It's a Small World: The Animated Series
Six children explore the world, learning words and customs.
It's a Small World: The Animated Series is a web-based cartoon from Disney, created by Disney Interactive Media Group, Disney Television Animation, and Powerhouse Animation Studios. Inspired by the theme park ride, it follows six kids from different cultures as they travel, meet friends, and learn new words and traditions. The show ran online from November 26, 2013, to February 4, 2014.
Quick Facts
- Voices
- Michael D. Cohen
- Elle Newlands
- Dina Sherman
- Lauren Tom
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 9
- Music
- Richard Sherman
- Company
- Disney Interactive Media Group
- Disney Television Animation
- Powerhouse Animation Studios
- Runtime
- 4 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Characters
Marmura, voiced by Lauren Tom, is a New Zealand-American boy who serves as the group's de facto leader and enjoys sports. Ashley, voiced by Dina Sherman, is a redheaded French-American girl with an interest in fashion. Luis, voiced by Michael D. Cohen, is a Mexican-American boy who loves tasting local foods. Zanele, voiced by Elle Newlands, is a South African-American girl who is academically gifted and studies landmark histories. Ling, voiced by Lauren Tom, is a Chinese-American girl who can play any instrument. Harold, voiced by Dina Sherman, is a Dutch-American boy who enjoys painting. Wazoh, voiced by Michael D. Cohen, is a small bluebird companion who hosts a segment called Words with Wazoh, teaching Spanish words. Mr. Ballon is an anthropomorphized hot air balloon used for transportation, and Mr. Cloud is a sentient cumulus cloud friendly with Mr. Balloon.
Production
The series was a collaboration between Disney and language instruction company Rosetta Stone, created to promote their kids' app Lingo World Builder. It was part of a year-long celebration for the It's a Small World attraction's 50th anniversary in 2014. The theme song, We're on Our Merry Way, was written by Richard Sherman. Each episode includes cameos by characters from one or two animated Disney movies. The series was revealed at D23 Expo in August 2013 and was available on Disney.com, Disney's YouTube channel, and connected TV apps. On April 11, 2014, Dina Sherman announced that a layoff at Disney Interactive caused production to cease.
Episodes
In A Jolly Holi Day, the kids travel to India where Harold struggles to find color to paint. They meet Shanti from The Jungle Book during the Holi festival. Harold notices pins of a vina and learns there is a message to their presence. After colors fade, Wazoh leads him to a statue of Saraswati holding a vina, which restores color and inspires Harold to paint a picture of their time in India, kept by Shanti. Wazoh teaches the Spanish word for blue, azul. In Bricht and Braw, the kids go to Scotland and hear bagpipes. They meet Riley and Amanda at the highland games. Marmura participates, Luis tries clootie dumpling and haggis, and Ling struggles with bagpipes. With advice to blow steadily, Ling learns to play, and Marmura's friends help him win a tug of war. Wazoh teaches me gusta. In Let's Go Fly, the kids travel to Japan for a kite festival. Marmura wants action and is shown dragon kites for battle. Ashley joins with a butterfly kite, and the group helps lift a big kite into the air. Wazoh teaches cometa.
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