That Time I Got Stuck on It’s a Small World

Lets face it. Getting stuck on a ride isn't fun. It eats up your precious park time. I've been stuck a few times. Once, back in 1996 I was stuck on Splash Mountain for 30 minutes. I heard "How do you do?" sung by a audio animatronic toad 4 million times. But imagine hearing THE SONG over and over. You know the one. I actually don't mind the song, but throw in a clown? Shivers. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Lisa Green - Nick

That Time We Got Stuck on It's a Small World

By Lisa Green  

Sometimes I think I’m so cute and clever.  Those are the times I should be most aware of how life can sneak up on you and, well, kick you in the pants.  Not long ago, while Raymond and I were enjoying that blissful week alone at Walt Disney World, I had one of those moments.  In anticipation of our trip, I’d purchased a couple of limited edition Disney tee shirts.  They were the ones commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Carousel of Progress and It’s a Small World – since I was also celebrating being 50 years old in 2014…well, you can see how cute and clever I thought I was being.

On one of the days we’d be spending in the Magic Kingdom, I donned my new It’s a Small World shirt and thought it would be great to ride the ride…you know, wearing the shirt.  How wonderful!  Here’s what happened… 

Begin flashback sequence now…..

 

We were having a really terrific day in spite of some bazaar goings-on when we first arrived at the park (an omen, perhaps?).  Main Street was looking gorgeous when we stopped by Starbuck’s for coffee and a bite to eat. 

We headed over to Adventureland to hit our first attractions of the day.  That’s when we first noticed that Magic Kingdom was experiencing some technical difficulties, as was the My Disney Experience App – many rides were not running and the app actually showed every ride as “closed”.  We’d gone to ride Pirates and it was closed.  PhilharMagic? Closed.  Winnie the Pooh? Nope.  There were a bunch of angry people!  We weren’t among them though.  I have a motto, “When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!”

We’d had plenty of Magic Kingdom time already the day before and would be coming back again later in the week, so we decided to jump on the monorail and see what was going on along the loop.  We’d hit the shops, see the sights, and make our way back to the Magic Kingdom later for our dinner at Be Our Guest.  Going with the flow was working great for us!

After we checked out everything at the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian, we decided we should go back and see if we could at least ride It’s a Small World before dinner on account of the special shirt I’d worn that day.  When we got back, things were somewhat better (still no Pirates) so we found we had time to ride Peter Pan, see PhilharMagic, and YAY! ride It’s a Small World.  The line moved quickly and I was feeling pretty cute in my new tee.

That’s probably what did it – my feeling cute and clever.  We were sailing along in the front seat of our little boat while I was happily snapping pictures here and there.  We got right to the far side of the blue room and the boat stopped.  Not a pause, the boat was dead in the water – along with all the other boats.   We were sitting with the honking geese directly to our right and that balloon that goes up and down with the clown in the basket on our left.  The automatic announcement came on that tells you that everything’s going to be fine in a moment.

 

I’m not scared of much – at least not the usual stuff.  Lizards, mice, snakes, bugs – those don’t phase me much.  If you hear me holler about a bug, it’s only because I don’t have anything at hand to squash it with and I don’t want it to get away. 

 

Getting stuck on It’s a Small World seems pretty innocuous, doesn’t it?  I don’t know what started freaking me out first.  It might have been the clown in the balloon going up and down and up and down or the geese that would not stop honking. It might have been how the people behind us all started singing along with the ride’s well-know song.  I suspect it was the not automated announcements that did me in, but a cast member instead.  I’m sure she was just trying to help.

After the first auto-announcement, this female cast member’s voice came over the loud speaker and basically repeated the information from the first announcement.  At least in the beginning.  In reality, I’m guessing we were stuck on the ride somewhere between 8 and 10 minutes.  It seemed a lot longer because as that cast member made her announcements, she became increasingly frantic in her bid for guests to stay seated.  By the fourth or fifth time she made the announcement, she was sounding actually panicked, “PLEASE!!!  Remain in your boats!!!!”  Of course this made me suspect that we were never going to be rescued.  That, in fact, we would have to swim for our lives.  Perhaps she sounded so desperate because the exodus had already begun in another room? 

 

Those geese were honking a warning…the clown would be climbing out of that balloon basket to commit unspeakable atrocities upon the unsuspecting passengers of the “Happiest cruise that ever sailed” and I’d be first because I was wearing the SHIRT!!!  This is what happens when you feel cute and clever!!!

