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The Disney characters in "It's a Small World" have actually always been there. Back in 1964, Walt was very specific in asking his team to include tributes to classic Disney animation of both the past, AND THE FUTURE! The figures of Woody, Pumbaa, Stitch, Aladdin and so on, are a tribute to Walt's far-sighted vision. In fact, he left detailed notes about which IASW figures he liked best, and the animation department have based many of their productions on these notes. For instance, the Hawaiian surfer with a playful blue totem on his board. This was based on Hah-Ngtenn, the god of the surf in Hawaiian myth. The animators cleverly turned this cultural icon into a mischievous blue alien.
Of course, there is much controversy, because many Guests insist that these Disney characters were never present until the reopening on January 6, 2009. In fact, Disney's marketing department has used this misunderstanding as a crass opportunity to make it seem like the Imagineers were actually adding something new. In fact, they only updated the show lighting. Most of the character-based dolls and toys were underlit, but the rehab brought out many details that were previously hard to see.
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