Disneyland updating ‘It’s a Small World’ with new song lyrics inside classic boat ride

It’s a world of laughter and a world of happy tears, as Disney has announced that it will finally update the lyrics of its iconic “It’s a Small World” theme song inside Walt Disney’s beloved Disneyland boat ride of the same name.

Months after revealing a new verse that songwriter Richard Sherman penned before his death in May 2024, Disney announced Wednesday that the updated lyrics will soon premiere inside the ride in celebration of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary.

As previously unveiled in November within Disney’s The Last Verse short film, the new lyrics (which Sherman gave to Disney CEO Bob Iger in the summer of 2023) add a timely sentiment to the tune’s warm lyrics: “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.”

In addition to updating the “It’s a Small World” song inside the ride, Disneyland will also host daily screenings of The Last Verse at the Main Street Cinema theater located in the park’s Main Street section. Other new additions heading to the park for the 70th anniversary include a Walt Disney audio-animatronic figure that will debut as part of the Walt Disney – A Magical Life show that will enter into alternating rotation with the existing Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln show at the Main Street Opera House.

Richard and his brother, Robert Sherman, co-wrote the original “It’s a Small World” song ahead of the ride’s 1964 debut at the New York World’s Fair, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund. Due to the popularity of the ride — which takes riders on a slow-moving water journey through scenes featuring animatronic figures representing nations from around the world — Disney moved the attraction to its new, permanent home at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. in May 1966. The brothers also won two Oscars and three Grammys, and worked on memorable Disney projects like Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book.

“As the legendary creators of some of the most cherished music of the past century, the Sherman brothers will be remembered for their profound impact on our global culture,” Iger said in November in a press statement about The Last Verse. “Hearing Richard Sherman recite the final verse to ‘It’s a Small World’ before he died will be a moment I will carry with me forever. This beautiful short film is our tribute to their immeasurable musical contributions, their memory, and to the countless memories they helped create for generations of people around the world.”

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In addition to the version of the ride operating at Disneyland, additional adaptations of the attraction opened at Disney World‘s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla. in 1971, at Tokyo Disneyland in 1983, at Disneyland Paris in 1992, and at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2008. Shanghai Disneyland, which opened in 2016, remains the only Disney park to not feature a version of the ride.

Disneyland will debut new lyrics for “It’s a Small World” inside the boat ride beginning July 17.