Disney to Update ‘It's a Small World' Ride With New Lyrics
After nearly 60 years of being a Disneyland staple, the iconic 'It's a Small World' ride is getting a new set of lyrics for a new generation of park visitors.
Disney Parks announced on its blog today that the updated lyrics will premiere at Disneyland in time for the park's 70th anniversary. The verse was written by late composer Richard M. Sherman before he died last May at 95. The new lyrics were first unveiled in the short film 'The Last Verse' last November, with the verse reading: 'Mother Earth unites us in heart and mind/and the love we give makes us humankind/Through our vast wondrous land/When we stand hand-in-hand/It's a small world after all.'
More from Variety
Pro-Palestine Protesters Call for 'Captain America: Brave New World' Boycott at Los Angeles Premiere
Disney+ to Change Content Warnings Ahead of 'Dumbo,' 'Peter Pan' and More Old Movies Amid DEI Strategy Shift
Sigourney Weaver Says Baby Yoda Is the Reason 'Why I Did' 'The Mandalorian & Grogu': 'He's a Little Badass'
As part of Disneyland's anniversary, the short film 'The Last Verse' will play daily at the Main Street Cinema theater. The park will also unveil a Walt Disney audio-animatronic figure before it becomes part of the 'Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln' show rotation.
Sherman and his brother wrote the original 'It's a Small World' song for the ride's original 1964 debut. After the ride became popular at the New York World's Fair, it was moved to Disneyland in 1966 and has stayed in Anaheim, Calif. ever since, taking visitors on a relaxing ride around the world with animatronics.
Sherman and his brother were nominated for nine Oscars throughout the '60s and '70s, winning for the song 'Chim Chim Cher-ee' in 'Mary Poppins.' They were also nominated for their musical work on 'Chatty Chatty Bang Bang,' 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks,' 'Tom Sawyer,' 'The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella' and 'The Magic of Lassie.'
The new lyrics debut at the Disneyland 'It's a Small World' attraction beginning July 17.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win?
What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
UK Filmmaker Joanna Quinn Dedicates Annecy Honor To Gaza Animator Haneen Koraz
UK filmmaker Joanna Quinn paid tribute to Gaza animator Haneen Koraz as she received the Annecy International Animation Film Festival's Honorary Cristal at its opening ceremony on Sunday evening. The Bafta-winning and three-time Oscar-nominated The Canterbury Tales and Affairs of the Art director praised Koraz's work in the Gaza Strip spearheading women-run animation workshops for children. More from Deadline UK Comedian Dawn French Apologizes For "Clumsy Tone In One-Sided Gaza Video" Goodfellas Racks Up Sales On Annecy-Bound 'Little Amélie', 'Arco' & 'Angel's Egg' 'Wallace & Gromit' Studio Aardman Partners With France's Foliascope On Cross-Border Stop-Motion Training Program 'One day, she'll be stood here, holding one of these, hint, hint,' she continued, referring to her Cristal award. 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if the kids could come here and watch their films.' Quinn's was speaking amid growing international criticism of Israel's military campaign in the Palestinian territory – aimed at annihilating Islamist militant group Hamas in response to its October 7, 2023 attacks and retrieving Israeli hostages – which has left more than 54,000 people dead and the population on the brink of starvation. Speaking to Deadline afterwards at the opening night party, Quinn revealed she has just launched an initiative entitled 'To Gaza, With Love: A Global Anijam', inviting animators and artists from around the world to create 10 to 30-second animated messages of love and support to the Palestinian people. The contributions will be collected in an online interactive map, which Quinn hopes to premiere via livestream in August with the works then touring animation festivals around the world. Sunday night's ceremony also recalled late Gaza artist and photojournalist Fatima Hassouna due to the presence of Iranian-French director Sepideh Farsi in the main feature film jury during alongside composer Pablo Pico (Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds) and György Ráduly, Director of the Film Archive at the National Film Institute Hungary Hungary Following animated feature The Siren, which opened the Berlinale in 2023, Farsi turned to documentary to capture Hassouna's life in her film Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk. The film recently played in the ACID line-up in Cannes, having been announced for the parallel section just 24 hours before the young woman was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her home. On a far lighter note, Quinn recalled her first trip to Annecy in 1987 with short Girls Night Out. The work which introduced her signature figure, Welsh housewife Beryl, on a trip to see a male stripper, won the Special Jury Prize. 'I remember 1987 so well. My film was right at the end of the festival. I spent the whole festival looking at people having fun through misty windows, thinking how do I get in? Anyway, I'm in now,' she recalled. Quinn also gave a special mention to her life partner, producer and writer Les Mills. 