Sleeping Beauty Castle

The first thing you notice as you enter Disneyland is undoubtedly the castle standing at the end of Main Street. Walt wanted the structure to make a statement and it certainly does. I wasn't particularly fascinated by the castle as a child, it tends to draw my attention more now that I'm older.

 

As a kid we would pretty much just walk over the drawbridge and into Fantasyland without too much hullabaloo. It was much easier to get my sister and I on most of these rides as compared to Splash Mountain and the Haunted Mansion. I do remember the waterfall with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs always confused me, why was she hanging around Sleeping Beauty's castle? I know it was their first movie and all, but if you aren't calling it 'Snow White Castle' I think Snow White might have been more appropriate somewhere else.

 

A Glimpse Behind the Magic

The drawbridge is actually functional. It has only been raised/lowered twice, once on opening day, and then again after the Fantasyland refurbishment in 1983

 

If you walk through the interior of the castle and out the other side you can turn to your left and see an entrance to a less-traveled attraction. I don't remember doing this as a child, but I was very excited when they re-opened it in 2008. (It was closed after the events of 9/11)

 

Through a series of cleverly designed vignettes they tell the story of Sleeping Beauty, complete with sound effects, music and animation. The spot where you watch Maleficent (Spoiler Alert!) transform into the dragon is particularly impressive. I also love getting to the end to see Sleeping Beauty and the Prince dancing in their storybook with her dress changing from blue to pink and back again.

 

I always thought Maleficent was the most amazing of all the Disney Villains. She didn't want to rule the kingdom, she just wanted to be invited to the party. She was so offended by being overlooked that she curses a baby to DIE on her 16th birthday! She is volatile and unpredictable, going from disturbingly quiet to screaming at the top of her lungs in seconds. She is an ultimate Disney villain, and I always gasped a little as a child when she screamed the word 'HELL' just before she changes into the dragon.

 

I can only imagine how proud Walt must have been when he saw the reaction of the first group of guests as they walked onto Main Street and saw this marvel. Well done Disney on making this the symbol of so many of our childhoods.

 

 

 

Lesson Learned

Some things are easier to appreciate when you are older.