Yes, you’re right.  Nothing bad happened.  Aside from my momentary clown-paranoia and homicidal thoughts towards both the announcer-girl and the singing people behind me, the boats finally moved on and we were able to enjoy our dinner at Be Our Guest.  Just in case though, I did not ride the Carousel of Progress on the day I wore that particular shirt.

What rides have YOU been stuck on?

This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at @life_of_green

Please be sure to check out Lisa along with me and David Hodges on The Disney Exchange Podcast!

Walt Disney World Pop Up Book from Hallmark

A Fun Filled Visit to Walt Disney World with Mickey Mouse: A Hallmark Pop-Up Book.

..

By Nick

Like much of my collection, I cannot recall when and where I got this book. It’s copyright is 1972.

It isn’t in the best condition, with stains and tape marks, but the pop-ups all work pretty well.



Our first pop-up is the Ferry Boat to the Magic Kingdom. But that isn’t how we are getting to the park.



We’re taking the Monorail with Mickey. Lift the door tab, and Mickey gets on board.

Interestingly, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has been reduced to just “Submarine Voyage” here. There is a rotating wheel that rotates and shows wreckage, treasure and sea life.





Next, the Country Bear Jamboree pop-up.



It’s a Small World. Pull the tab on the right, and the drummer drums while the camel nods in unison.

The Mad Tea Party. pull the tab to see Mickey “Spin”. On one side he’s smiling, on the other, he looks as if he may be ill, which is the same reaction I have as this ride goes on.



A Jungle Cruise pop-up.



The Mickey Mouse Revue, which was housed in the space that is now home to Mickey’s PhilharMagic. Pull the tabs and the whole gang rocks out while Mickey orchestrates.



The Swiss Family Tree House. Lift the flap and see the Jungle Cruise Ruins in the distance.
Not very exciting.

Maybe the creator of this book was lulling you into a false sense of security, and then, wham!
Pull the tab on the Haunted Mansion page, and a ghost pops up! Thrilling.



And to cap off a fun filled day at the park with Mickey, fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle.




I hope you enjoyed your time with Mickey Mouse.

Sing Along with the Dapper Dans in the Magic Kingdom

By Nick

It was an absolutely gorgeous day at the Magic Kingdom. My wife and had found a prime spot in the shade for the Festival of Fantasy, the 3 o'clock parade. We had 20 minutes to go, when the Dapper Dans came strolling up, and stopped almost directly in front of us, and proceeded to entertain the crowd with a sing along.

They sang and played a medley of Zip a Dee Doo Dah, Small World, and the Mickey Mouse Club March.

Not too many sang along, but my wife and I did! Would you have been singing along?

It's a Small World After All

 

By: Jacqueline aka Jersey Diva

"It's a world of laughter, a world of tears. It's a world of hopes, it's a world of fears. There's so much that we share, that's it's time we're aware. It's a small world after all!" 

You may not know the story behind that little ditty. Walt Disney originally wanted a choir of children singing National Anthems from many different countries.  After realizing that having many children singing all different songs in different languages at the same time would not work, Walt Disney approached the Sherman brothers to write the song. Richard and Robert Sherman also wrote the score for Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and many more Disney movies.  "It's a Small World" is one of the most well-known songs of all time.

Now that I put that song in your beautiful head, let's talk about the happiest cruise that ever sailed.

This musical boat tour takes you through 7 continents where the children of the world are happily singing in their native language showing you that it truly is a small world after all.

My very first trip to Magic Kingdom was when I was 6 years old.  I can't tell you every single thing we did during that trip, but I can tell you we went on It's a Small World numerous times. While planning our December 2012 trip to WDW, Jersey Mom had two requirements...Osborne Family Lights and It's a Small World. Luckily for Jersey Mom, we were able to do both of those things and we were able to ride It's a Small World numerous (4) times.

 Jersey Daughter #2 and I riding It's a Small World for the 2nd time

 Jersey Daughter #1, Jersey Mom and Jersey Nephew during ride #3

I have to admit, I don't think I have ever seen Jersey Mom so happy.  She was just so super excited to be able to share her all time favorite ride with her grandchildren.  Jersey Daughters, Jersey Nephew and Jersey Niece loved the ride as much as Jersey Mom.  I am not sure our fellow riders enjoyed their singing but they had a wonderful time.

During our first time on the ride, the kids were not so sure what to make of the ride.  They were so amazed at the different countries represented and all the different things they were seeing.  Jersey Daughter #1 said, "I get it!  No matter where you live, we all like to have a good time. Yes, that's it! We all have fun!"

