Sleeping Beauty's Castle: Quick Overview

   

“Here is the world of imagination, hopes and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment, the age of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn- and fairy tales come true. Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and the young-at-heart- to those who believe that when you wish upon a star your dreams will come true,” these are the words that Walt Disney said about Fantasyland. Fantasyland was one of Walt’s favorite lands and he wanted to make sure you felt the magic as soon as you walked in and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle was the perfect way to do so. 

    The history behind the magical castle is quite intriguing, it is based on the famous German castle which belonged to King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Known as the “Fairy Tale King”, King Ludwig II designed the castle to be an escape and was decorated in a whimsical way. Every room was covered in his favorite art, poetry and writing with one of the bedrooms paying homage to the opera Tristian and Isolde. Construction for the castle began in 1869 and was finished more than 10 years later and King Ludwig II was able to finally move into the castle in 1886. Unfortunately for the King he was found dead by a lake on the property. After the king’s death the castle opened up to the public making it one of the most visited sites in Germany.  

    Imagineer Herb Rayman visited Germany and was captivated by the beauty of the Neuschwanstein castle. Inspired by the Neuschwanstein castle Rayman gave his concept to Imagineer Fred Joerger who then created a model based on the drawings. Rayman initially did not like the model, which was built in two parts. As the story goes, Walt was due to the meeting at any moment and the Imagineers were anxious about Rayman not liking the model, so they grabbed one of the halves and turned it around. According to Tim O’Day  at that time Walt came in and said, “Hey, that looks good- let's do it that way!” 

    The castle is only 77 ft. tall but seems taller thanks to the turrets which are painted a slate blue. Artist Eyvin Earle had suggested to Walt that he should have the turrets be painted in an assortment of colors but when Walt spoked to his art director, Bill Martin, he decided to go with the slate blue. Martin felt the turrets should match the sky and give the illusion of being much taller. The turrets for the castle were then made at the Disney studios and shipped to Anaheim and assembled there.  

    The famous drawbridge at the castle was fully functional but has only been lowered twice, once on opening day in 1955 and again after it reopened in 1983 after a $50 million makeover. In 2014 safety fences were added and now prevent the drawbridge from operating. 

    Originally the castle was referred to as the medieval castle or as the Fairy castle. In 1952 when the Robin Hood live action movie, Robin Hood and His Merrie Men was released and the castle was then called Robin Hood’s Castle. In the early days of Disneyland Robin and his Merry Men could be found around the castle. At one point during a weekly TV special that Walt hosted, he called the castle Snow White’s castle. It wasn’t until the release of Sleeping Beauty  that the decision was officially made to call the castle Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and Aurora became the official princess of the castle. 

    In 1955 when Disneyland opened, Rob Fishchle, a Disneyland cast member, was one of the first children to run through the castle being led by Mickey Mouse and other characters across the drawbridge. 

What do you think about Sleeping Beauty's Castle? Did you know the inspiration behind it? Comment below.

Sources:

Korkis, Jim. Secret Stories of Disneyland. Theme Park Press, 2017.

https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/once-upon-dream-history-sleeping-beauty-castle

https://www.insider.com/castle-germany-disney-sleeping-beauty-2019-1