VIDEO: Cast Members Manually Pull Boats to Evacuate “it’s a small world”

For some Disney fans, getting evacuated off a theme park attraction would be a dream come true for the potential to get a glimpse behind the scenes. For others, they simply feel empathy for Cast Members who are left managing a challenging situation when a ride reaches the point where it might need to be evacuated.

One Guest recently took to TikTok to share her experience following a rather unique ride on “it’s a small world” at Disneyland Park. When the classic attraction stopped and eventually needed to be evacuated, @mayakinss_ captured some very hardworking Cast Members on video as they manually pulled each boat. Take a look below:

@mayakinss_

I got stuck on its a small world! The tracks got stuck on one side & created a pile up of boats. They had to stop boarding & turned the ride on & off. They manually pulled the boats to get guests off the ride #disney #Itsasmallworld #stuckonaride #disneyland #brokentracks #disneyemployees

♬ Vibes – ZHRMusic

In the caption for the video, @mayakinss_ notes that the ride became backed up at one point causing all of the boats to stop and pile up. To get to a point where Guests could be safely evacuated, and where the boats could be switched to a different location on the track and turned around, Cast Members manually pulled each boat.

She also noted that Cast Members stopped Guests from boarding the classic Disney Park attraction, and that everything was shut down and restarted before the ride reopened to Guests, a process which is typical following a ride evacuation at a Disney Park.

We cannot be sure what caused the ride to stop in the video above, however, we can share that if you find yourself in a similar situation, Disney does often take care of Guests by comping their time spent waiting on the ride in the form of a Genie+/Lightning Lane pass to be used on another attraction during their visit.

“it’s a small world” is one of the most iconic Disney attractions with versions at both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Featuring iconic designs by Mary Blair, costumes by Alice Davis, and of course quite the memorable theme song by the Sherman Brothers, this attraction has a very special place in Disney history.