27 Unusual Things You Probably Didn't Know About Disney Castles

Margot Nolan
Dec 30, 2021
Dec 30, 2021

Have you ever wondered how Disney keeps millions of visitors returning to its theme parks year after year? Or that many people consider traveling to Disneyland to be a "dream"? If there's one thing that this animated kingdom excels at, it's paying close attention to every detail.
Walt Disney was a master of theatrics and pageantry and he understood what visitors would be most drawn to the park. So that theme park is focused on meticulousness and creativity. However, the most prominent feature that grabs a visitor’s attention is a garish castle which is placed in the hub.
Every new Disney theme park has had a similar castle over the years because it is an important part of theme park history. This amazing building is the subject of hundreds of images about Disneyland. But what do you know about these castles? What are some interesting facts and background information about their construction? What distinguishes Florida's castle from those in California and Tokyo? Let's take advantage of this opportunity to learn 27 more fascinating Disney castle facts!

27 Unusual Things You Probably Didn't Know About Disney Castles

#1 Varying shades of the same bright blue have been used on every Disney castle because they would blend with the sky and make the castle appear taller.

#2 All of the Disney castles face north-to-south helps visitors have good photos.

#3 Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World was inspired by various French castles.

#4 Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World is designed to withstand many of hurricanes.

#5 There are over 40 coats of arms in Cinderella's Royal Table, the restaurant inside Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World.

#6 Inside Cinderella Castle, the mosaics use over 300,000 pieces of glass to form these incredible pieces of art that showcase famous and popular scenes from the Cinderella film.

#7 It took almost 18 months to build and complete Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World.

#8 For the 25th anniversary, Cinderella Castle was turned into a giant, pink birthday cake.

#9 Sleeping Beauty Castle has been Disneyland's most iconic feature since the park opened in 1955, before the movie was released (January 1959)

#10 Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle has a drawbridge that has only been publicly lowered twice.

#11 Thousands of glass crystals and twinkle lights were placed on Sleeping Beauty Castle during Disneyland's 60th anniversary.

#12 Sleeping Beauty Castle features a walk-through attraction that includes the designs and works Eyvind Earle put into Sleeping Beauty.

#13 The stained glass windows inside Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Paris were made by Peter Chapman - a master craftsman.

#14 Disneyland Paris is the only one of all the Disney Castles around the world having a dragon in the dungeon of the castle!

#15 There is a secret suite inside Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World (the Orlando theme park)

#16 Disneyland Paris's castle took extra inspiration from storybook castle drawings and the animated film "Sleeping Beauty."

#17 Hong Kong Disneyland's castle has a beautiful background with the mountain behind it.

#18 After a major overhaul that was announced in 2016, Hong Kong is now home to the Castle of Magical Dreams, which features 13 different Disney princesses and heroes.

#19 Shanghai’s Enchanted Storybook castle (China) has been deemed one of the most impressive and flawless of all. It is also the widest and most comprehensive!

#20 Enchanted Storybook Castle at Shanghai Disneyland has the Crystal Grotto - a wonderful attraction underneath it.

#21 The highest finial on the Enchanted Storybook Castle has a beautiful golden peony at the top – flower of China.

#22 Shanghai Disneyland's Enchanted Storybook Castle was built into an amphitheater for viewing spots for the nightly firework shows.

#23 There's a full-service restaurant inside the castle at Shanghai Disneyland.

#24 The castle in Disney Tokyo has many of the same architectural features as Cinderella’s castle in Orlando.

#25 Tokyo Disneyland actually has two full-sized castles that guests can walk through.

#26 In Tokyo Disneyland, Cinderella’s Fairy Tale Hall is located inside the castle for guests to enjoy.

#27 There’s a special Hidden Mickey right inside the Cinderella’s Royal Table of Jaq and Gus! It is a very popular one and can only be accessed if you are dining in the restaurant.