Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

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Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

Sleeping Beauty Castle, Disneyland (1955)
0
No votes
Cinderella Castle, Magic Kingdom (1971)
2
25%
Cinderella Castle, Tokyo Disneyland (1983)
1
13%
Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, Disneyland Paris (1992)
3
38%
Enchanted Storybook Castle, Shanghai Disneyland (2016)
2
25%
Castle of Magical Dreams, Hong Kong Disneyland (2020)
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 8

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UmbrellaFish
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Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

Post by UmbrellaFish »

Sleeping Beauty Castle, Disneyland (1955)
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“Opened July 17, 1955, Sleeping Beauty Castle is the oldest of all Disney castles. Though it reaches a height of 77 feet (23 m), it was designed by Roland E. Hill to appear taller through a process known as forced perspective; design elements are larger at the foundation and smaller at the turrets.

In 2019, renovations on Sleeping Beauty Castle were completed.”

Attractions

Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough- Eyvind Earle dioramas which retell the story of Sleeping Beauty inside the castle.

Cinderella Castle, Magic Kingdom (1971)
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“Cinderella Castle was completed in July 1971, after about 18 months of construction. The castle is 189 feet (58 m) tall, as measured from water-level. Most sources quote the height as six feet taller when measuring from the concrete bottom of the moat, which itself is 6 feet (1.8 m) deep at the bridge. This castle was the largest Disney theme park castle until the completion of the Enchanted Storybook Castle at Shanghai Disneyland.

The castle received a major new paint job within the spring & summer of 2020 with dark blue roofs, a slight rose pink color, and many gold trim accents on the castle, along with darker stone.”

Attractions

Mosaics- five glass mosaics depicting the story of Cinderella.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique- a salon where guests can receive the “Princess treatment,” offering make-up, hair style arrangements, manicures, and other Princess extras.

Cinderella Castle Suite- ultra luxurious and ultra exclusive suite housed inside Cinderella Castle.

Cinderella’s Royal Table- Formerly known as King Stefan Banquet Hall, guests can enjoy fine dining and meet many Disney princesses over the course of their meal.

Cinderella Castle, Tokyo Disneyland (1983)
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“Generally considered to be a copy of Magic Kingdom's castle, the Tokyo version is shorter at 168 feet (51 m) tall. In June 2006, the castle was repainted to differentiate it from Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom. The castle now has gold trimmings, the rooftops have been painted a different shade of blue, and the white stone of the turrets now has a tan/dirty-pink color.

The castle was recently refurbished in 2020.”

Attractions

Cinderella’s Fairytale Hall- A walk-through attraction located inside Cinderella Castle at Tokyo Disneyland. Guests will see murals, dioramas, and special props depicting the story of Cinderella— including the famed glass slipper.

Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty Castle), Disneyland Paris (1992)
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“Completed in 1992, for the park's 12 April opening, Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant stands 50 meters (160 ft) tall. The castle and surrounding landscape was directly modeled after the 1959 Sleeping Beauty film, including the iconic square trees.”

Attractions

Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough Attraction- a dimly lit dungeon home to an 89-foot long animatronic dragon which growls and puffs smoke.

La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant- a gallery of displays which illustrate the story of Sleeping Beauty in tapestries, stained glass windows, and figures.

La Boutique du Château- a shop selling Christmas ornaments year round.

La Boutique du Château- a shop specialising in handmade glass figures.

Enchanted Storybook Castle, Shanghai Disneyland (2016)
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The newest Disney theme park to open, Shanghai Disneyland is home to only the second newest castle on this list. It is the tallest Disney castle at 200 ft (60 m) tall and is the first castle to represent all Disney princesses, not just one.

Attractions

Once Upon a Time Adventure- an interactive walkthrough ride with digital screens retelling the story of Snow White.

Voyage to the Crystal Grotto- a water ride that takes guests past sculptural gardens featuring famous Disney characters and ends in at the Crystal Grotto, a chamber beneath the Enchanted Storybook Castle.

Royal Banquet Hall- a counter service eatery themed to Disney Princesses.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique- a salon where guests can receive the “Princess treatment,” offering make-up, hair style arrangements, manicures, and other Princess extras.

Castle of Magical Dreams, Hong Kong Disneyland (2020)
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“When Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005, the centerpiece of the park was originally a clone of Disneyland’s 1955 Sleeping Beauty Castle. In 2018, Hong Kong’s Sleeping Beauty Castle closed to be replaced with the new Castle of Magical Dreams. This latest castle was revealed to the public on September 25th, 2020, the day Hong Kong reopened after its second closure due to the COVID-19.

The design of the transformed castle takes inspiration from different times and cultures, as well as a variety of storybook influences and styles. Guests can spot princess-inspired decorations on some spires, such as Snow White's apple, Cinderella's coach, Aurora’s crown, and Belle's rose, as well as princess-inspired designs and decorations throughout the castle.”

Attractions

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique- a salon where guests can receive the “Princess treatment,” offering make-up, hair style arrangements, manicures, and other Princess extras.

Meet and Greets- Disney Princesses will meet and greet guests inside the castle.
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Re: Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

Post by blackcauldron85 »

I thought for sure Cinderella Castle would be my favorite, but nope, Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant is. I really like the rock-work around the castle, and of course the trees are really cute. And it's also interesting to see the wide Sleeping Beauty Castle and compare it to the tall Cinderella Castle. They're all really great-looking.
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Re: Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

Post by UmbrellaFish »

Okay, first I want to tell you my weird head canon.

First Cinderella Castle in Orlando is the castle which Cinderella and Prince Charming live in (it is the King’s Castle from the movie). I have not figured out a justification as to why they have an identical castle in Tokyo, but just go with me on this.

