The SECRET at the Heart of Disney World's Cinderella Castle

If you’ve ever walked through Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom, you can’t help but notice the MASSIVE (and stunning!) mosaic artwork.

This five-panel display tells the story of Cinderella as you walk through the castle tunnel, and it has been the backdrop for probably thousands of photos over the years. But did you know that it has a really unique backstory and some interesting hidden details? We’re here to uncover all its secrets!

It’s Massive

Let’s start out by talking about the sheer SIZE of this mosaic! It’s made of five panels that are each 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide. It takes up most of the interior wall of the castle tunnel.

And on top of that, each panel contains hundreds of thousands of tiny glass tiles. Those tiles are fused together with silver and 14-carat gold. How intricate!

The entire thing was handcrafted, which makes it all the more impressive.

The Colors Are Significant

Throughout this mosaic, there are more than 500 different colors of glass tiles used. (It’s kinda shocking that so many colors even EXIST!)

But some of the colors are very significant. Anytime you see Anastasia and Drizella in the mural, they each have a vague tint to their skin. They’re “green with envy” and “red with rage!”

That’s a fun little detail that you’ll only notice if you’re looking closely.

It’s Designed by a Famous Imagineer

The mosaic was designed by Dorothea Redmund, who worked at Walt Disney Imagineering as a painter and illustrator.

Redmund’s work is quite famous through the Disney company, as she designed the concept art for many big projects, including New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park. She also made concept art for Magic Kingdom, including Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Main Street, U.S.A.

It Was Created by Someone You Wouldn’t Expect

Even though Dorothea Redmund designed the artwork, it was assembled by someone else — Hanns Scharff. Scharff was previously a German interrogator in WWII, but after the war, he started his own design business for his mosaic artwork. He worked on the Cinderella Castle mural with his daughter.

He also later went on to work on the mosaic outside of The Land Pavilion at EPCOT. You can see his name credited on the Cinderella Castle mural at the end, near the bottom.

You May Spot Familiar Faces

One thing you may not know about this mural is that it features nods to some famous Imagineers. The grand duke and the footman are designed to look like Herb Ryman and John Hench. Ryman was the artist who drew the very first concept art for both Sleeping Beauty Castle and Cinderella Castle.

Hench was the architect behind many iconic Disney structures, including Cinderella Castle and Space Mountain.

With their ties to Cinderella Castle, it makes sense that these two men would be featured!

There Are Other Non-Mosaic Touches

And finally, we’ll tell you to look around the artwork as well! Some of the pillars also have little sculptures of Cinderella’s critter friends. Such attention to detail!

So there you have it — some fun facts about the Cinderella Castle mosaic that you probably didn’t know! We love admiring this stunning piece of art, and hopefully, these details will help you appreciate it even more during your next visit.