7 unusual facts about ‘its a small world’ Holiday at Disneyland

One of the must-do items when visiting Disneyland during the holiday season is a trip on the “it’s a small world” Holiday.

The classic attraction is transformed into a place where the children of the world spread holiday cheer as they don seasonal costumes. And yes, the earworm song “It’s a Small World (After All)” remains intact.

You board a boat that takes you on a voyage through 10 scenes inspired by locations around the globe, with each one showcasing unique cultural holiday traditions from Europe, Africa and Asia.

Now in its 23rd year, the 2019 holiday overlay will be available to guests from now through Jan. 6, 2020.

New this year, the attraction adds three immersive scents. In Asia, guests will enjoy the beautiful fragrance of the cherry blossom. South America adds a classic holiday cinnamon scent, while the South Seas bring tropical flair with the smell of coconut to go along with the hundreds of iridescent bubbles floating through the air. These additions join the scents of fresh pine and peppermint candy that guests know and love in the European scenes.

Here are some fun facts about this year’s edition:

1. 50,000 lights are used to illuminate the façade of “it’s a small world” Holiday with an additional 350,000 mini-lights brightening the trees, hedges and animal topiaries surrounding the attraction in whimsical Fantasyland.

2. After dark, the smiling clock at the front of “it’s a small world,” decked out in a Santa hat, reveals a sparkling projection show. Multiple times each night, the brightly light façade of the attraction is transformed into an enormous clockwork mechanism with advanced 3D-projection technology. The gears and springs pull back to reveal a world of holiday wonders hidden behind the whimsical clock.

3. In the European scenes, 150 giant candles decorate the Christmas tree and surrounding areas to create a warm holiday glow. The once common Western European tradition of lighting candles has inspired the custom of stringing lights to Christmas trees, a practice common today for families around the world.

4. The 14-foot snowman featured in the finale of the attraction is made of glimmering crystal snowflakes. The snowman, who sparkles with thousands of luminous lights, adds to the holiday magic as he sits atop a 10-foot-wide snowflake and holds a gleaming “icicle” sign that spells out “Happy Holidays” in colors that change as guests drift along.

5. The iconic music of “it’s a small world,” written by the legendary Sherman Brothers, is enhanced during the holiday season with classic holiday caroling favorites “Jingle Bells” and “Deck the Halls.”

6. It takes a team of nearly a dozen cast members 35 days to install the glittering façade, while approximately two dozen cast members spend 18 days decorating the holiday attraction’s dazzling interior.

7. Almost all of the holiday props and scenic elements seen in “it’s a small world” Holiday are stored inside the attraction throughout the year.