Fantasyland Setting...
 | | Like other lands in the Magic Kingdom, several settings |
| | are represented here. You'll find the renaissance era
tents near Mickey's PhilharMagic, It's a Small World, and
Peter Pan's Flight. Near Pinocchio's Village Haus and
Cinderella Castle we see the likeness of the Brother's
Grimm trail in Germany. The English medieval period with
the Seven Dwarf's Mine and Sir Mickey's shops is also
represented here.
|
The Real Fantasyland...
| | In Germany, visitors can take a tours of the |
| | Brother's Grim Trail. It's also known as the
Fantasy Trail or the Fairy Tale Route. On the
trail are the actual settings and castles that
provided inspiration for tales such as Cinderella
and Sleeping Beauty.
|
Cinderella Castle...
| | The famous blue spires of the castle are recognizable from anywhere but not all the spires are actually |
| | attached to the castle. Spires were added to the roofs of the buildings in Fantasyland to create the illusion
that castle is larger than it really is. In addition, it helps blend the theming of the land with the surrounding
buildings.
|
| | There is a popular urban legend that the spires of the castle can be taken down in the even of a hurricane. |
| | While this is not true, some do contain lightning rods.
|
| | Don't Miss...the inside of the castle. There are 5 elaborate mosaic tile murals from the Cinderella |
| | story. There are over 500 different color tiles used in the murals and it took almost 2 years to
complete. Notice Cinderella's two step sisters: one is green with envy and the other is red with
anger.
|
| | By now, it's no surprise that Walt had originally intended to keep an apartment in the castle for when he |
| | visited. After Walt's death, the apartment was never completed and used as a storage room, call center,
and a dressing room for characters.
|
| | The castle suite was nothing more than unpainted sheet rock and wood floors until 2006, when the |
| | apartment was converted to a suite for one lucky family each night as part of the Year of a Million Dreams
Celebration.
|
| | Under Cinderella Castle and mote are administrative offices. Over the years the mote has sprung a few |
| | small leaks into the offices. Rather than drain the mote and to fix the leaks, Disney has simply hung buckets
from the ceilings to catch the water.
|
| | Inspiration for the castle, designed by Herb Ryman, came from a few influences. Neuschwanstein (New |
| | Swan Stone) castle in southern Germany and France's château d'Chambord,and château d'Chenonceau.
It's fitting that the most photographed castle in Germany was the inspiration for the most photographed
building in Walt Disney World.
|
| | The castle serves as the Walt Disney World icon, recognizable not only in the parks but in films and |
| | television as well. It was chosen as the icon to honor Walt's first animated feature, Snow White, which
featured an unforgettable castle setting.
|
| | The castle is 189 feet tall 20 ft. less than the Federal Aviation Administration regulation that requires red |
| | navigation lights on structures 200 ft. and in front of the castle, notice how the "bricks" get smaller as the
castle rises. This is to create the illusion that it is taller than it actually is.
|
| | The castle serves as the Walt Disney World icon, recognizable not only in the parks but in films and |
| | television as well. It was chosen as the icon to honor Walt's first animated feature, Sleeping Beauty, which
was based in an unforgettable castle setting.
|
| | Cinderella Castle was built out of fiber-glass and thousands of sculpted stones by Centex. Centex, and it's |
| | sister company CTX Mortgage, is based in Texas and build and finance homes nationwide.
|
| | The fiberglass design was so unconventional at the time, especially in Florida, that Disney had a hard time |
| | convincing local building inspectors that its fiberglass construction was safe and could withstand
hurricanes. It was then that Disney applied to the state of Florida to become it's own municipality. As a
result, Disney was able to write codes for their own construction projects and the Reedy Creek
Improvement District was born. It's worth noting that the building codes sort forth by Reedy Creek surpass
the State of Florida's own codes.
|
Fantasyland Bridge & Tunnel...
| | As you exit Liberty Square under the Columbia Harbor House, you'll notice another great example of a "Bridge and Tunnel" transition (see |
| | Adventureland page). Here you'll walk under the overpass (the tunnel) to make the transition into Fantasyland.
|
| | On the Liberty Sq. side, notice that the facade is of Colonial period theming with subtle architectural changes for the Fantasyland.
|
| | Halfway under the tunnel, the atmosphere music changes to support the transition and columns begin to take on a subtle new look.
