Everybody likes lists so I’m marking the 60th anniversary of it’s a small world by ranking all five versions of the attraction around the globe.
“Old Mill’ canal boat ride dates to 1901.
It’s a Small World is an Old Mill–style boat ride found in Fantasyland areas at Disney parks around the world, with versions at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Although five versions operate today, the original debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The fair version sits at the bottom of my list but if Robert Moses (who led the fair) hadn’t invited Walt Disney to participate, there likely wouldn’t be any ‘small worlds’.
Walt Disney Productions created four attractions for the Worlds Fair. The one I want to focus on is it’s a small world, which used the Old Mill concept but improved the ride system. Instead of relying on a water wheel to move boats through a wooden flume, Disney partnered with Arrow Development to create a pump-driven system that carried boats at a steady, predictable pace.
That breakthrough allowed Disney to place show scenes along the flume with confidence, knowing guests would pass each moment at the right speed. It was a major innovation, and the company would use that controlled boat system many times afterward.
Classic ‘its a small world’.
At the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, it’s a small world featured and needed the Tower of the Four Winds, a bold marquee that drew guests to an otherwise plain pavilion. Without it, the building offered little visual interest beyond signage and sponsor branding. The tower of the four winds addressed the problem on the bland unappealing building with a giant mobile filled with colorful wind-driven shapes, including propellers, flying fish, butterflies, winged dragons, and a miniature carousel of animals such as giraffes, camels, and llamas. The ride was a gentle cruise which lasted over 10 minutes, and during the fair’s two-year run, the attraction carried more than 3,000 guests per hour. When the fair closed, it’s a small world had to sail on to a new home.
Next on my list is the Magic Kingdom version at Walt Disney World. It improves on the original in several ways, including a more expansive canal, water that surrounds the show sets, and a wonderfully groovy 1960s design sensibility. Still, I rank it lower because it lacks a meaningful exterior statement: no clock, no tower, and no true arrival moment. It is tucked inside Fantasyland, competing with the surrounding midway rather than announcing itself.
Tokyo Disneyland version has changed since it first opened.
Tokyo Disneyland’s version should rank higher because it is beautifully maintained, but it also feels tucked away between nearby attractions. Bright and cheerful as it is, it lacks the theatrical impact of the stronger versions.
Hong Kong Disneyland’s version feels like a retro throwback, with a classic Anaheim-inspired exterior and a plastic flume that keeps the show sets dry and off to the side. Guests board a cozy boat for an approximately nine-minute cruise along the Seven Seaways canal, accompanied by the attraction’s familiar anthem of world peace and hosted by the children of the world. It also deserves credit for introducing Disney characters into it’s a small world, a bold experiment even if not everyone agrees with the choice.
‘small world’ at Hong Kong Disneyland sits on its own plaza.
Coming in at number two is Disneyland Paris. It borrows directly from Anaheim’s classic DNA—the facade, clock, train, and front-facing station—while adapting the experience for a wetter climate with covered approaches and a fully enclosed design. It even once included a post-show sponsored by France Telecom, complete with original animation, show sets, and an extended musical message about global connection.
The Paris version has a blue painted ceiling which is unquestionably unique.
That post-show no longer exists, and the space now serves a different purpose, but the ambition was impressive. Disneyland Paris misses the top spot for one reason: the blue ceiling. It reflects too much light, making the show sets feel smaller and more visibly staged. If that ceiling were black, this version could easily be number one. It is charming, important, and beautifully conceived, but the best version remains the original Disneyland installation in Anaheim.
Image of the Paris version under construction.
When the World’s Fair closed, the show moved to California, Disneyland expanded its boundary, and the attraction received a new show building at the back of the park. The Small World Mall created a grand approach from Fantasyland, and the exterior transformed the graphic language of the original poster into a dimensional architectural landmark. Over the decades, the ride has evolved with new boats, added scenes, greater representation, character additions, holiday overlays, projections, and even a new musical lyric. The queue has changed, the surrounding land has changed, and the Toy Story shop was added, but the attraction remains lush, vibrant, high-capacity, and deeply tied to Disneyland’s identity.
The Anaheim version also benefited from decisions made after the fair, including leaving the Tower of the Four Winds behind. In New York, the tower worked as a necessary marquee, but in Anaheim it would have felt out of scale and out of step with Fantasyland’s charm.
Disneyland’s version on the ‘small world’ mall. Note the rooftop trees.
it’s a small world opened with a true mall-like approach and was promoted widely, including in Vacationland magazine. The land around it has changed repeatedly, from the arrival of Mickey’s Toontown to the loss ofrooftop trees that once suggested a forest setting. Later changes, including the reversed queue, Mattel-era facade updates, the Toy Story shop, and the remaining Light Magic towers, all reshaped the plaza into a stronger entry statement. Through every change, Disneyland’s it’s a small world remains the best version: iconic, flexible, charming, and inseparable from the park’s DNA. After all, who can deny the appeal of the dolls—or the enduring truth that it really is a small world?
That brings our happy cruise back to the dock. If you liked reading this then go watch my video about all it’s a small world. You will find the video over on YouTube.com/jimhshull
Disneyland study model with Tower of the Four Winds.
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