Sleeping Beauty Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sleeping Beauty Castle |
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Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park in 2019.
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| Attraction type | Castle | ||||||||||||
| Theme | Sleeping Beauty | ||||||||||||
| Height | 77 ft (23 m) | ||||||||||||
The Sleeping Beauty Castle is a famous fairy tale castle. You can find it at the center of Disneyland in California. It used to be at Hong Kong Disneyland too. This castle looks like the real Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.
The Sleeping Beauty Castle is a well-known symbol of The Walt Disney Company. You can see it in the opening of many Walt Disney Pictures movies. The castle at Disneyland is special because Walt Disney himself helped build it. A bigger version of this castle is the main symbol of Disneyland Park (Paris).
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Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle
The Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955. It is the oldest Disney castle. The castle is 77 feet tall. But it looks even taller! This is because of a trick called forced perspective. Designers made parts of the castle bigger at the bottom and smaller at the top. This makes it seem much taller than it is.
At first, the upper part of the castle was empty. Walt Disney wanted to use this space. So, his team, called Walt Disney Imagineering, found a way to make it exciting.
Castle Walkthrough Adventure
Starting April 29, 1957, visitors could walk through the castle. Inside, they saw scenes that told the story of Sleeping Beauty. You could hear Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio singing "When You Wish Upon a Star".
The first scenes were like the art style of Eyvind Earle, who worked on the Sleeping Beauty movie. In 1977, the scenes were changed to look like the window displays on Main Street, U.S.A.. The walkthrough closed on October 7, 2001. Many people believe it closed for safety reasons.
On July 17, 2008, Disney announced the walkthrough would reopen. It would go back to the original Earle style. New technology was added to make it even better. The walkthrough opened again on November 27, 2008. Many people waited in long lines to see it.
If you cannot climb stairs, you can still experience the walkthrough. There is a special room on the ground floor. Here, you can watch a video of the walkthrough on a big screen. This video is also on the Sleeping Beauty 50th Anniversary DVD.
What You See Inside
The entrance to the castle walkthrough is on the west side, in Fantasyland. You first see a huge storybook. It opens to a page about Princess Aurora's birth.
- You climb stairs and see baby Aurora. Fairy godmothers bless her with magic gifts.
- Through a glass window, you see the castle courtyard. The king and queen watch as spinning wheels burn.
- At the top of the stairs, you see the castle's great hall. Everyone is asleep, even the pets!
- The next part gets darker. You see Maleficent, her crow, and flying gargoyles.
- Finally, the prince fights Maleficent, who turns into a dragon.
- Then, a field of roses appears. Doves fly as the prince kisses Aurora and breaks the spell.
As you leave, another big book shows the prince and princess dancing. Her dress changes colors from pink to blue.
Castle Details and Location
Above the castle's main archway, you can see the Disney family's coat of arms. It has three lions. This coat of arms was added to the castle in 1965.
Behind the castle, there is a gold spike in the ground. Many people think it marks the exact center of Disneyland. But it's actually a surveyor's mark. It helped make sure the castle bridge lined up with Main Street USA when the park was built. The true center of the park moved slightly when Mickey's Toontown was added in 1993.
In January 2019, the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland had some updates. The main archway was closed during this time.
50th Anniversary Celebration
For Disneyland's 50th birthday, the castle got a special makeover. It was repainted. Five towers were decorated with crowns. Each crown showed a different time in the park's history:
- The first crown showed the start of Disneyland.
- Another showed the "New Tomorrowland" from 1967.
- The Blue Fairy represented the Main Street Electrical Parade.
- The Eye of Mara from the Indiana Jones Adventure was also shown.
- Fireworks and Tinker Bell celebrated the 50th Anniversary.
Gold railings were added to the second floor for safety during fireworks. They were later replaced with hidden railings.
60th Anniversary Celebration
For Disneyland's 60th anniversary, the castle was covered in diamonds and glitter. A big "60th" logo was in the middle. This was part of the "Diamond Celebration." Most of these decorations were removed after the celebration ended in January 2018.
Disneyland Park (Paris) Castle
The Sleeping Beauty Castle in Paris opened in 1992. It is 50 meters tall. This makes it the tallest Sleeping Beauty Castle. It is also the third largest Disney castle overall.
This castle, called Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant in French, is the main symbol of Disneyland Park. It is a larger version of the castle in California.
The Paris castle has two main parts:
- A dungeon area in the base. Here, you can find a moving Audio-Animatronic dragon.
- An upstairs area with a concrete balcony. This area has beautiful stained glass windows and tapestries that tell the Sleeping Beauty story.
There are also shops inside that sell glass figures and gifts.
Tony Baxter, a Disney designer, explained why the Paris castle is different. He said that real castles are common in Europe. So, they needed to make the Disney castle unique and magical.
Castle Overlays and Celebrations
The Paris castle has changed its look many times for special events.
- In 1993, for the park's first anniversary, the castle looked like a giant cake! It had strawberries, icing, and candles.
- In 1997, for the fifth anniversary, it was decorated with carnival masks and bells. This was to promote The Hunchback of Notre Dame movie.
- For the tenth anniversary in 2002, a golden scroll with a large "10" was put on the front.
- In 2007, for the fifteenth anniversary, golden Disney characters held candles on the towers. Tinkerbell was on the highest spire. A big "15" sign was on the front.
- In 2009, for "Mickey's Magical Party," the castle got new decorations. A Mickey and Friends sign was added.
- In 2011, the castle was repainted. It got new colorful LED lights. For the Disney Dreams nighttime show, fountains were added to the moat.
Hong Kong Disneyland Castle
The Sleeping Beauty Castle in Hong Kong was almost the same as the one in California. But there were small differences. The Hong Kong castle had different colors, with more white and pink. It also had fewer trees around it. This gave a better view for the nightly fireworks show.
This castle closed on January 1, 2018. It was redesigned for the park's 15th anniversary. The new design honors 14 Disney princesses and heroines. It has been renamed the Castle of Magical Dreams.
5th Anniversary in Hong Kong
For Hong Kong Disneyland's fifth anniversary, the castle became "Tinker Bell's Pixie Dusted Castle." It was covered with golden pixie dust. This dust sparkled in the sun and glowed at night.
10th Anniversary in Hong Kong
For the 10th anniversary, the castle did not get many new decorations. However, the nightly "Disney In The Stars" fireworks show was improved. It added amazing projection mapping onto the castle.
Castle in Disney Logos
The Sleeping Beauty Castle and Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle are very famous. They are used in the logos for:
- Walt Disney Pictures
- Walt Disney Television
- Disney Music Group
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The castle was also often shown in ads for the Wonderful World of Disney TV show.
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See also
In Spanish: Castillo de la Bella Durmiente para niños