|
| | On the Fantasyland side, the facade on the overpass is themed in English-Tudor style. As with most bridges and tunnels in Disney World, |
| | about half through the tunnel guests forget the Liberty Sq. and begin anticipating Fantasyland. We saw evidence of this in the tunnels under
the Main Street Railroad Station and Main Street, USA to Adventureland.
|
Cinderella's Royal Table...
| | The kitchen is prepared on the Utilidoor level and sent up |
| | via dumbwaiter for final preparations. This maximized the
dining room so it could accommodate more guests.
|
| | Reservations for dining at the Castle often sell out within |
| | minutes on the first day they can be made --180 days
prior.
|
| | TIP: Disney's Advanced Dining Reservation line |
| | opens at 7 A.M. EST.
|
| | Dinner at the Castle is slightly easier to arrange (as |
| | opposed to the character breakfast) and the later you're
willing to dine, the better your chances are for a
reservation.
|
Cinderella's Golden Carousel...
| | The carousel was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Co. the oldest roller |
| | coaster manufacturer in the world. Disney's carousel, the oldest in WDW, was
purchased from Olympic Park in New Jersey, and was meticulously restored for
Fantasyland.
|
| | No two horses on the carousel are alike and only one is designated as |
| | Cinderella's horse-it's in the second row and has a gold ribbon around it's tail.
|
| | Don't Miss...Cinderella's horse on the Golden Carousel. It's the one with |
| | the gold ribbon around it's tale and can be found in the second row.
|
"It's a small world"...
| | Was originally designed by Walt Disney for the New York World's Fair in 1964 and built using Westinghouse Electric Co parts (Westinghouse |
| | is now Toshiba). The attraction was then moved to Disneyland and recreated for WDW.
|
| | The ride building is actually parallel to the haunted mansion's. The facade of the Haunted Mansion is deigned so that guests would never |
| | know the attraction takes place in a backstage building neighboring "It's a small world." The two attractions are actually hidden from each
other using trees and the now defunct Skyway station.
|
| | There are 289 dolls that sing the famous song in five different languages. Each scene represents a different country. Be on the look out for |
| | the "tunnel transitions" here as they are used quite well.
|
| | The story of the attraction is of course promoting peace and harmony. The final scene symbolizes all the countries living and playing together |
| | in a world of peace and joy. Notice the lack of color in this room as an additional symbol of peace.
|
The flag of the Prussian Eagle (Germany)
flies over Pinocchio's Village Haus as a
subtle reminder that Fantasyland is based
on Germany's Brother's Grim Trail.
|
Not all of the famous turrets on Cinderella
are actually attached to the castle.
|
Cinderella Castle is 189 ft. tall,
just shy of needing FAA
navigation lights.
|
Fantasyland's setting is based primarily on
historic Germany but also includes the
Renaissance era.
|
Outside of Cinderella's Royal Table. Also,
notice the Disney family crest in the
center of the photo.
|
Cinderella Fountain...
| | One of the best hidden treasures found at the Magic Kingdom is |
| | this drinking fountain. It was carefully designed so that as guests
lean over to drink, they are bowing to Cinderella.
|
| | In addition, smaller guests might look up while drinking and |
| | catch the carefully placed crown that appears to be on
Cinderella's head from just the right angle.
|
Notice the crown that appears to
sit on Cinderella's head.
This tunnel is used to transition guests
from Fantasyland into Liberty Square and
vice versa.
|
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh...
| | This attraction used to house the now defunct Mr. Toad's Wild Ride which |
| | was based on the novel The Wind in the Willows. When the attraction
closed in 1998, many fans of Mr. Toad protested.
|
| | Imagineers included an almost hidden photo of Winnie the Pooh's Owl he |
| | deed to the attraction building from Mr. Toad. A statue of Mr. Toad was
also included in the pet cemetery at the Haunted Mansion.
|
Owl hands the deed to the attraction building
over to Mr. Toad.
|
Fairytale Garden...
| | is an often overlooked spot to relax and take some time away from the |
| | crowds. It's located between the castle and Tomorrowland.
|
| | Check the schedule outside Fairytale garden for character meet & greets |
| | and some popular storytellers. You can also check the guide map. Little
ones won't want to miss them!
|
The clock on the Castle shows
Roman numeral IV as IIII, which
is historically accurate to the
Renaissance period.
|
Cinderella's horse can be identified by the
gold ribbon tied around his tail.
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