It’s a holiday miracle, after all.
After a flood that caused a prolonged closure, it’s a small world is set to reopen at Disneyland with its holiday overlay next week, according to the Orange County Register. The flood took place on November 10 while Disneyland employees were getting the attraction ready for the holiday season.
While Disneyland announced what had happened, some guests were fearing the worst. The damage was extensive, and the prognosis for getting the ride open in time for Christmas was not looking good. According to the OC Register:
“The “brains” of the attraction were damaged when the 8-foot-deep maintenance room under the Small World load/unload station filled with water, submerging the electrical equipment and ride controls that operate the water pumps and load station conveyor belts.
The fix — which would normally take months — needed to be finished in weeks if the holiday version of It’s a Small World was going to open during the Christmas season.
…After assessing the damage, crews figured out what could be salvaged and what needed to be replaced. Then the race was on to find replacement parts and get them delivered quickly amid supply chain issues exacerbated by the pandemic.
“We’re reaching out to the other Small Worlds and other rides around the world at Disney parks and saying, ‘Hey, do you guys have this part and can you have it here by tomorrow?’” (ride systems manager Jason) Tomlin said.”
One viral Twitter thread speculated that it’s a small world could be closed up to a year in the worst case scenario.
One Maintenance worker said “the attraction could be closed indefinitely.” Worst case scenario? Up to a year before everything is working again.
— David Koenig (@davekoenig) November 18, 2021
Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about the worst case scenario thanks to “a small village of more than 20 Disneyland departments” who worked tirelessly to repair the classic boat ride, which should reopen sometime next week. This is fantastic news for Disneyland guests. I know that for many visiting Disneyland during the holiday season, it’s a small world holiday is a tradition, and the prospect of going a year without seeing one of Disney’s best overlays was a dismaying proposition.
You can read more about the entire it’s a small world holiday repair effort here.
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James Grosch
James is a lifelong Disney Parks fan. While at the parks, he loves finding new details, learning more about Disney World history, and taking pictures. His favorite WDW attractions include Rise of the Resistance, Spaceship Earth, and Tower of Terror.
James is a filmmaker and writer based in Atlanta, GA.