Final Thoughts

I can't believe that this is my last post! It seems like just yesterday this semester was starting. To kind of wrap things up, I thought I'd dedicate this post to a few of my Disney favorites.

Favorite theme park: Magic Kingdom
If you haven't figured that one out already, you must not have even looked at my blog this semester. Pretty much every single ride I talked about is in the Magic Kingdom. There's just something so magically special about being here, it's a feeling that I can't really even describe. You walk through the gates and suddenly you can't help but realize "I'm actually here in the Happiest Place on Earth." Walking into town square and catching your first glimpse of Cinderella Castle gives you butterflies. Seeing all the little kids staring in awe, running without a care in the world, you can't help but smile. This is truly the Happiest Place on Earth.

Favorite land in the Magic Kingdom: Tomorrowland
I have expressed my infinite love for Tomorrowland many times on this blog. There's something about this "Future That Never Was" that makes me so incredibly happy. I don't know why, but this just screams Disney to me, and is always the first land I visit in the mornings and the last land I visit before we leave the park for the night. Tomorrowland is my happy place.

Favorite ride in all of Disney World: Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover
Trying to pick one ride is agonizing. However, if I had to pick, it would be the TTA. I outlined this ride in one of my posts, and I can't stress enough how perfect this ride is. It holds a very special place in my heart. I often listen to the ride audio of it in the background while I'm studying, especially for finals!

Favorite Disney Food: Mickey Bars
Simple yet delicious. I have very fond memories of my little brother trying to eat one of these and smearing it all over his face in the process. It's ice cream covered in chocolate and shaped like my favorite mouse. Need I say any more?

Favorite Disney Hotel: The Contemporary Resort

I have never had the privilege of staying here, but it is my dream resort. Ever since I first saw the hotel from the monorail when I was 8 years old, I've had dreams of staying here.

 

Favorite Disney Restaurant: Cinderella's Royal Table

This is a restaurant inside of Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. On top of that, it serves amazing food and sometimes Cinderella herself is there. Definitely one of the coolest places I've ever eaten.

Favorite Face Character: Ariel

There are two different types of characters at Disney World, and Face Characters are the ones that can talk to you and you can see their face. Ariel is flawless, with and without her tail.

Favorite Fur Character: Winnie the Pooh
Pooh is my favorite Disney character in general, so it's no surprise he's also my favorite Fur Character. One of my favorite Disney memories started when I was 7 and tripped in Epcot and skinned my knee pretty badly. I was bummed out the rest of the day, and kept whimpering about my knee hurting. For dinner that night, my parents had gotten us a reservation at a restaurant where there was character dining with Pooh characters. When he came over to our table, he waved hello and his character attendant said "Pooh wants to know how your day has been here in Epcot!" I told him about scraping my knee, and he gave me a huge hug and kissed me on the top of my head. It instantly made me feel so much better.

Favorite Shop: World of Disney

This is actually the largest Disney store in the world, and it is the coolest and most amazing store you'll ever walk in to.

Favorite Parade: The Main Street Electrical Parade

This nighttime show is a classic, and was brought back by popular demand in 2010.

Favorite nighttime fireworks: Wishes

Let me just come out and say this: Wishes makes me cry. I'm not just talking about tearing up a little, I'm talking about full-on, tears streaming down your face kind of crying. Just standing in the dark with huge amounts of people, staring up at Cinderella Castle and listening to Jiminy Cricket tell you all about the power of wishes. There's no feeling like it, and that's why I always always cry.

Everyone has something that they truly love, something that makes them happy even on the darkest of days. It might be music or a sport or any kind of hobby, but for me, it's Disney. This semester has been a stressful one for me, trying to balance school and work and family and friends. Something that honestly helped me get through it was this blog. Dedicating time to each and every post and getting to write and research something I love was almost therapeutic. If you find something that you really, truly love, embrace it. I've always been the "Disney girl", and I'm okay with that. Some may say it's childish, but I could care less. Those people have obviously never experienced the magic of Disney. Don't ever stop loving what you love. This has been a great semester, and I wish all of you the very best! Always remember, "No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true." ♥

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

Welcome to It's a Small World!

Like many other classic Disney attractions, It's a Small World did not start off in Disney World. Built for the UNICEF Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair, It's a Small World showed that everyone around the world has many things in common, even though we're all different. 

The 1964 World's Fair was a huge deal for Disney. They actually had four attractions at the fair, It's a Small World, The Carousel of Progress, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and The Magic Skyway. Every single one of these attractions were sent to Disneyland after the fair ended in 1966.

Mary Blair, now considered a Disney legend, was responsible for the ride's whimsical design. Over 300 animatronic dolls are featured in the ride representing almost every country in the world. They sing a song about world peace, and that even though we may look and act different, we're all really the same.

It's a Small World was an opening day attraction at the Magic Kingdom. Because of Florida's frequent rainy weather, the attraction is housed completely indoors (bottom), compared to the Disneyland and Disneyland Paris (top) versions of the ride, which have their facades outdoors. 

It's a Small World has gotten somewhat of a bad rap in popular culture. You may remember in the movie The Lion King, Zazu sings the theme song to the attraction and Scar responds "No! No! Anything but that!"

A lot of people like to joke around that the song is annoying and the ride is too long and the dolls are scary. If you go down the page a little and click on the ride-through video I posted of the attraction, just look at the comments people leave. "The Geneva Conventions recognize this song as a form of torture." "The song makes everyone mad, mentally and emotionally." Really people? I mean Disney even released a tshirt at one point that claims "I conquered It's a Small World!" parodying similar tshirts for large roller coasters at the park.

I think these kind of things are funny, but I don't think people really "get" what It's a Small World is really about. The message of the ride is just as current today as it was back in 1964. We're all the same even though we look different and act different and come from different places. I think that message is really important and very special and It's a Small World really is an awesome reminder.

Here's a ride-through of the attraction, make sure you watch it in HD!

Your boat will pass through different rooms representing different continents. Inside each room there are dolls that represent certain countries. Sometimes the theme song will even change to the native language of the countries you're near. This ride mainly is just one that you can sit back and relaxingly enjoy. It's really a wonderful atmosphere and you can tell how much love this attraction has to give.