Welcome to another Disney Friends Blog Hop! For February the theme is LOVE! Once you’ve finished reading this post, click on the next button at the bottom to make your way through the loop.
Many of Disney’s Fairy Tales end with the prince and princess falling in love and running off to their gorgeous, fantasy castle to live happily ever after. Disney parks around the world have built castles inspired by these stories (some even exact replicas of) so guests themselves can be immersed in these classic fairy tales off the screen. There are a total of ten different Disney castles that are straight out of a fairy tale and all have an attraction, shop, or restaurant inside so guests can spend time feeling like royalty.
From Cinderella (1950)
Cinderella Castle is the centre icon of both Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland. These castles look very similar and both feature beautiful mosaics inside showing the story of Cinderella designed by Imagineer Dorothea Redmond. They also both have a Cinderella fountain located nearby. Inside Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom is a table service character dining called Cinderella’s Royal Table. At Tokyo Disneyland, inside the castle is the Cinderella Fairy Tale Hall walkthrough attraction.
From Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Sleeping Beauty Castle is Disney’s original castle built for opening day of Disneyland in 1955. This castle debuted four years before the movie was released in anticipation for the film. Inside is the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough attraction. Disneyland Paris is home to Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, which is surrounded by square trees that look right out of the film. There are two walkthroughs in this castle: La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant and La Tanière du Dragon. Hong Kong Disneyland also featured Sleeping Beauty Castle, but this castle is currently undergoing a redesign and will become the Castle of Magical Dreams which will open this summer.
From The Little Mermaid (1989)
The gorgeous Prince Eric’s Castle is the showbuilding for the Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid dark ride in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. King Triton’s Castle in Atlantica can be found in Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo DisneySea. Inside this façade are multiple flat rides, shops, and even a quick service dining location.
From Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Inside the Beast’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom is the Be Our Guest restaurant, complete with the Grand Ballroom, West Wing, and the Castle Gallery. Soon there will be another Beast’s Castle opening up in Tokyo Disneyland this spring in the new Beauty and the Beast area of Fantasyland. This castle will house a new attraction called the Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast.
The first castle dedicated to every Disney princess was the Enchanted Storybook Castle in Shanghai Disneyland. The new Hong Kong Disneyland castle, the Castle of Magical Dreams, also pays tribute to all 14 Disney princesses. This castle opened in the fall of 2020 as part of the park’s 15th anniversary celebration.
Inside the Enchanted Storybook Castle, there are four beautiful mosaics that represent each of the seasons. Frozen represents winter, The Princess and the Frog represents spring, Tangled represents summer, and Brave represents autumn.
The Once Upon a Time Adventure is a walkthrough showing the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but part of it features beautiful wooden carvings of each princess. A table service character dining called Royal Banquet Hall can be found inside the castle as well as Storybook Court, a princess meet and greet.
Which of these ten Disney castles is your favourite to explore? What is another castle from a Disney film you would love to see come to life in a Disney park? I’d vote for the Sultan’s Palace from Aladdin!
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Your pictures make me want to visit them all now!
Castle photos are my favourite!
I love reading about the international parks and what they have to offer. Thanks for the all of the detail!
It was lots of fun visiting them all!
These photos are amazing! Bucket list for me is to see all of the castles for sure!
Erica
Thank you! They’re all so gorgeous!
Wow, each castle is so beautiful in its own way. Definitely on my bucket list of things to do.