Sleeping Beauty Castle

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Sleeping Beauty Castle
Disneyland Park's Sleeping Beauty Castle
Disneyland
Land	Fantasyland
Attraction type	Walk-Through
Theme	Fairy Tale
Opening date	July 17, 1955
Total height	94 ft (28.7 m)

The Hong Kong version lit by fireworks
Hong Kong Disneyland
Land	Fantasyland
Theme	Fairy Tale
Opening date	September 12, 2005
Total height	94 ft (28.7 m)

Sleeping Beauty Castle is the fairy tale structure at the center of Disneyland Park and Hong Kong Disneyland Park. It is based on Neuschwanstein Castle,^[1] with some French inspirations (Notre Dame de Paris and the Hospices de Beaune especially).

Disneyland version

Opened July 17, 1955, the castle is the oldest of all Disney castles. It reaches a height of 94 feet (28.5 meters). The castle initially featured an empty upper level that was never intended to house an attraction, but Walt Disney was not satisfied with what he viewed as wasted space, and challenged his Imagineers to find some use for the space. Beginning April 29, 1957, visitors were able to walk through the castle and view several dioramas depicting the story of Sleeping Beauty. The original dioramas were designed in the style of Eyvind Earle, production designer for Disney's 1959 film Sleeping Beauty, and were then redone in 1977 to resemble the window displays on Main Street, U.S.A.. The walkthrough was closed for unspecified reasons in October 2001; popular belief claims the September 11th attacks and the potential danger that ensued played a major factor in the closing.

On July 17, 2008, Disney announced that the Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough would reopen in the style of the original Earle dioramas, enhanced with new technology not available in 1957. The walkthrough reopened on November 27, 2008 at 5:00 PM, drawing long lines going as far back as the Hub. Unlike previous incarnations, visitors who are unable to climb stairs or navigate the passageways of the Castle can still experience the walkthrough "virtually" in a special room on the Castle's ground floor.^[2] This room is lavishly themed, and presents the closed-captioned CGI walkthrough recreation on a high-definition TV. This same virtual recreation is included on the Sleeping Beauty 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition DVD.

During the 50th Anniversary

In celebration of Disneyland's 50th anniversary, the castle was repainted and five turrets were decorated with stylized crowns, each representing a decade in the park's history.^[3]

• The creation of Disneyland is represented by a pair of famous "Ears" peeking up over the horizon to see the wonders to come.
• "A World on the Move", otherwise known as the "New Tomorrowland" of 1967, is represented by rocket ships and accented by opalescent planets.
• The Blue Fairy represents the debut of the Main Street Electrical Parade.
• The Indiana Jones Adventure is represented by the evil Eye of Mara, guarded by snakes.
• The 50th Anniversary of Disneyland is represented by fireworks and Tinker Bell.

Facts

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• The drawbridge of the castle used to be functional but was rarely used. It has only been publicly lowered on two occasions: when the park opened in 1955, and when Fantasyland was rededicated in 1983. The gears that control the drawbridge were removed during a refurbishment in 1996 and have not been replaced.^{[citation needed]}
• While being filmed, Walt Disney accidentally referred to the castle as Snow White's Castle. This blooper sparked false speculation among fans that the castle was originally going to be called "Snow White's Castle" but was changed to coincide with the release of Sleeping Beauty.^{[citation needed]}
• When the moat surrounding the castle is dredged, any money retrieved from it is given to charity.^{[citation needed]}
• The Castle was originally blue, like the Cinderella Castle, but was then changed to its current pink, gold, and light blue color scheme.
• Starting in late October, Sleeping Beauty Castle is slowly transformed into Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle with over 80,000 LED lights & projections. Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle, first introduced in 2007, is decorated even more elaborately during the holiday season with additional snowdrifts and icicles. After dark, a sensational new holiday lighting and special effects show carries the magic of the holidays from the Castle all the way to the Christmas Tree in Town Square. For the first time in 53 years, the Christmas Tree is completely artificial, which enables Disneyland to present a holiday light show with more than 62,000 energy-efficient LED lights. The Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle presentation unfolds throughout the evening in three acts, each of them featuring a touch of winter snow on Main Street, U.S.A. The finale of the show includes the legendary "Believe … in Holiday Magic" fireworks show, which takes guests on a journey of sights and sounds of the season and ends with a touching rendition of "White Christmas" along with a climactic snowfall swirling down on Main Street, U.S.A., "small world mall", and New Orleans Square.

Sleeping Beauty Winter Castle

Sleeping Beauty Castle During the Seasonal Holiday Fireworks Show

Hong Kong Disneyland version

The Sleeping Beauty Castle located at Hong Kong Disneyland is of the same design as Disneyland's version. The paint scheme of Hong Kong Disneyland's structure is identical to that used when Disneyland's original opened in 1955. The final turret of Hong Kong Disneyland's castle was put in place on November 18, 2004, and the castle opened to the public on September 12, 2005. It is notably smaller than all of its other siblings (it is the same size as the original California castle, but the mountains make it appear smaller. Walt Disney said that Disneyland castles should be kept small to be warmer and friendlier and not intimidate the guests.^[4] It is the focal point for the daily firework display: "Disney In The Stars".

Logo usage

Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle at night, February 2005.

As Sleeping Beauty Castle is a Disney icon, it has become the basis for the logo of Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Television, Disney Music Group and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is also heavily featured in advertisements for the Wonderful World of Disney, currently on the Disney Channel.

References

1. ^ Neuschwanstein
2. ^ Walkthrough Attraction In Sleeping Beauty Castle Reopens In Time For Holidays At Disneyland
3. ^ Disneyland Resort Newsroom: Home
4. ^ Sleeping Beauty Castle to be the Centerpiece of 'The Happiest Homecoming on Earth' Celebration