[Question] Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

[WDWizard]

from Sleeping Beauty Castle

The castle was already a miniature version of the original [ Neuschwanstein Castle ]; was this "personal touch" really necessary? Did it add to the castle's aesthetic appeal? Hmm. They might've been right, but at only 77 ft. tall, it also wouldn't have hurt for them to have pushed it to be a bit taller and grander, maybe 100 ft, at least




this sketch makes it look bigger than it came out to be^


..and I never realized how awesome it looks from
this angle

[disneylandfan95]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

I do agree with Walt's decision on "having the back face the front". I am not just saying that because I want to agree with Walt. I think that the stained glass window facing outward toward Main Street is more inviting than the wall with small windows. The castle could also be maybe a little bit taller, but I do like the intamicy of the small structure.

EDIT: If you look at the link above that takes you to a Sleeping Beauty Castle website, the last article under history says the Castle will be painted gold for the 50th Anniversary!

[JerrodDRagon]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

I wish it could be bigger (and not pink)

[Datameister]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

I like the orientation they chose. It's hard to tell exactly what I'd think if they'd left it facing the other way, because then I would have grown up with that. But my current biased opinion is that the original front is indeed too much like Neuschwanstein, whereas the original back has a more iconic and unique sort of look.

As for the size...well, when I was a kid, its size never bothered me one bit. It was a huge castle, and that was that! But I still distinctly remember the first time looking at the castle prompted me to go, Wow...it's so small! So as a kid, I definitely didn't need a bigger castle. But as an adult, I wouldn't mind if they'd built it a bit bigger. I don't need it to follow the size or proportions of Cinderella Castle, though.

And I inexplicably like the pink. I understand it was more realistic before, and I understand that the pink verges on gaudy, but the bottom line is that I like it. It's appealing to me.

[animagusurreal]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

In terms of size and design, to me, the castle is perfect (and I don't say that lightly ).

When Ryman told the story on an old Disney Channel TV special, he said that he had turned it around just to see what it looked like, and Walt happened by and said, "Oh, I think that looks a lot better." I think that's the way it is sometimes with art - sometimes something just looks better . Also, I do agree that an exact replica would be too much like a mini-Neuschwanstein, which wouldn't be appropriate since it's supposed to be Sleeping Beauty Castle, and not Neuschwanstein (unlike, say, the Matterhorn, which is supposed to be the Matterhorn . And yes, the Matterhorn "just looks right", too .)

Another story goes that they purposely made the castle small because in the olden days the rulers made their castles large to intimidate the peasants, and Walt wanted the opposite effect. That might be looked at as an excuse, but regardless, I believe it's true .

Pink makes the castle more fantasy-like.

[Bob Weaver]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

Neuschwanstein:

[Datameister]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

Another story goes that they purposely made the castle small because in the olden days the rulers made their castles large to intimidate the peasants, and Walt wanted the opposite effect. That might be looked at as an excuse, but regardless, I believe it's true .

I'm just guessing, but I'd imagine it was that and the decreased cost. Or perhaps just the cost, with a more charming and intimate feel being a quasi-benefit noticed after the fact.

[ChessurInWonderland]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

I think it looks nice. I don't think it'd get the same effect taller. I think being small helps the effect of another world, and looks nice at the end of main street and when entering fantasyland

[animagusurreal]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

Neuschwanstein:

Thanks for posting. That's a beautiful "real castle", but Disneyland's does much better at representing a "fantasy/fairy tale castle."

[imagineerthat]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

I'm happy with the way the castle turned out, Disneyland gets to have some spectacular effects during fireworks show because of it's design, I like that it's more wide than tall.

[WDWizard]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

also: maybe they could've modified HKDL's version and turned it around instead of creating an exact carbon copy?


in HK, bigger is better

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

The larger windows make that section of the building look like it's smaller than the other orientation. Is that what you're getting at OP? Instead of looking like big walk through French doors, they look like normal sized windows in a smaller building.

[Princess Victoria]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

All I know is that I LOVE the Castle. I think it's perfect. Yeah, it could be bigger, but would they be able to have all the same special effects during the fireworks if it was much larger? Would it be as charming and inviting if it was taller? Would a more gigantic pink castle look better? I don't think so. Plus I love the blue and pink scheme. The grey and blue looked a bit too old style and made the castle look realistically aged. I guess that's good for some people, but I like the more fantastical and interesting look that the new colors bring out in it. And who says pink and blue don't look good together? (I'll post a pic from home tonight to demonstrate an example.)

I have noticed though that the pink paint seems to be fading higher up on the castle. Now, I know it's probably just the elements and the California sun taking their toll on the structure, but it was only painted four years ago I believe. I wonder why it's happening so quickly.

I sort of wish they didn't re-create the castle the same way in Hong Kong. It prevents the California castle from being as original and unique. I know it's painted a bit differently, but I think they should have duplicated Disneyland Paris' castle at the very least (which in itself looks like a modernized version of the California castle). Ideally though I suppose each park would have it's own unique castle and not carbon copies... like Snow White's castle, Belle's, etc.

[Steve DeGaetano]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

I like the castle--even the size--as is.

Except for the pepto-bismol pink and blue, and the way-too-cutesy squirrel scuppers....

The original battle-grey stone and grey-blue slate roofing was far more authentic. And because all great fantasy depends on a veneer of reality, the fantasy could be made better if it looked a little more real and a little less Barbie Dream (Castle).

[Gonzotigger]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

The hight of the castle (or any other buildings in DLR for that matter) has to do with laws in anaheim. There is a law that states anything over a certain height would have to have airplane beacons installed on the top corners of the buildings. Walt didn't want to have flashing lights on top of the buildings to take away from the magic. Would you want Sleeping beauty's castle to have Blinking lights on it? I'm not sure what the exact height is or if the laws have changed since the castle was built but I know that Matterhorn and ToT are both taller then the castle.

[fantasygirl]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

I think the height is fine and the way its facing. Then again, I'm so used to it being one way, it's hard to imagine it any other way, but I agree with Walt. I think it looks great the way it is.

[aimster]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

EDIT: If you look at the link above that takes you to a Sleeping Beauty Castle website, the last article under history says the Castle will be painted gold for the 50th Anniversary!

Considering the 50th was 4 years ago and it never happened (thank gawd)...

[Steve DeGaetano]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

The hight of the castle (or any other buildings in DLR for that matter) has to do with laws in anaheim. There is a law that states anything over a certain height would have to have airplane beacons installed on the top corners of the buildings. Walt didn't want to have flashing lights on top of the buildings to take away from the magic. Would you want Sleeping beauty's castle to have Blinking lights on it? I'm not sure what the exact height is or if the laws have changed since the castle was built but I know that Matterhorn and ToT are both taller then the castle.

Another Disney urban legend. Simply not true.

[Gregmh48]

Re: Sleeping Beauty Castle: Do You Agree With Walt?

Thanks for posting. That's a beautiful "real castle", but Disneyland's does much better at representing a "fantasy/fairy tale castle."

Neuschwanstein is also hardly a "real" castle. It was built long after the Middle Ages, late in the nineteenth century. It's main purpose was to be a retreat for Ludwig II. Just like Sleeping Beauty Castle, it was built to look like an ideal fantasy castle, not to protect its residents. A real castle from the Middle Ages is much more utilitarian and functional, and correspondingly less enjoyable to look at.