When is your favourite attraction no longer your favourite attraction? How about when there is no sound on “it’s a small world”?

“It’s a Small World” may be one of the most cheerful and optimistic songs ever written. Most people, whether they are Disney fans or not, know the tune. And those of us who have had the pleasure of aboard the infamous attraction, cannot help but sing along when riding through the various eclectic show scenes, often finding the ditty to be stuck in our heads for a day on end.

“It’s a Small World” was originally installed at Disneyland in 1966; the attraction is now featured at five Disney Parks on three continents: Disneyland Park, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. It is said that the Sherman Brothers’ iconic song is always playing somewhere around the world. There’s no doubt that its jovial repetition divides opinion – even Richard Sherman notes: “When you play it up-tempo like that and you hear it for ten minutes… you can’t get it out of your head, I know!”

Therefore, it has become one of those “love to hate, hate to love” kinds of things. However, yesterday (August 10th, 2020), guests of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park found themselves in a unique and rare position. For better or for worse, “It’s a Small World” ran without any music to accompany the experience.

Twitter user @bethawho managed to snag a video while on the attraction. All the while, sans music, leaving just the rippling sounds of water and the click-clacking of the animatronics as scoring to the beloved attraction. Unsettling as this may seem, it was far from surprising.

Lately, Magic Kingdom has been the victim of one maintenance issue after another. Perhaps this is due to the extended closure, due to COVID-19. It was less than two weeks ago that guests had to vacate Splash Mountain on account of a sinking ride vehicle. Not to mention, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress's recent audio issues.

It is important to note that the no sound on the “it’s a small world” fiasco was limited, as the attraction was back up and running as usual by the afternoon.