In 1962, when I first visited Disneyland, the "Submarine Voyage" required an E ticket, making it among the most sought-after rides. Over time the Submarine Voyage fell into disfavor, overtaken by other attractions that used more advanced technology.
Its age and maintenance difficulties have put the underwater voyage at the center of some of Disneyland’s most intense internal debates. In 1959, the ride was a marvel unlike any other theme park attraction, partly inspired by “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and partly by the USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, which voyaged to the North Pole in 1958. Walt Disney described the 52-foot-long boats as “the eighth-largest submarine fleet in the world,” according to the Los Angeles Times, and naval officers attended the ride’s opening ceremonies.
But like so many attractions in Tomorrowland, the technology of the future quickly became a thing of the past. People’s attention waned, and the ride became burdensome because of costly maintenance. By the 1980s, the LA Times wrote, the lagoon was leaking thousands of gallons of water a day...
Submarine Voyage closed in 1998, but its fate was uncertain. Imagineers kept fighting for the ride, a rare instance of creatives and executives clashing in the public eye rather than behind the scenes at the company...
Because of those efforts, officials relented in keeping the lagoon and retheming the ride. The deciding factor was when Sklar hired a naval engineering firm to assess the submarines. According to Sklar, they “came back and said, ‘Fellas, there’s 40, 50 years life left in these things.’”...
The lagoon was an empty eyesore for nearly a decade, until reopening with a “Finding Nemo” revamp in 2007. The refurbishment changed the show experience and converted the boats from diesel to electric, thereby making space for two more seats per vessel, for a total of 40 passengers each. With the additional seats, the ride can accommodate around 1,000 people per hour, compared to rides such as the Haunted Mansion and the Pirates of the Caribbean, which can take in, respectively, around 2,600 and 3,400 people hourly. To meet initial demand when the ride opened in 2007, the park announced that “Finding Nemo will remain open for up to 2 1/2 hours after the park closes, adding up to what Disneyland calls an ‘eighth day’ in the week,” the LA Times wrote at the time.
Aside from new paint, new names and those additional seats, the submarines were, and are still, largely the same as they had been nearly five decades prior.
Preferences changed as boomer children became adults, but as with Small World, age and nostalgia have reawakened interest in a ride that's not as loud or stimulating as Disney's other attractions.
As we live a life of ease
Every one of us
Has all we need
Sky of blue
And sea of green
In our yellow
Submarine
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.
Tomorrow is Disneyland's 70th birthday, and "It's a Small World" is far from its oldest ride. According to Grok the following rides were there at or near the opening on July 17, 1955 and are still operational:
Here’s a list of the other original rides at Disneyland, based on historical records and current operations:
Disneyland Railroad (Main Street, U.S.A.)
Jungle Cruise (Adventureland)
Mad Tea Party (Fantasyland)
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (Fantasyland)
Peter Pan's Flight (Fantasyland)
Snow White's Enchanted Wish (Fantasyland, originally "Snow White and Her Adventures")
Storybook Land Canal Boats (Fantasyland)
Autopia (Tomorrowland)
Mark Twain Riverboat (Frontierland)
Casey Jr. Circus Train (Fantasyland, opened July 31, 1955)
Dumbo the Flying Elephant (Fantasyland, opened August 16, 1955)
As a teenager and young adult I couldn't be bothered with the low-tech non-thrill exhibits, but now those, many of which are these 1955 originals, are my favorites. I've been away from Disneyland nine years, and, health permitting, I'd like to return.
Below is Disney's 3½-minute tribute to Small World, with the new verse beginning at the 2:40 mark.