That was Walt's idea behind "It's a Small World." Seeing the world through the eyes of a child, we will realize we are all basically the same.

Floating through some of the world's most beloved countries gives you the impression of sailing through a classic children's book. The scenes are so colorful with bold hues.

Disney seamstresses sewed every inch of clothing to create a spot-on portrayal of each continents attire. If you've rode the ride as many times as I have, you would count over 300 outfits in all!  Each region was depicted using authentic materials.

The hula dancers are my favorite.  I was happy to hear Jersey Daughter #2 ask me to take a picture of the "pretty girls" for her.

At the end of this magical, musical tour, the children reunite for a finale reminding us of the common bonds of friendship, laughter and happiness we share.  

"There is just one moon and one golden sun. And a smile means friendship to everyone.  Though the mountains divide. And the oceans are wide,
It's a small, small world!"

As your boat returns to the dock, learn how to say "goodbye" in many different languages, all as colorful as their scenes from inside the tour.

Auf Wiederschen,

~Jersey Diva

This article was originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Jersey Diva is a contributing writer.

The Sherman Brothers

 

Photo Courtesy of D23 media net

By: Jacqueline aka Jersey Diva

Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films.  They wrote more motion-picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history.  The brothers began writing songs together in 1951 on a challenge from their father, Al Sherman, the songwriter who wrote Tin Pan Alley.

Robert founded the music publishing company, Music World Corporation, in 1958.  The publishing company later had a landmark relationship with Disney's BMI-affiliated publishing company, Wonderland Music Company.  That same year, the Sherman Brothers had their first top-ten hit with "Tall Paul" which was sung by Mouseketeer Judy Harriet and later covered by Mouseketeer Annette Funicello.  After the success of this song, Walt Disney hired the Sherman Brothers as Staff Songwriters for Walt Disney Studios.  On personal assignment by Walt Disney, the first song they wrote was "Strummin' Song" in 1961.  The song was used in the Annette Funicello made for television movie called The Horsemasters.

While working at Disney, the Sherman Brothers wrote more motion picture musical scores than any other songwriters in the history of film.  Their best known song,  "It's a Small World (after all)" was written for the 1964 New York World's Fair.  Some have claimed that this has become the most translated and performed song on Earth, although this is mainly due to the fact that it is played continuously at Disney's theme park "it's a small world" attractions.

In 1965, the Sherman Brothers won two Academy Awards for Mary Poppins, which includes their songs, "Feed the Birds," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," and Oscar winning "Chim Chim Cher-ee." Since the premiere of Mary Poppins, the Sherman Brothers have earned nine Oscar nominations, two Grammy Awards, four Grammy Award nominations and 23 gold and platinum-certified albums.

The Shermans worked directly for Walt Disney, completing the scores for the live action musical films The Happiest Millionaire and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band until Disney died in 1966.  After leaving the company, the Sherman Brothers have worked as freelance songwriters on scores of motion pictures, television shows, theme park exhibits and stage musicals.

In 1968, they worked on their first non-Disney assignment with Albert R. Broccoli's motion picture production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for United Artists. This gave the brothers their third Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. Two years later, the Sherman Brothers returned to Disney for a brief stint where they completed The Aristocats and Bedknobs and Broomsticks.  The latter gained the brothers their fourth and fifth Oscar nominations.  In 1972, the brothers received a Grammy nomination for Snoopy Come Home.  In 1973, the Sherman Brothers make history by becoming the only Americans to ever win First Prize at the Moscow Film Festival for Tom Sawyer, for which they also wrote the screenplay.

In 1976, The Slipper and the Rose was picked to be the Royal Command Performance of the year. A performance attended by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The Sherman Brothers also wrote songs, score and the screenplay for this modern musical adaptation of the classic Cinderella story. The Brothers received two more Oscar nominations for this film. Also in 1976, the Sherman Brothers received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is located directly across from Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Other film credits, Disney and non-Disney, include The Jungle Book (1967), The Parent Trap (1961 & 1998), Charlotte's Web (1973), Huckleberry Finn (1974), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) and Little Nemo:Adventures in Slumberland (1992).  The Sherman Brothers also had a Tony Award nomination for their hit Over Here! (1974) which was the biggest grossing original Broadway musical of that year. The brothers have also written many top selling songs including "You're Sixteen," which reached Billboard's Hot 100 Top 10 twice, once with Johnny Burnette in 1960 and then at #1 with Ringo Starr more than thirteen years later.  Other top ten hits include "Pineapple Princess", "Let's Get Together", and more.  In 2002, the brothers wrote "Only a Woman Like You" with Michael Bolton who co-wrote and recorded as a single from the album of the same name.

