Text: Acts of the Apostles 2:1-13 Did you know that Pentecost is a feast celebrated by Jews and Christians alike? Sure the meaning is a little different for each. The date that it is celebrated differs by group. The following are the dates in 2021: Jewish—May 17, Catholic—May 23, and Orthodox—June 20 (Note: Protestants probably celebrate it on the date that other Christians celebrate it on in their area, so May 23rd for the western world). One of the best-known Disney rides is “it's a small world.” Walt Disney and his Imagineers designed the boat ride for the 1964-65 World Fair in New York. It is billed as “the happiest cruise that ever sailed,” and it focuses on the children of the world. The simple, repetitive song (of the same name) gets lodged deeply into guests’ ears (some like it, others don’t). In this Bible World ride, the focus is on the Feast of Pentecost (the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Disciples 50 days after Easter Sunday). In Acts 2, disciples from many different regions are mentioned as being able to understand each other in their own native language. The map below shows where they traveled from to get to Jerusalem (the text in red shows the approximate origin). The whimsical Mary Blair-style facade, dolls, and set pieces of “it's a small world” are used again in this ride. The song, too, works in this ride (except in the opening scene). The first scene is a rather quiet set where the diverse group of disciples is seen praying in the Upper Room. Then flames of fire descend on the Disciples. They begin to speak in their own languages with amazement shown in the dolls faces as if they can understand each other. A set of doors open into the main part of the ride. The main boat scenes show the dolls from Pentecost in their native homelands joyfully singing, dancing, and playing games. There are typically homes or small churches displayed in the scenes representing the early places of worship for the Christians. As seen by the map, the early Christian world didn’t extend to all lands, but the regions represented include many distinct cultures. Rome is the last scene in the ride as sort of a foreshadowing of the future locus of Christendom.
The “it’s a small world” ride might be the one WDW ride that would need the least amount of change for Bible World, because it’s a theme that became reality at Pentecost. All else equal, it would probably fit a little better in Apostolic Age Land, although it follows so closely after Jesus’ earthly life that it is not too much of a stretch to put it in Gospel-Land.
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