At this point in time, most everyone knows about the proposed changes to this Disneyland classic. Whether or not Disneyland gains character additions similar to those that will surface in Hong Kong Disneyland's version has yet to be seen. What we do know is this wouldn't be the first time this Anaheim classic takes on design elements found in another Disney park. Although the white and gold exterior remains the definitive version in California, for a few years, Anaheim's "It's A Small World" adopted a similar color scheme to its Paris cousin. Seeing it for the first time in 1994, I was struck by the way the change in color made me view the building differently. It was whimsical and friendly, fresh and fun. And it was short lived. But, much like a few other photos that are rare shots I'm glad I took, it's here!
Whatever happens by the end of the year, one thing is certain- Disney will continue to change their parks. Now whether it is "plussing" the park, making it better as Walt himself used to say, is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but in Disney's land, nothing lasts forever.
(Photo copyright Mark Taft.)
1 comment:
You know, I'm usually against changes at the parks, but that is really nice looking. I kind of wish they'd kept it.
Actually, since I never really paid attention to the outside of it's a small world, if someone had shown me the original color scheme next to that and asked me to guess which was really the original, I'd guess the more colorful one was. It seems much more like Rolly Crump's style, and didn't he do the exterior? It's hard to believe he'd design something as subtle as the original color scheme.
Thanks for the photo!
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