[PopCenturyGirl]

Originally Posted by PrincessJill

This article was posted on the AT&T homepage today. Has anyone seen it? I thought it was interesting...


Fact meets fantasy in Disney 'Small World' remake
Published: 2/5/09, 12:06 PM EDT
By GILLIAN FLACCUS

link to the article: AT&T

"More than 40 years after the "It's A Small World" ride opened to promote world peace and showcase the cultures of the world, Disney is populating one of its most beloved attractions with its own trademark vision of the planet: Aladdin, Nemo, Ariel and more than two dozen cartoon characters plucked from its movies.

...

Disney says it supplemented the human dolls with make-believe figures to keep the aging ride appealing to younger generations and give it a new twist. Yet some angry fans see an unabashed marketing ploy that trashes the pacifist message at the heart of the "Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed the World" and ruins one of the few rides that remained unchanged since the days of Walt Disney."

I just read an article about this on MSN, and it really bothers me that they've done this to Small World. It's definitely not up there in my list of favorite rides at the parks, but it IS a classic, and a symbol of hope for world peace. There's enough characters in most of the other attractions in the park. I don't think this was necessary, and I think it cheapens the over-all purpose of the ride. My daughter LOVES Small World, and eventually, when she FINALLY gets to Disneyland, she'll probably like the addition of the characters. She fell in love with the ride at WDW, and whenever we go to the Magic Kindgom, we have to ride it, like 6 times over our whole vacation! LOL! And I do agree with the opinion that yet again, Disney felt it needed to amp up it's marketing with the addition of characters. What a bummer....