It's a Small World

It's a Small World is a future adventure comedy musical film co-produced by Loonarin-Sanchez Productions. It is based on both the renowned and somewhat infamous Disney ride and the unused film adaptation pitch for said ride. The film is set during the Cold War, and it follows the children of the United Nations ambassadors, all of whom attend the UN school, who fake their own kidnapping in an attempt to unify their parents and prevent nuclear war. In doing so, they attract the attention of and get chased by the evil munitions despot Alexander Bashillion, who will stop at nothing to profit from war.

Plot

1975 is a hectic year, with the constantly escalating tensions of the world raised to fever pitch. One little slip-up, and World War Three could start. It almost does.

The boy who starts it all is Aleksei, the nine-year old son of the Russian Consul General, currently in Paris. Not once believing stories that he's heard about the "evil" Chinese, the boy ventures across the boulevard and over the fence to the Consulate of Communist China -- where he is caught by Chinese security guards who take him into custody. When his father learns of Aleksei's capture and detention, he demands that the Chinese Consul Yuhan immediately release the boy and, naturally, is refused. The rankled tempers devolve into a shouting match of spying and kidnapping accusations.

When the story of Aleksei’s disappearance, dubbed the “Aleksei Affair,” hits the media, millions of people hear about it. And the resulting media firestorm brings Red China and the U.S.S.R. to the very brink of war. One by one, the other nations of the world are also lit ablaze by suspicion and rage. It’s a very urgent matter for the United Nations all of a sudden. However, it quickly becomes clear that, while there may be calmer heads here, there is fuel being thrown on the fire. There are people in the world who want to take advantage of the tension. Particularly Alexander Bashillian, the despotic ruler of the backwater island country of Estijan, which only has one major industry: munitions.

This travesty also reaches the ears of our unlikely heroes: Hedwig Schall. He’s a big sweetie and an all-rounder, having come from a country not known for engaging in conflict. He was just a simple cottage boy in Geneva. But then his father Ruben became the United Nations Ambassador of Switzerland, and they had to move to New York. Hedwig now must attend the United Nations school, a special educational facility specifically for kids like him. In school, he meets his fellow the children of the U.N. ambassadors: Lila, Javier, Ashley, Nate, Reina, Aisha, and Leo. Although they all share one classroom, they are anything but friends because they think they’re just too different to get along. Desperate for friendship, Hedwig tries in vain to break down these self-imposed barriers. Of course, in the same timeframe, he later meets his bully: Ling, the Chinese Consul’s haughty daughter who has a crush on Aleksei.

Hedwig makes the class come to his house for the weekend. While Hedwig goes down for snacks, Nate has a song dedicated to mocking Hedwig. Our boy overhears it when coming up and gets hurt. He had hoped classmates would embrace him and accept him for who he is, but Nate's song shatters that illusion. He gets into an argument with the American, with Aisha intervening, reminding them of the bigger problems. Then they calmly have snacks, and Hedwig lets on a bit more about himself. War is his greatest fear, and he wishes he could find Aleksei himself. That way his dad could sleep at night, instead of staying up trying to help ease the tensions between the big red nations. Advised by Latte, Hedwig befriends his classmates and invites him to his house. It’s then that they realize through Hedwig, that their differences don’t matter as much as their similarities. If they can remind their parents of this, it just might stop the war. But what can the children of the U.N. Ambassadors do to keep the world from blowing itself up?

They all have the same crazy idea: Disappear.

When they do, in a faked mass kidnapping plot hatched by Coleman and Valha, the "Aleksai Affair" is instantly old news. Forgotten by everyone ... except for Bashillian. He sees right through their hoax. He has no mind for diplomacy; the way of the warrior is all he knows. If the kids don't stay ahead, they’ll be kidnapped for real. Or worse, killed. With the hope of making a bad situation worse. So Hedwig and his friends are forced to run from civilization, and Ling follows them. If the kids are gonna stop the war, they have to find Aleksei. But they dont know where on the planet he is. The kids find and explore the abandoned warehouse on the New York Coast, thinking it's a safe hideout. They discover Alexander Bashillian’s goons have established a hideout there. The kids overhear the goons discussing their plans, realizing the warehouse is more dangerous than they thought. Ling reveals herself, and the kids work together to avoid detection and escape. They ride two small boats in separate directions and sail away from the States.

Meanwhile, Hedwig’s dad Ruben is heavily distraught by the disappearance of his son. The U.S. government refuses to help find Hedwig, considering what they’re already dealing with. However, when he hires a private investigator named Irene, who also happens to be the kids’ teacher, she doesn't hesitate to take the case, using her own ingenuity to look into the disappearance. The results are horrifying, and Ruben catches on to the hoax. However he is equally surprised that the Chinese Consul Yuhan is experiencing the same thing with her daughter. It's the one thing that they agree on. Immediately, they alert the rest of the U.N. of this threat, and the nations begin searching for the missing kids.

Bashillian sees an opportunity to end this, and he sends out a team of assassins to take out the kids before they find clues in many cities. But the kids's differences turn out to be a great asset, and the nine work together to defeat the assassins and gather clues. Both teams make sure to keep in contact with one another using the phones. However, their plans are derailed when the boys are kidnapped by Alexander's goons and taken to Istanbul, forcing the girls to change course and rescue them.

