The Disneyland Castle is such an iconic part of The Disneyland Resort. It’s a beautiful castle that is fun to learn about. These are fun facts about the Disneyland castle.
It’s The Shortest Disney Castle
The Disneyland Castle stands at 77 feet tall. It’s the shortest of all the Disney castles in the world. A lot of people still choose it as their favorite thought because it’s the original one and it’s so special that Walt Disney has been there.
It Was The First Disney Castle
Disneyland was the first Disney park in the world to open, making the Disneyland Castle the very first Disney castle there ever was.
The Drawbridge Has Been Lowered Twice
The castle’s drawbridge is surprisingly functional and has only ever been lowered twice. The first time it was lowered was on opening day, July 17, 1955. The second time it was lowered was in 1983 when Fantasyland went through a big refurbishment and it was rededicated.
They Use Forced Perspective
The castle is pretty short, so imagineers used forced perspective on the castle to make it appear taller than it is. If you look at it closely, you can see that the pink on the bottom is darker and it gets lighter as you look higher up on the spires.
You Can Walk Through It
There is a Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-Through that you can do. Walk under the castle and turn left to enter it. You’ll go up some steps and see stained glass windows that tell the story of Sleeping Beauty, then you’ll go down some stairs and exit the castle.
It Was Inspired By Neuschwanstein Castle
The Disneyland Castle was inspired by the Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau, Germany. The spires on the two castles look very similar.
It’s Been In The Park Since Opening Day
Disneyland was never a park without its beautiful castle. It opened on July 17, 1955 and the castle was there on that day. It’s an old and nostalgic castle.
It’s Sleeping Beauty’s Castle
The castle was in Disneyland when it opened in 1955 and the movie Sleeping Beauty came out in 1959. Walt wanted to have a castle here and decided to tie it into the upcoming movie Sleeping Beauty even though it wasn’t coming out yet. It is still known as Sleeping Beauty’s Castle today.
The Castle Gets Decorated For Christmas
Every year starting in November the castle gets fake snow on the rooftops, garland, and over 500,000 lights added to it. It stays until about the first week of January and is absolutely beautiful.
The Castle Is Where The Most Proposals Happen
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle is the most popular spot in Disneyland for couples to propose and get engaged. It’s such an iconic spot to do this.