From 20 to 31 January 2025, the happiest cruise that ever sailed around the world closed its doors for a short period to undergo refurbishment. When it reopens, some dolls will be wearing brand new costumes and wigs!
For the teams at Walt Disney Imagineering Paris and Creative Costuming of Disneyland® Paris, the aim is to recreate the gorgeous costumes that match the originals dating from 1992, the year Disneyland Park opened. Through these dazzling outfits inspired by traditional, folk, and ethnic costumes “it’s a small world”, the iconic attraction of Fantasyland®, delivers a vibrant and heartfelt celebration of children from cultures across the globe.
This intricate work began long before the costumes were actually made. To faithfully recreate these iconic outfits, the teams meticulously analysed documentation from 1992, relying heavily on photographs to match the precise colours and materials – such as velvet, satin, cotton, and embroidery – used in the originals. While some of the fabrics could be taken from the originals, other fabrics had to be entirely recreated: two years of research and a year of dressmaking were needed to create the gold, pastel and white costumes for the characters in the spectacular final scene, in which children from all over the world come together to sing.
In all, no fewer than sixty items of clothing were created by a team of 13 dressmakers, wigmakers and milliners, with an average of 3 metres of fabric used per figure and 4 metres of wool per wig. Each stage of production (including the choice of fabric, the prototype and the finished costume) is carefully inspected by the Imagineers, to ensure not only the highest quality but also the authenticity of the country they represent: ‘Guests will be able to rediscover the final scene of the attraction looking just as spectacular as when it opened!’ explains Anne-Cécile Houron, Stage Finishing Designer.
The other major challenge for this refurbishment was to guarantee the durability of the costumes and wigs since “it’s a small world” is open all year round, and the figures are constantly in motion, so the costumes had to be designed in collaboration with the maintenance teams to limit their impact on the mechanics. Creating these made-to-measure costumes, hats and wigs by hand in the Disneyland Paris workshops requires real expertise in dressmaking and a thorough knowledge of the attraction. The work that began two years ago will continue long after the attraction reopens in February, as the Creative Costuming teams aim to replace the costumes of the many characters in the attraction, with the same precision and attention to detail for each one – while at the same time continuing their maintenance work on all the figures in the Resort’s other attractions.