'Animation is a team effort, so I want to say a big thank you to Les, my partner because we're a team,' she said. Since 1987, Quinn has continued to garner acclaim with subsequent credits including Bafta-winning and Oscar-nominated children's 30-minute film Famous Fred (1997/98), adapted from Posy Simmonds' book about a kitten who becomes a famous singer; Dreams and Desires: Family, which reprised Beryl and won Annecy's Special Jury Prize, and Oscar and Bafta-nominated Affairs of the Art, also featuring Beryl. Commenting on the short compilation of extracts from her films which played prior to her receiving her award, Quinn said ruefully to laughter: 'Animation is so sad – that was my entire life and it only took, what? a minute? And it takes so long.' Breaking with tradition, Annecy opened with five animated short this year rather than a single feature film this year. Canadian Oscar-nominated, stop-motion directorial duo Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, who work under the banner of Clyde Henry Productions, opened the program with charming rags to riches fable The Girl Who Cried Pearls. The pair revealed they had finished the film just six days prior to unveiling it in Annecy. 'We've been here before and it's aways been a super good time, but we've never had the joy to show you a premiere for a film, which we finished on Monday, six days ago,' said Szczerbowski. Further titles in the line-up include 9 Million Colours, an underwater tale of unexpected friendship between a predatory shrimp and vulnerable blind fish, by Czech director Bára Anna Stejskalová; Shinya Ohira's Star Wars: Visions – 'Black', from Japanese anime studio david production, produced by Lucasfilm for Disney+, and French directors Marjorie Caup and Olivier Héraud's Carcassonne-Acapulco about a flight which takes an absurd turn. Bulgarian Oscar-nominated director Theodore Ushev, who won Annecy's Best Short Award in 2020 for he Physics of Sorrow, also returned with timely political allegory Life with an Idiot, adapted from a collection of short stories written by dissident Soviet writer Victor Erofeyev. 'If you follow an imbecile, the chance you'll become an imbecile is very high; if you admire an idiot, your risk of becoming an idiot is very high,' said Ushev. He then apologised to the festival's Artistic Director Marcel Jean, before declaring,'F**k Putin, F**k Trump and F**k Netanyahu' with the audience in the 1000-capacity Grande Salle of the festival's main Bonlieu Theatre venue erupting into applause. Annecy gets into its stride on Monday with sneak peaks of Marvel Animation's Eyes Of Wakanda and Sony Pictures Animation's Goat as well as the world premiere of Andy Serkis' Animal Farm and Competition screenings for Olivia And The Invisible Earthquake, Dandelion's Odyssey, Arco, Little Amélie And The Character Of Rain and The Magnificent Life. Best of Deadline Tony Awards: Every Best Musical Winner Since 1949 Tony Awards: Every Best Play Winner Since 1947 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
IDF detains Gaza-bound vessel carrying Greta Thunberg: ‘The show is over'
Israeli forces early Monday detained an aid boat bound for Gaza while carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists. The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed that it detained the Madleen, along with all its passengers, and diverted the vessel to Israel. A video from the ministry posted on X shows an Israeli Navy officer engaging with the approaching "selfie yacht." ISRAEL VOWS TO 'ACT ACCORDINGLY' AS THUNBERG SAILS TOWARD GAZA ON PALESTINIAN-FLAGGED VESSEL "Using an international civilian communication system, the Israeli Navy has instructed the 'selfie yacht' to change its course due to its approach toward a restricted area," a post from the ministry read. The video shows a Navy officer telling them that the maritime of the Gaza coast is closed to traffic. She instructs the activists on board that they must deliver aid through established channels. The Israel Foreign Ministry said the passengers were "safe and unharmed" and had been provided sandwiches and water. "The show is over," the ministry said. Israel had vowed to stop the so-called Freedom Flotilla Coalition in the days leading up to its arrival. THIRD ROUND OF HOSTAGE RELEASES BEGINS AS PART OF HAMAS' GAZA CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL Thunberg, a 22-year-old climate activist from Sweden, set sail aboard the Madleen last week, hoisting a Palestinian flag with 11 other activists, including "Game of Thrones" actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassa, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent. The groups' aim was to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip to bring in some aid and raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. According to the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, the aid on the ship was less than a single truckload. "The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels," the ministry said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF to screen the footage of October 7 to participants of the Gaza-bound flotilla. Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
UK Filmmaker Joanna Quinn Dedicates Annecy Honor To Gaza Animator Haneen Koraz
