Taking a Look Back at the BONKERS Overlays of Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle

As the icon of Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Cinderella Castle towers over the park in all of its stellar beauty and glory. Standing at 189 feet tall, it’s more than 100 feet taller than its ‘older’ sister, Sleeping Beauty Castle, at Disneyland.

As you may have heard, Cinderella Castle is getting a MAJOR transformation in anticipation of Disney World’s 50th Anniversary in 2021. The makeover will include a fresh coat of blue paint on the castle’s turrets, glittering gold accents, and a blush-pink update on the body of the castle.

But this isn’t the first time Magic Kingdom’s castle hasn’t gotten an updated look. Let’s look back on the many ‘looks’ the castle has sported over the years, from the stunning and spectacular to the downright head-scratching.

The infamous “birthday cake” castle

The first overlay of Cinderella Castle was easily the most extravagant. On October 1, 1996, the 25th Anniversary of Walt Disney World, the castle was transformed into a massive birthday cake. The overlay lasted for a staggering 15 months. It’s extreme design made this a rather polarizing memory in people’s lives;: those who were there to experience it either marveled at this once-in-a-lifetime photo op, or they despised it.

Stitch takes over Cinderella Castle

In 2004, “Stitch’s Great Escape” opened in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom. Guests who happened to be in the park on November 16, 2004, walked down Main Street, U.S.A., to see Cinderella Castle covered in toilet paper, with the phrase “Stitch is King” written out in fake graffiti on a banner on a lower turret. Luckily this overlay would last just for the day, and all of the ‘decorations’ would be removed before the park opened on November 17.

Happiest Celebration on Earth

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland, Cinderella Castle received a special overlay as part of the “Happiest Celebration on Earth.” On May 5, 2005, the design was complete and unveiled to guests.

Gold accents decorated the exterior of the castle, while statues of several Disney characters adorned the castle spires. You can read more about this “golden” castle here!

Holiday Overlays

While there are no noticeable overlays of Cinderella Castle during the daytime throughout the holiday season, once the sun sets, something truly magical happens. Since 2007, over 200,000 LED lights cover the castle, known as “Castle Dream Lights.” The lights are lit during a stage show that takes place nightly in front of the castle. Originally, Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother hosted the celebration and lit the castle. Since 2015, however, Queen Elsa has taken the reigns and uses her icy powers to transform the castle nightly.

Video Mapping & Nightly Transformations

Many would agree that the parks completely transform after the sun goes down. Cinderella’s Castle is no exception! While fireworks have been a Magic Kingdom staple for decades, only recently has the castle been incorporated into these nighttime spectaculars in a meaningful way.

The first time video mapping was used on Cinderella Castle was for The Magic, The Memories, and You, a short show that took place nightly before and after Wishes, the fireworks show that was playing at that time. During that show, PhotoPass pictures that were taken of guests that day throughout the park were projected onto the castle’s facade.

Video mapping is now a common component of the fireworks spectaculars that take place in Magic Kingdom. Currently, video mapping is used in Happily Ever After, as well as the special fireworks shows during their Halloween and Christmas after-hours events.

What has your favorite castle overlay been? Were you around to witness the castle cake? Were you among the “lucky” few to have seen Stitch takeover the castle in 2004? Let us know in the comments!

 

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