (edited for brevity's sake): Marty says that in order, "to make 'It’s A Small World' even more relevant to our guests, Tony Baxter...and I arrived at the same place eight years ago...to seamlessly integrate Disney characters into...scenes in the attraction."

Wow. Really? You and Tony...the same characters behind the 1998 "To Imagination and Beyond" fiasco at Disneyland's Tomorrowland? That failed project that yielded a moldy paint scheme, a Rocket Rods ride that was shut down within two and a half years, and..what else? Oh yeah, a general consensus that the whole thing was a flop. Great to hear you guys are behind this!

The legacy of Tomorrowland '98...an abandoned ride, an abandoned paint scheme, and a big WTF in place of the old Rocket Jets.

Point Two: Marty describes Walt as "the greatest 'change agent' who ever walked down Main Street."

I completely want to believe this! I want to believe the tales in which Walt is this guy who would rip out attractions wholesale if he had a newer, bigger idea. I want to believe Walt had no problem taking the ax to a just-fine, barely-one-year-old Viewliner because he stumbled across a slick monorail on a trip to Germany.

Walt may look happy in this 1957 image of the Viewliner, but he had no problem kicking this attraction to the curb when a flashier monorail came available.

But in believing this I have to believe that guys like Marty are either deluded or only half-honest if they think a bunch of robo-Beasts and animatronic-Ariels represent Walt Disney-caliber change. What WDI is doing is putting lipstick on a pig. Walt would have eaten that pig at a luau and replaced it with bigger bacon than anyone had dreamed of before.

This thing from Marty makes me sad. Just like the whole Small World character overlay, it is pointless, misguided, and demonstrates that too many people collecting a Disney paycheck just don't get it.

Nothing to Worry About...

Have no fear, folks...WDI knows what it is doing when it comes to introducing characters to It's a Small World.

I mean, just look at this masterpiece that'll soon be going into Honky Tonk Disneyland.

Didn't McLeach shoot one of these in Rescuers Down Under?

Ick. Let's hope this atrocity won't be surfing its way to Anaheim anytime soon.

Small World hub-bub

Lots of grousing going on about these rumored additions to It's a Small World. You can read Al Lutz's original Miceage.com story here and some huffing and puffing that the Re-Imagineering guys have going on at this link.

What was Mary Blair thinking? This picture needs Stitch in a hula skirt!

My take? Well first off, the ride IS old and COULD stand for some serious reworking. But adding Disney characters isn't the fix...that's just Disney's brand-nazis at work.

In all likelihood, adding Blair-ish characters will just be ugly. Screw the trumped up stories that are already circulating about Walt considering just such a move when the show arrived at Disneyland in '65. Even if that is true, it's a skewed truth. Disney had a whole different approach to its characters in the sixties. It was certainly more restrained. Heck, I have a 1968 souvenir guide that doesn't feature a character until page 6. Imagine that today.

This is Disney's interpretation of a Mickey-tiki. If the "talents" at Disney can manage to take a playful "Polynesian" approach and churn out this gack, image how hideous their Mary Blair-inspired work could be. Yikes!

It's a Small World is a treasure, an attraction that was loved-on by some of the very best artists Disney ever employed. It doesn't deserve to be monkeyed with by punk-talents who are simply doing the bidding of their corporate masters.

Still this attraction is showing its age. No doubt if the Old Man were still running the joint, this show would have been gone a long time ago. I wonder what Walt would have done to top this classic. I wonder if anyone at WDI has the talent to answer that question.