Disneyland Christmas Makeover: It’s a Small World

For a couple weeks each October It’s a Small World in Disneyland goes under refurbishment to open as the It’s a Small World Holiday. The most stunning change is to the outside decor, with thousands of lights adorning the building facade and shrubbery.

From the very beginning you get the sense that this familiar ride might have something new in store though.

The reason Small World takes so long to prep for the Holiday is because so much work is done on the ride itself. Animatronics, lights, trees, and other items are added to create a festive experience.

It is named Holidays for a reason. Just as different parts of the world focus or celebrate certain holidays more, Small World celebrates all the holidays of the world including the New Year.

It’s worth noting if you tire of the original Small World soundtrack (how could you?!) that Small World Holiday includes various traditional holiday music and can provide a unique ride experience for that reason.

All the lights can make for wonderful photos as it’s easier for cameras to pick up the brightness. As with all dark rides, you should not use flash on Small World, especially with the lights or you’ll end up with washed out photos. If you can time your photos properly you can get some great pictures in the final room. The white lends to creating an even brighter environment.

Small World only receives a make-over in Disneyland. We’re asked often why It’s a Small World in Florida does not have a make over each year. There is nothing official, but our guess is that it has to do with ride downtime. Disneyland has significantly more repeat visitors who are less likely to be upset that a ride is temporarily down while Walt Disney World caters to the once in a lifetime crowd a bit more. When you’re talking about a ride being down for weeks, it’s much more advantageous for Disneyland to take a ride down for a makeover, especially if it will give a unique experience during the busy holiday season and hopefully help disperse the crowds through the park a bit better.

If you’re visiting Disneyland during the holiday season there really is no reason to miss this holiday spin of one of Disney’s classic attractions. We give it two thumbs up!