In 2000, the Sherman Brothers wrote the score for the Disney film The Tigger Movie. This film was the brothers' first major motion picture for Disney in over 28 years.  In 2002, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang hit the London stage and received rave reviews. It is currently the most successful stage show ever produced at the London Palladium with the longest run in that century old theater's history.  A second Chitty company premiered in New York City on Broadway at the Foxwoods Theatre on April 28, 2005. The brothers wrote six additional songs specifically for the new stage productions.  A third Chitty company is currently touring throughout the United Kingdom.  In a British nationwide poll reported by the BBC in 2003, four of the Sherman brothers' musicals ranked in the Top 10 Favorite Children's Films of All Time. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) topped the list at #1.  In addition to the new songs they wrote for Chitty, the brothers also wrote some new songs for the Broadway production of Mary Poppins which premiered on November 16, 2006 at the New Amsterdam Theatre.  Both Chitty and Mary Poppins were produced collaboratively by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh.

On June 9, 2005, the Sherman Brothers were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  On November 17, 2008, the brothers received the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor conferred upon artists or patrons of the arts by the United States Government.  The award was presented to them by President George W. Bush in a ceremony at The White House.  On March 11, 2010,in honor of their contribution to Disney theme parks, the brothers were presented with a Window on Mainstreet Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Two months later on May 17th, they received the "Career Achievement Award" at The Theatre Museum's 2010 Awards Gala in New York City.  A year later on May 21st, the brothers were each awarded honorary doctorate degrees in Fine Arts from their alma mater, Bard College.  Robert has previously received an honorary doctorate degree in May 1990 from Lincoln College.

On May 22, 2009, the Sherman brothers' sons, Gregory V. Sherman and Jeff Sherman directed and produced The Boys: the Sherman Brothers' Story, a critically acclaimed documentary film about the famed duo. The film was theatrically released and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.  In October 2009, Disney released a 59 track, two disc CD, titled "The Sherman Brothers Songbook" which is compilation of their work for the studio spanning forty-two years.

Robert Sherman passed away on March 5, 2012 in London where he had lived since 2002.

~Jersey Diva

 This article was originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Jersey Diva is a contributing writer.

Getting Your Money's Worth

By Beth Skarp

It happens to the best of us. You make a purchase in cash, and your change is given to you. Now, who really pays close attention to the small change as it is presented to you? Chances are, you are like many of us, myself included, who just quickly scans the coins presented to me before dumping them in either my purse or pocketing my change. It isn't until later, while I am either making another purchase or just putting my change in my Disney Vacation jar that I notice, hey, this coin looks funny. Sure enough, a coin from some other country has managed to find it's way into my wallet. While most of the change is not spendable here in the United States, it is always fun to see where the coins originated from and what their current value may be.

Disney deals with not only foreign change, but with foreign currency on an almost daily basis. Since visitors to Disney hail from all over the Globe, literally, is it any wonder that a few bills or coins get “incorporated” into the Disney money drawers?  

I had the opportunity to chat with a supervisor at the Guest Relations counter in Epcot recently. I was curious as to if or how Disney handles foreign currency. 

When I asked if there was a limit to how much money could be exchanged, I was told “it depends”. When I pressed for a more definitive answers, I was told what really matters is not only the type of currency that is being exchanged, but also the exchange rate for the currency. While exchanging Canadian money into American money is common and easy to do, changing something from, say, the Middle East is a little bit harder. Again, it has nothing to do with where the country of origin for the currency is, but rather the exchange rate. He gave me the following examples. As of this writing, the Canadian dollar is just a few pennies off from the American dollar, so the exchange rate is fairly easy. He showed me the following table:

Country of Origin Currency Used Amount needed to exchange to equal $1:
 
Canada - Canadian Dollar - 1.25

Israel - New Shekel - 4

South Africa - Rand - 11

Mexico - Peso - 13

Bangledesh - Taka - 76

Japan - Yen - 100

Indonesia - Rupiah - 12,063 

As you can see from the table, exchanging from Israel, South Africa or Mexico would be fairly easy. Bangledesh and Japan would be harder but still doable. Indonesia....well.....that would be a little bit more complicated for obvious reasons. 

