Cinderella Castle

Cinderella Castle is the fairy tale castle at the center of two Disney theme parks: the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort, and Tokyo Disneyland at the Tokyo Disney Resort. Both serve as worldwide recognized icons and the flagship attraction for their respective theme parks.

Exterior

Inspiration and design

Cinderella Castle was inspired by a variety of real and fictional palaces. These included Fontainebleau, Versailles and the châteaux of Chenonceau, Pierrefonds, Chambord and Chaumont, as well as Castle Neuschwanstein, Bavaria, the Alcázar of Segovia in Spain and also the Moszna Castle in Poland which was built in the 18th century, in addition to the Tyn Church in Prague, Czech Republic, which was built in the 14th century. The chief designer of the castle, Herbert Ryman, also referenced the original design for the castle in the film Cinderella and his own well-known creation — the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in California.

Construction

Magic Kingdom

Cinderella Castle was completed in July 1971, after about 18 months of construction. The castle is 183 feet (56 m) tall, as measured from water-level. Many sources quote the height as six feet taller, but that is measured from the concrete bottom of the moat, which itself is 6 feet (1.8 m) deep at the bridge. Cinderella Castle is more than 100 feet (30 m) taller than Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. A set-building trick known as forced perspective makes the castle appear even larger than it actually is. At higher elevations, its proportions to full scale are reduced for elements such as stones, windows, and doors.