As for Sleeping Beauty, Walt’s castle in Anaheim is the one which Aurora and Philip move into after being married. It’s not seen in the movie. The French Sleeping Beauty Castle is the one from the movie, King Stefan’s castle.

I wish the Chinese castles had been modeled on specific castles from specific Disney movies so I could pretend other Disney princesses lived there haha.

As for which one I voted for: I gotta give it to my girl, MK’s Cinderella Castle. If only for sentimental reasons. It feels like “my” castle. I remember seeing it at night, when they light the central window of the castle with a warm glowing light, as though it is occupied. I always liked to imagine Cinderella was in there, throwing a ball. It really felt like magic!

I haven’t seen the new paint job in person, so I don’t know how I feel about it. I think the castle needed some sprucing up as the blue turrets were beginning to look faded to me even two years ago. As for the new color scheme... well... sometimes I think it looks garish in photos, and other times I think it really compliments the castle.

On some level, it bothers me that there is a copy of “my” castle in Tokyo. Again, I wish they had chosen a different Princess to honor with a castle, or at least designed a drastically different Cinderella Castle. In a way, though, it works better now since Florida’s paint job is so different. And Tokyo’s is the only Disney castle that isn’t painted pink.

The French Sleeping Beauty Castle is a close second favorite. It is truly so beautiful, so whimsical. So fairy tale! I appreciate the attention to detail, the homages to King Stefan’s castle from the movie. I want to visit all the castles one day, but this one especially. Also, to see the dragon!

When I first got into the parks, I didn’t really like Anaheim’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. I thought it looked like a roadside attraction (and, honestly, I still think it kind of does). But there’s a real charm to it (it’s Walt’s castle, after all) and I like the new bold colors from its recent paint job.

Shanghai’s Castle is nice, too. It looks the most like a real “working” castle in my opinion, by which I mean, I could actually imagine it being a real palace with many rooms and servants etc. but it also looks bulky. I prefer the slimmer profile of Cinderella and the French Sleeping Beauty Castles.

I really dislike the new Hong Kong Castle. I think it’s very ugly, a mish mash of styles which clash. I’m sure it’s impressive in person because it seems very tall, and I’ve always loved those mountains as the Hong Kong castle’s backdrop. But no, overall, these castle is very unappealing to me.
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Re: Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

Post by Sotiris »

My favorite is the French Sleeping Beauty castle. It's imposing and grand, it looks the closest to the one in the actual movie, and I love the little detail of the Eyvind Earle trees. My second favorite is the Japanese Cinderella castle. The Hong Kong one is definitely the worst. A bizarre and unappealing mashup of disparate elements and styles. What were they thinking?
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Re: Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

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I went with the Enchanted Storybook Castle. Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant does look very much like SB, at least the bottom, with the hill / trees. It's a shame they never made a clocktower to go with Cinderella castle? As a concept, I think I prefer the castles that are original creations that feature aspects of all the princesses.
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Re: Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

Post by UmbrellaFish »

There is a clock “tower,” but it is not the big imposing edifice ala the animated film. You may or may not have missed it but the clock is pretty much dead center of the castle, the pale blue circle. I wonder if perhaps they didn’t make it a bigger part of the castle because they didn’t want guests thinking about “time ticking away.”
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Re: Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

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Oh, yeah. And I had meant to say, too, that I didn't know that one of the park castles (the one in Anahaim) was a design intended for Aurora and Phillip post-film. It's nice, and has a balcony on the top tower similar to the one on Stefan's castle where sleeping Aurora was in-film.
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Re: Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

Post by UmbrellaFish »

Disney's Divinity wrote:Oh, yeah. And I had meant to say, too, that I didn't know that one of the park castles (the one in Anahaim) was a design intended for Aurora and Phillip post-film. It's nice, and has a balcony on the top tower similar to the one on Stefan's castle where sleeping Aurora was in-film.
Oh no, that was my head canon. That’s how I like to think of it— it makes me feel better about there being two Sleeping Beauty Castles, and that the Anaheim one looks nothing like the one from the movie. Rereading my post, I can see how that was confusing! Sorry to mislead you!

Interestingly, I heard on Jim Hill and Len Testa’s Disney parks podcast that in the early days of Disneyland, the castle didn’t really have an identity. Something about Walt saying it belonged to a different Princess besides Sleeping Beauty, and it was only the studio’s marketing department who made “Sleeping Beauty Castle” stick.
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Re: Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

Post by Disney's Divinity »

No, that was my bad. It was interesting to think he might've used a cut design for one of his park designs though.
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Re: Which Disney theme park castle is your favorite?

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My favorite is definitely Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant. As a child, probably around 10, Disney released a tiny toy castle playset for Cinderella. Inside the castle was figures of all the important characters, a room that had Cinderella's chateau kitchen, tower, and "living room", and Prince Charming's castle banquet table, grand staircase, ball room (which actually was outside!) and a little room in the tower, and all this was completed with a transparent white pumpkin carriage and horse. It was all very cool. But the castle they based it on was Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant! Ever since I had that playset I loved how it looked, and obsessed over it. I drew it over and over, making variations on it in my own creations for my own fairy tales. Then, I finally learned what the castle was based on, and Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant became my favorite Disney Parks castle ever since, especially since I never cared for any Disney Parks castle before. My favorite Disney castle of all will always be Cinderella's original movie one, but Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant will always be my second favorite Disney castle ever. Well, unless somehow they come up with even better castles!

I agree with what has been said, Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant is so beautiful, so whimsical, so fairy tale. It's delicate and spindly and beautifully composed and has such pretty details.
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