Disney has no set amount for what they will exchange, but is not comfortable with exchanging over $200 in American money for a country like Indonesia, but it can be done. The process is fairly simple actually, but can be time consuming. The foreign currency is surrendered by the guest, counted by the cashier and the guest presenting the foreign currency, and the current exchange rate is applied. I am told that Disney has a special site they use to make the exchange rate, as exchange rates can and do fluctuate daily. The money is then wrapped up and a special form is inserted into the envelope and signed by the cashier noting the guests name and where they are staying on Disney property. The money is then put into the cashier's drawer and turned in at the end of the day.

When I asked where the money could be exchanged, I was told that the Concierge desk at the resorts could handle this in most instances. 

 My next question was a fun one. Which resort or area was most often asked to exchange foreign currency? Do you know......Go ahead and take a guess.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Value resorts, most specifically the All Star Resorts, were the ones asked to exchange currency most often, although every level of resorts has been asked at one time or another to make an exchange of foreign currency. As far as other places on property, Epcot seemed to be the favorite Park for making an exchange, with Magic Kingdom running a very close second. 

So, the next time you receive some foreign coins in your handful of change, stop and think about what it might have cost that person to save for their visit Disney. Oh, and if you don't want to be bothered with figuring out how to “spend” your foreign coins, just make a wish and drop them into the ride at Small World or into Cinderella's Wishing Well. These are the next areas that receive the most amount of foreign coins. 

It really is a Small World.
    

Disney History : A Visit to the New York World's Fair Book

by: Nick

Fans of all things Disney will no doubt know of the importance of the 1964 New York World’s Fair on the Disney Theme Parks. It is at this fair, for which Disney created 4 shows, that the “Audio-Animatronics” and “People Mover” ride systems were designed and perfected.
The fair opened 50 years ago, April 22nd.

When I saw this children’s book at the Flea Market a couple of years ago, I picked it up, curious to see if any of the Disney pavilions would be included.

 

.

By Mary Pillsbury, illustrated by Catherine Barnes. Published by Spertus Publishing Company in 1964.

 

Lovely illustrations. Still trying to find some Disney.

 

And there it was, a piece of Disney history illustrated in this great book.

Ford Motors presented “Ford’s Magic Skyway” a WED (now Imagineering) designed pavilion. It included an early prototype of what would become the People Mover ride system. The ride moved the audience through scenes featuring life-sized audio-animatronic Dinosaurs and cavemen. 

Indeed, the book even refers to this as “a Walt Disney wonderland of Past, Present and Future”.

These same Dinos can still be seen today in Disneyland’s Railroad Primeval World diorama.

 

But wait, there’s more!

Next came a look at “Small World”!

At the Pepsi Pavilion, “Pepsi Presents Walt Disney’s It’s a Small World – a Salute to UNICEF and the World’s Children” (whew!) was featured. I think we are all familiar with “It’s a Small World”, but if not, it features animated dolls representing the world’s children and animals, and a song by the Sherman Brothers which, if you’ve started to hum it will be stuck in your head all day now. 

“In each country they passed, thanks to Walt Disney, they saw animated figures of children dressed in picturesque costumes-and there were even the right animals for each country!”

And how much did I pay for this little “time machine”? $1.00!

A Thrilling Magic Kingdom Metal Lunch Box

I love lunch boxes. They remind me of the (relatively) carefree days of my youth.
I had a metal lunch box, of course, but confess, it wasn't a Disney lunch box!
As an adult, I've made up for this, by buying as many reasonably priced boxes as I can get my hands on.
I got this one on eBay several years ago.

 This box is pretty exciting! 
Mickey, Donald and Pluto enjoy Space Mountain, which seems to have broken free of the attraction building, and has flown past Cinderella Castle, as a pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean prepares to take aim and shoot the errant craft down!
Whew!

Then there's the back, which is, arguably, even more dramatic.

Mickey's nephews, Morty and Ferdie, while trying to get away from an escaped elephant from The Jungle Cruise are running right into the path of the runaway train over at Big Thunder Mountain, while the Haunted Mansion caretaker looks on!
I hope those crazy kids will be okay!
 

This is all too much for me! Let's calm down by taking a ride on It's a Small World.

The image continues all the way around the sides of the box.

The inside is actually pretty clean.

From the thermos, it looks like Mickey is okay and enjoying the fireworks, thank goodness. It was  some day!

1979, Walt Disney Productions.

By Aladdin Industries Incorporated, from Nashville, Tennessee.

We'll be away at Walt Disney World for a week, but we'll be sharing trip photos here and on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/disneymusings