UK filmmaker Joanna Quinn paid tribute to Gaza animator Haneen Koraz as she received the Annecy International Animation Film Festival's Honorary Cristal at its opening ceremony on Sunday evening. The Bafta-winning and three-time Oscar-nominated The Canterbury Tales and Affairs of the Art director praised Koraz's work in the Gaza Strip spearheading women-run animation workshops for children. More from Deadline UK Comedian Dawn French Apologizes For "Clumsy Tone In One-Sided Gaza Video" Goodfellas Racks Up Sales On Annecy-Bound 'Little Amélie', 'Arco' & 'Angel's Egg' 'Wallace & Gromit' Studio Aardman Partners With France's Foliascope On Cross-Border Stop-Motion Training Program 'One day, she'll be stood here, holding one of these, hint, hint,' she continued, referring to her Cristal award. 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if the kids could come here and watch their films.' Quinn's was speaking amid growing international criticism of Israel's military campaign in the Palestinian territory – aimed at annihilating Islamist militant group Hamas in response to its October 7, 2023 attacks and retrieving Israeli hostages – which has left more than 54,000 people dead and the population on the brink of starvation. Speaking to Deadline afterwards at the opening night party, Quinn revealed she has just launched an initiative entitled 'To Gaza, With Love: A Global Anijam', inviting animators and artists from around the world to create 10 to 30-second animated messages of love and support to the Palestinian people. The contributions will be collected in an online interactive map, which Quinn hopes to premiere via livestream in August with the works then touring animation festivals around the world. Sunday night's ceremony also recalled late Gaza artist and photojournalist Fatima Hassouna due to the presence of Iranian-French director Sepideh Farsi in the main feature film jury during alongside composer Pablo Pico (Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds) and György Ráduly, Director of the Film Archive at the National Film Institute Hungary Hungary Following animated feature The Siren, which opened the Berlinale in 2023, Farsi turned to documentary to capture Hassouna's life in her film Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk. The film recently played in the ACID line-up in Cannes, having been announced for the parallel section just 24 hours before the young woman was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her home. On a far lighter note, Quinn recalled her first trip to Annecy in 1987 with short Girls Night Out. The work which introduced her signature figure, Welsh housewife Beryl, on a trip to see a male stripper, won the Special Jury Prize. 'I remember 1987 so well. My film was right at the end of the festival. I spent the whole festival looking at people having fun through misty windows, thinking how do I get in? Anyway, I'm in now,' she recalled. Quinn also gave a special mention to her life partner, producer and writer Les Mills. 'Animation is a team effort, so I want to say a big thank you to Les, my partner because we're a team,' she said. Since 1987, Quinn has continued to garner acclaim with subsequent credits including Bafta-winning and Oscar-nominated children's 30-minute film Famous Fred (1997/98), adapted from Posy Simmonds' book about a kitten who becomes a famous singer; Dreams and Desires: Family, which reprised Beryl and won Annecy's Special Jury Prize, and Oscar and Bafta-nominated Affairs of the Art, also featuring Beryl. Commenting on the short compilation of extracts from her films which played prior to her receiving her award, Quinn said ruefully to laughter: 'Animation is so sad – that was my entire life and it only took, what? a minute? And it takes so long.' Breaking with tradition, Annecy opened with five animated short this year rather than a single feature film this year. Canadian Oscar-nominated, stop-motion directorial duo Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, who work under the banner of Clyde Henry Productions, opened the program with charming rags to riches fable The Girl Who Cried Pearls. The pair revealed they had finished the film just six days prior to unveiling it in Annecy. 'We've been here before and it's aways been a super good time, but we've never had the joy to show you a premiere for a film, which we finished on Monday, six days ago,' said Szczerbowski. Further titles in the line-up include 9 Million Colours, an underwater tale of unexpected friendship between a predatory shrimp and vulnerable blind fish, by Czech director Bára Anna Stejskalová; Shinya Ohira's Star Wars: Visions – 'Black', from Japanese anime studio david production, produced by Lucasfilm for Disney+, and French directors Marjorie Caup and Olivier Héraud's Carcassonne-Acapulco about a flight which takes an absurd turn. Bulgarian Oscar-nominated director Theodore Ushev, who won Annecy's Best Short Award in 2020 for he Physics of Sorrow, also returned with timely political allegory Life with an Idiot, adapted from a collection of short stories written by dissident Soviet writer Victor Erofeyev. 'If you follow an imbecile, the chance you'll become an imbecile is very high; if you admire an idiot, your risk of becoming an idiot is very high,' said Ushev. He then apologised to the festival's Artistic Director Marcel Jean, before declaring,'F**k Putin, F**k Trump and F**k Netanyahu' with the audience in the 1000-capacity Grande Salle of the festival's main Bonlieu Theatre venue erupting into applause. Annecy gets into its stride on Monday with sneak peaks of Marvel Animation's Eyes Of Wakanda and Sony Pictures Animation's Goat as well as the world premiere of Andy Serkis' Animal Farm and Competition screenings for Olivia And The Invisible Earthquake, Dandelion's Odyssey, Arco, Little Amélie And The Character Of Rain and The Magnificent Life. Best of Deadline Tony Awards: Every Best Musical Winner Since 1949 Tony Awards: Every Best Play Winner Since 1947 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
