A Wednesday morning flood at Disneyland’s version of It’s a Small World will delay the opening of the ride’s holiday overlay.
As first reported by the Orange County Register, the flooding affected machinery used to operate the attraction. According to KTLA, the flooding occurred while workers were refilling the ride’s water track while the park was closed. Sources at Disneyland told Theme Park Tribune that no other guest areas were affected.
It’s a Small World was scheduled to reopen with its holiday overlay on Thursday, ahead of the first after-hours Disney Merriest Nites event on Friday. There is currently no estimate from Disney as to when the attraction may reopen.
Having first debuted at Disneyland in 1997, the transformation mixes the constant refrain of “It’s a Small World (After All)” with some traditional holiday songs. Guests weren’t able to experience the annual tradition as COVID-19 kept Disneyland closed from March 2020 to April 2021.
The overlay is not used at Walt Disney World’s version of the attraction, but was long ago exported to Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, and once ran at Hong Kong Disneyland.