BAY LAKE, Fla. – “This view will never get old,” I said to myself on Sunday, walking down Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. The funny part is - it was the 39th time I visited the park since I moved to the Orlando area just eight months ago (I keep a personal tracker on my phone). Safe to say, I see the castle a lot, and it makes me emotional every single time.
Less than a week later, the Disney Parks Blog says the castle refresh project is now complete, and Landon McReynolds’ post has offered us a glimpse behind the scenes at some of the work that went into this magical makeover.
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First announced at Destination D23 last year, many Disney fans, including myself, were excited to see what this transformation would look like. And I’ll admit, I was hesitant to really buy into this decision, after really growing to love the 50th anniversary pink that shimmered for years. But now, after months of work by a team of painters, the castle has returned to a more classic look, inspired by its original 1971 debut.
The parks blog says the colors chosen for this classic look are meant to reflect the Florida sunshine in a way that makes the castle shine from every angle while emphasizing all of its iconic details.
“Presented with the opportunity to introduce a new color palette, it was important for us to consider the history and heritage of our beautiful Castle,” said Chris, Senior Creative Director with Walt Disney Imagineering. ”We took our inspiration from that classic vision of the Castle in 1971 by selecting elegant shades that lean into the element of fantasy. To highlight the architectural details of the castle, we used deep blue roofs, stonework, and graceful gold trim to celebrate the details and whimsy of our park icon."
According to the Disney Parks Blog, this project was made possible thanks to coordination across Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), Facility Asset Management (FAM), and partners in Disney Live Entertainment, Project Development, Operations and PhotoPass teams.
Nathan is an Associate Project Manager with FAM. He was an intern at Disney just a few years ago and is now helping to oversee projects like the repainting of the castle.
“Not every day you are told, ‘Hey, you’re going to change the look of one of the most iconic buildings Disney has,’” Nathan said. “That excitement hit immediately, and then very quickly, the weight of it.”
Nathan went on to say, “Probably one of the most difficult parts of this project was getting into the moat. The moat had to be completely drained so we could safely work in there.”
Before any painting began, workers had to drain hundreds of gallons of water from the castle moat. To make that happen, the parks blog post says the team had to build temporary dams. Once the moat was drained, the team could get in it and clean up so the project could proceed safely and efficiently.
After the moat was cleaned, boom lifts were lifted into the moat, which allowed painters to work on the castle each day until about noon. After that, the heavy equipment would be moved out of sight each day.
Nathan calls this a “career-defining moment.”
“Five years ago, I was not even working for Disney yet,” he shared. “Now I drive into work and get to say I helped manage the work on Cinderella Castle. That’s something I’ll carry with me forever. It’s truly a dream come true, and it gets me excited about the potential of what else I can do while working here.”
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