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Guests flocking to Walt Disney World to soak up the magic will be greeted with a fresh-looking Cinderella’s Castle to pair well with their selfies.
The centerpiece of the Magic Kingdom underwent a royal makeover while the parks were closed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will reopen Saturday, July 11, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot will open July 15.
In honor of the 70th anniversary of the beloved Disney movie classic “Cinderella,” the castle at the center of the seven magical lands received a bold, shimmering and regal enhancement over the past several weeks.
During the revamp, the castle’s spires received a bold blue finish, while the rest of the facade received a pastel pink hue to help give the castle a fresh new look. The new paint job is a stark contrast to the pale blue and white castle guests were used to seeing.
This is not the first time the Castle has undergone a makeover to celebrate a milestone.
Let’s take a look back at some of the best -- and maybe not so “best” -- makeovers the castle has received.
Happy Birthday, Magic Kingdom
Nothing screams happy birthday like a cake, right?
Well, to commemorate the Magic Kingdom’s 25th birthday, Imagineers transformed the front of Cinderella’s Castle into an 18-story birthday cake.
The castle came complete with red and pink icing, giant candy canes and 26 larger-than-life glowing candles.
The towering dessert served as the centerpiece for the 15-month long birthday celebration.
Talk about a treat fit for a princess.
Welcome home, Stitch
In 2004, Disney welcomed a small blue alien into its park, and that might have been a mistake.
On Nov. 16, to mark the grand opening of Stitch’s Great Escape!, the castle was covered in toilet paper.
As if Stitch TP’ing the castle wasn’t bad enough, “Stitch is king” was also spray-painted on the side of the castle.
Luckily for guests, the “decorations” had a short lifespan as they were removed after the park closed that same evening.
Make it gold
One of our favorite renditions of Cindy’s castle would come during Disneyland’s 50th anniversary.
To honor the monumental milestone, Cinderella’s Castle was adorned with polished gold trim and accents. Banners and tapestries hung from the castle as golden statues of Disney’s animated characters were added to the exterior.
To top it all off, a giant “stained-glass” mirror was placed above the tunnel.
In true Disney fashion, the mirror had a little magic within and changed images every 40 seconds to feature each Disney castle and the date its park opened.
To check out more images of the castle, click or tap here.
Photobombing cranes
No, we’re not talking about the cranes that fly.
Traveling to Walt Disney World after the holidays can be great on the wallet but no so good on the photos. When it’s time to remove the lights from Cinderella’s Castle, a crane is brought in to remove the twinkling bulbs.
The crane is not hidden -- and can be seen from all corners of the park, making it hard to snap a pic without the machinery in the background.
The crane has become a running a joke and even has its own Facebook page for guests to share their photobombed images.
Have you fallen victim to the castle crane? Share your pics with us below!
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