Cinderella Castle

**Cinderella Castle** is the centrepiece of the Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland, in both being located in Fantasyland.

## Description

Cinderella Castle is the name given to a castle in France which was ruled by the royal family of an unidentified provincial kingdom.

### Features

* **Ballroom**:
* **Banquet hall**:
* **Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique**:
* **Courtyard**:
* **Dungeons**:
* **Royal Bedchamber**:

## History

The castle was ruled over and lived in by a French royal family at some point in the 19th century. As the king went into his older years he wished for his son to wed and have children so he arranged for a ball which every woman in the kingdom would attend. The prince fell in love with a maiden known as Elizabeth or "Cinderella" who was an orphaned girl forced to be an indentured servant by her stepmother within her late-father's chateau.

Cinderella only attended the ball thanks to the magic of her fairy godmother rewarding her for her years of endurance through extreme suffering but remaining kind to the animals of the house throughout it; however the magic wore of at midnight. The prince would have his men track down Cinderella by putting her lost glass-slipper on every woman in the kingdom until it fit Cinderella's foot and the two were married with Cinderella moving into the castle afterwards.

## Appearances and allusions

### Fantasyland

Walt Disney World's Fantasyland is divided into three sections, one of which is the courtyard of Cinderella Castle.

### Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

The Disney Springs location of this boutique features artwork of Cinderella Castle within it.

### Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour

This defunct Tokyo Disneyland attraction took guests through the dungeons of Cinderella's castle in a tour hijacked by the Magic Mirror from Snow White. This resulted in guests being terrorized by a large multitude of Disney Villains before managing to escape.

### Liberty Square Ticket Office

In this building is an illustration of the Dreamfinder and Figment riding the Dreammobile overhead the Tree of Life, Cinderella's Castle, Spaceship Earth and the Hollywood Tower Hotel. The function of this poster is to advertise annual passes to Walt Disney World Resort. Another advertisement in the Ticket Office shows people riding hot-air balloons around the castle while advertising for Florida settlers. Said poster also depicts the species of bird belonging to Kevin from Up, slinky-dog from Toy Story, and one of the Norwegian boats from Maelstrom and Frozen Ever After.

### Skipper Canteen

In the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen is a book titled *The Mystery Castle* by Cindy Ella which is in-reference to Walt Disney World's iconic *Cinderella Castle*, namely through the defunct Tokyo Disneyland attraction of the *Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour.* Another book in the library is titled, "Castles of Magical Kingdoms" by Professor Ryman, also referencing the castle.

### Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom

In this interactive attraction, the Greek god Hades resurrects Ursula from the Little Mermaid to aid in his takeover of Fantasyland and the Magic Kingdom. Ursula however betrays Hades by attempting to flood the moat of Cinderella Castle to make Fantasyland her own dominion before her plans are stopped by Merlin and his apprentices.

### Stitch's Great Escape

Towards the end of this Lilo & Stitch themed attraction, Stitch was seen escaping to Earth from his imprisonment at the hands of the United Galactic Federation and vandalizing the castle. In the early 2000s, the actual castle was covered in toilet-paper to reflect this (much to guest complaints).

### Storybook Land Canal Boats

The castle as it appeared in the film is featured in a Cinderella tableau within this Fantasyland attraction.

## Trivia

* Cinderella Castle in the parks is somewhat reversed with its interior features being outwards to look more welcoming to guests.
* The castle in Walt Disney World used forced-perspective to appear larger. It is 57.6 meters tall but the features nearer to the top are smaller to make them appear to be a greater distance away.

## References

1. ↑ https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/08/all-in-the-details-bibbidi-bobbidi-boutique-in-disney-springs-marketplace/
2. ↑ https://www.flickr.com/photos/theverynk/31353284637/in/photostream/
3. ↑ https://www.flickr.com/photos/theverynk/46292095011/in/photostream/