After months of repairs, Disneyland is reopening its beloved Sleeping Beauty Castle this Friday.
If you’ve been to the theme park recently, you’ve probably noticed that the castle walk-through exhibit has been closed. The castle’s been blocked off from visitors since January while maintenance crews have been updating it with brighter pink walls and blue rooftops, alongside sparkling gold shingles covered in “pixie dust.” Apparently, the new look is meant to reflect the original design of the castle when the park opened back in 1955.
Art director Kim Irvine told the OC Register that though the castle may be Sleeping Beauty’s, it’s also Walt Disney’s – so it will remain the same. The crews added some artistic tricks to make the castle seem bigger like the castles at other the other Disney theme parks which generally have a more “magnificent” appeal. The main goal was to improve Sleeping Beauty’s appearance without having to change its original design.
Next time you’re at the park, be sure to peep the castle’s new shingles which were replaced, for the first time since ’55, with diamond-shaped cedar wood pieces as well as some new plants and landscaping to fit the paint job and gold trimming. Pink roses will accent the building and rosemary is expected to grow along the castle moat, transporting you to the magical kingdom you’ve always envisioned.
Also published on Medium.