wintry

The most famous 15-minute cruise around a miniature world is almost ready for its holiday close-up. Disneyland’s It’s a Small World Holiday opens Friday, and it’s a seasonal delight, a bright and wintry jaunt to the North Pole and then around the globe and back.

Closed from just before Halloween, the attraction has undergone nearly two weeks of round-the-clock work, with set dressing during the day, and maintenance and facade work at night. Hours before the boat ride was to be refilled with water on Monday afternoon, Disneyland team members gave me a walkthrough, providing me with a rare peek behind the scenes. As a devotee of Mary Blair and Rolly Crump, so much so that It’s a Small World is my favorite ride at the park, I was eager to see the attraction from a new perspective.

Here’s just some of what I learned as I strolled the dry waterway and took a brief jaunt into the ride’s attic, a maze of wooden paths with vintage automations and a handful of small openings into the magical world below.

If you’ve been on the ride during the regular season, you’ve glided right past the holiday fixtures without knowing it

Troy Romero, a Disneyland stage technician, left, and David Miller, director of entertainment tech services, give a tour of It’s a Small World Holiday.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

Disneyland teams of late have been focused on reducing ride downtime, and last year the It’s a Small World team was able to trim the refurbishment time from 18 days to 14 days. This was mostly accomplished by adding and shifting crew hours, but It’s a Small World is a delicate attraction, with the vast majority of its wooden set pieces dating to the mid-1960s. Navigating around such a fragile work is difficult, especially with much of the holiday version of the attraction stored on the ride itself.

That means that for most of the year, guests are gliding right past the Christmas-heavy overlays. They’re stationed behind the facades or tucked on the floor just under the elevated flume.

It’s a Small World Holiday is a Disneyland tradition that began in 1997.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

Snowflake lights that glisten near the start of the attraction, for instance, had been kept in the South America section until someone suggested simply laying them down when they’re not in use. It’s a simple fix that has saved hours of time lifting props over and around set pieces. Additionally, four snow animals in the finale were previously housed in Africa, but have been moved closer to their winter homes, eliminating the process of lifting the animals or dissembling and reassembling set pieces to traverse around the attraction. That also means less risk, both to the staff and the delicate scenery.

Reducing the closure period by four days may not sound like much, but David Miller, Disneyland’s director of entertainment tech services, says that equates to 74,000 more guests being able to ride the attraction.

Miss the old finale of the Main Street Electrical Parade? A piece of it lives on in the Asia section

Details from the Asia section of It’s a Small World.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

In 2022, Disneyland changed the finale of its Main Street Electrical Parade. Gone was a patriotic float at its end, one in which fireworks twinkled over a red, white and blue tapestry. Those fireworks, however, found a new home. They now reside in the Asia section of It’s a Small World Holiday. Look for them near the end of the room, off to the left above a translucent, glowing dragon.

“We want to make sure we’re leveraging what we’ve got,” Miller says. “So when our finale float changed, the fireworks were moved and brought over to help us celebrate the season.”

Guess the weight of the candy arch

A Christmas critter in It’s a Small World Holiday.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

One of the largest set pieces in It’s a Small World Holiday is the Christmas tree in the Europe section of the park, a towering monument of glowing candles and glistening ribbons that is replacing a chess board. The metal and aluminum tree is then raised in parts, all seven of them. The top is placed first, and each section is affixed underneath until it takes shape. A heavy piece, the back of the tree is wired up into the attic to ensure it stays in place.

But it’s not the heaviest set piece in the Europe section of the attraction. That would be the candy arch, detailed with candy canes, gingerbread and frosting. While Miller didn’t know its total weight, just the top of that arch is more than a ton. As one can imagine, moving it is no easy feat. It’s stored nearby, and slotted into place by a series of stitched-together chain motors. Theme park attractions often utilize tricks of old-fashioned theater, such as painted Styrofoam or hollowed-out wood. But not here. “It is built to withstand much,” Miller says.

