Earlier this week, “it’s a Small World” reopened to guests after a flood closed the attraction during the holiday overlay. The flooding occurred on 10 November while crews were refilling the flume which the boat travel in.

“By the time the mishap was noticed, the area that houses nearly all of the ride control machinery and electrical equipment was submerged under at least 7 feet of water,” stated Disney. More than 200,000 gallons of water had to be pumped out from the underground maintenance room – known as “the pit.” In addition to affecting the electrical equipment and ride controls, the load station conveyor belts were also underwater.

Recently, the Disney Parks Blog recounted what the experience was like for many of the Cast Members who worked on getting the attraction up and running in record time.

“When I first heard about it, I thought, ‘That can’t be right.’ You had to see it to believe it,” said Joelle Medina, senior project manager for Facilities Asset Management, who coordinated the recovery effort among nearly 20 different teams (many of their members pictured above).

The day after the flood “we assembled a recovery team with representation across all key lines of business,” said Engineering Services Director Jason Lovelace. “I asked the group to work toward reopening within four weeks. At the time I knew that was unlikely due to the extent of the work ahead, but the team never blinked.”

With the kickoff of the holidays just hours away, “I don’t think you could have planned this to happen at a worse time,” Jason said. In fact, as celebrities were taping their segments for the “The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration” TV special in the glow of the thousands of lights from the attraction, a giant dehumidifier had just been lowered via crane to dry out the area. Teams then began inspecting equipment to determine what parts could be cleaned and salvaged and what needed to be replaced, a task complicated by global supply chain challenges. Since many spare parts kept in the pit were also ruined, the team reached out to its “small world” of partners at Disney theme parks around the world, among other sources, to find essential parts.

“It truly was a team effort with everyone focusing on the same goal,” Joelle said. As a result, work that was initially expected to take several months was completed in less than four weeks. “It’s such an iconic piece for the holidays, and not having it would have been heartbreaking, especially after the last year we’ve had,” she said, adding that it’s a favorite for the holidays with her own children, ages 6 and 3.

Meanwhile, cast members stationed outside the attraction worked for weeks to alleviate guests’ disappointment by offering to take their photos against the iconic façade, pin trading and even creating a sea of bubbles for children to play in. “When I shared with a group of cast members that we can now tell guests that the attraction [is reopening], they all lit up in excitement,” said Tyler Carter, production manager of Fantasyland Attractions. “Nobody thought this was possible, so it really is a Christmas miracle.”