It’s at this point that Hedwig is at his lowest, even considering giving up. To his surprise, Nate motivates him. He reveals that the reason he was a jerk was because he himself has baggage. On a business trip in Arabia, his brother was shot and murdered just because he was American. Nate was convinced by this that there will always, always be racism, and nothing can be done about it. But their journey, Hedwig especially, has changed his mind, and Nate is determined to finish what they started. Remotivated, Hedwig frees himself

With the boys and girls reunited and their information pooled together, they piece together the truth behind Alexander's nefarious plan. They realize that he has been deliberately escalating tensions between nations to profit from the arms trade. 

The kids from Istanbul take hot air balloons to Estijan. Alexander has built his factory on top of the volcano, the heat from which he uses to manufacture his weapons. As the kids are planning their sabotage, they stumble upon Aleksei chained up in a cell, regretting not listening to his father's words. The Swiss boy comforts and assured him that they were brave in breaking barriers and doing the right thing, even when everyone says otherwise. The kids free him. Hedwig also picks up a miner’s pickaxe to use as a weapon and confesses his love for Reina in case they die, which she reciprocates. Now a 10-child band and a hundredfold more determined to stop Bashillian, they face the despot in combat and ultimately defeat him. Before going unconsious, Bashillian accidentally causes the volcano to awaken in the middle of the action. Fortunately, the kids escape with their lives along with Alexander's motionless body, and the factory falls into the molten lava, along with his munitions stockpile, destroying all of his work.

The group emerges onto the beach, alive but in rough shape. The kids reuinite with their parents, who welcome them back to civilization, forgiving them for their actions. Alexander comes to consciousness just as he is arrested and put permanently out of commission. Ling and Aleksei kiss, prompting their fathers to reconcile, officially ending the war. As a parting gesture, Alexander tells the kids that he'll never get into another war again. All of the nations agree to cooperate more than ever with each other, and they return home with smiles on their faces.

A month or two after the adventure, Ling and Aleksei have begun dating, and the kids have a nice celebratory barbeque with their parents, siblings, and other friends. They remember how they got together, and how they wouldn't have had it any other way. Because of both their differences and similarities, they learned how to really love each other, proving that a smile truly means friendship to everyone, and that people can become more than what they believe they are if they just try. The credits roll with an ensemble remix of the eponymous song with new lyrics about how they changed the world for the better.

Characters

Hedwig Schall - The protagonist and son of the U.N Swiss Ambassador, a total sweetheart. Growing up in a neutral country like Switzerland, he brings a sense of calm and perspective to the group, reminding them to consider peaceful solutions to their problems.

Ruben Schall - Hedwig’s doting father and the U.N. Ambassador of Switzerland.

Lila Patel - The daughter of the Indian ambassador to the UN. She's intelligent and resourceful, but a worrier. Growing up in a diplomatic family has given her a global perspective, and she's fluent in multiple languages. She can see things off the radar of most others.

Javier Rodriguez - The son of the Mexican ambassador to the UN. He's adventurous, brave, and always ready for action. He's an expert in outdoor survival skills, having spent much of his childhood exploring the rugged landscapes of Mexico, but his hot headed ness gets the kids in trouble more than once.

Ashley Dubois - The daughter of the French ambassador to the UN. She's elegant, sophisticated, and has a sharp wit. Growing up in Paris, Sophie has a deep appreciation for art and culture, and she's well-versed in French literature and history. Her knowledge of diplomacy and negotiation comes in handy when dealing with difficult situations.

Nate Johnson - The son of the American ambassador to the UN. He's tounge-in-cheek, snarky, and never knows when to be quiet. Nate has a passion for sports, particularly basketball, and he's known for his athleticism and competitive spirit. He's also a natural leader, often taking charge during their adventures and inspiring the group to keep pushing forward.

Nakamura Reina - The daughter of the Japanese ambassador to the UN. She's a loner, mute, and highly intelligent. Reina has a keen interest in science and technology, and she's always tinkering with gadgets and inventions instead of socializing. Her calm demeanor and analytical mind make her the “voice" of reason during chaotic situations, and her knowledge of Japanese culture and traditions proves useful in certain scenarios.

Aisha Al-Mansoori - The daughter of the Afghan ambassador to the UN. She's confident, ambitious, and unafraid to speak her mind. Aisha is passionate about environmental issues and sustainability, and she's determined to make a positive impact on the world, though she can come across as preachy.

Leo Rossi - The son of the Italian ambassador to the UN. He's charming, optimistic, and has a talent for diplomacy. Leo grew up surrounded by art, music, and history, and he's passionate about preserving Italy's cultural heritage. A bit too much, really. He’s often criticized for living in the past.

Xiao Ling - A Chinese, pompous, musically-talented girl. She claims she can play any instrument and bullies Hedwig (at first) on the basis that he is naive and that their fathers can’t agree on anything.

Melnikov Aleksei Semyonovich - The Russian, well-meaning, scatterbrained if not ditzy boy who started it all, and Ling’s love interest.

Alexander Bashillian - The villain, the ruler of Estijan and a massive munitions despot bent on becoming the richest man in the world, perhaps even ruling it.

Melnikov Ustin Semyonovich - Aleksei’s father, the Russian Consul General, who is very serious and sharp about his jobs and duty to his country.

Xiao Yuhan - Ling’s father, extremely committed to his duties as a diplomat with a wife overbearing on their only daughter.

Beatrix Schall - Hedwig’s big sister who is also athletic like Valha.

Julie Schall - Hedwig and Beatrix’s fussy mother, whose stress comes from the life of being the wife of an ambassador.

Irene Cleary - The kid’s Latin teacher and a top-of-the-line undercover detective.