“Funny thing, I heard one of the riggers say, if there was an earthquake, I’d run to the candy arch,” says Georg Schanz, an entertainment tech manager with the resort.

Numerous scents are piped in throughout It’s a Small World Holiday.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

Anyone smell gingerbread?

As boats glide under the candy arch, don’t be surprised if you start craving a cookie. That’s because Disneyland is piping in a gingebread aroma. There are at least five scents throughout It’s a Small World Holiday, says Schanz, but the gingerbread was the only one I detected, so you’re on your own to count the rest.

Elvis is back in the building

A small Elvis Presley toy stands on a surfboard with Lilo and Stitch.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

A guest favorite of It’s a Small World Holiday is the tiny Elvis Presley figure affixed to a surfboard featuring the characters of Lilo and Stitch. The Elvis toy only comes out for the holiday edition of the attraction. The figure was not part of the initial design of It’s a Small World Holiday, and was added, Miller says, by a stage technician.

“Every once in a while there are little moments that can influence an attraction,” Miller says.

Watch the bells in the opening room

The bells inside It’s a Small World Holiday are outfitted with motion sensors.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

One of the most complex builds of It’s a Small World Holiday is actually its opening scene, which the team calls the “hello room.” Composed of mostly flat figures — toy soldiers, a rocking horse, doll-like characters holding balloons — it may not look like one of the most intense scenes to construct, but these are large wooden pieces that have to navigate places with low ceilings. This space alone takes three days to empty and repopulate.

Pay attention to the bells that lead out of the room and into the North Pole. Those operate only by motion sensors as a boat approaches.

A holiday adornment for nearly every doll — all 300 of them

The It’s a Small World dolls are ready for the holidays.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

The brightly lit finale — an explosion of whites and lights — is another tricky scene to construct. That’s because each and every doll in the room is touched up. Disney says there are about 300 dolls on the entire ride, and it feels like a large percentage are in this closing scene. “Every doll in here gets something,” Miller says of the grand finale room. “Whether it’s holly, a choir book or just a sparkle, every doll in here gets something.”

Consistency from year to year is important. That’s why the entire ride is 3D-scanned. The teams can call up a room to compare images from earlier editions. “It’s a lot like a real estate tour, where you see little point-to-points throughout the house,” Miller says. “That helps us make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be.”

Like a real estate tour? I know I’m ready to move in. We just may have to turn down the music, though.

This week in SoCal theme parks

Christmas decorations have arrived at the Disneyland Resort.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

• Christmas is upon us. Disneyland’s holiday season begins Friday, although many of the decorations are already in place. Come the end of the week, however, there will be new foods to sample, and a number of returning shows. Don’t miss the terrific “¡Viva Navidad!,” or “World of Color — Season of Light,” back after a hiatus due to Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebrations.
• Calling all Tinker Bell fans! “Tinker Bell’s Neverland Adventure: An Illuminated Adventure” opens Friday at South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes Estates. The illuminated night walk will take guests on a journey through numerous locales from the fairy tale, ranging from the rooftops of London to the Lost Boys’ secret hideout to Captain Hook’s pirate ship. The trail is designed for all ages.
• A new pass for Universal fans. Universal Studios Hollywood has introduced a new “Diamond Pass,” now its highest tier annual passport. Selling for $999, the pass has no blockout days and includes daily access to the park’s line-skipping express pass as well as a ticket to after-hours events Halloween Horror Nights and Fan Fest. The pass also includes access to an Universal VIP tour.

Tell us your stories. Ask us your questions.

Have a theme park tale to share? Whether it was a good day or less-than-perfect day, I would love to hear about it. Have a question? A tip? A fun photo from the parks to share? Email me at todd.martens@latimes.com. I may feature your note in an upcoming newsletter.

Ride on,

Todd Martens

—

This newsletter is free thanks to the support of L.A. Times subscribers. If you’re not yet a subscriber, explore subscription packages to unlock unlimited digital access and support award-winning local reporting.

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here to get it in your inbox.