DISNEY has opened its first PC castle, with plenty of room in the tower for not one but 14 of its diverse princesses.
Originally the sole abode of Sleeping Beauty, the new, more inclusive Castle Of Magical Dreams at Hong Kong Disneyland has reopened to guests.
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The grand home makeover was unveiled late last year as part of the park’s 15th anniversary celebrations, but Disneyland then had to close for a third time due to the pandemic.
While we may not be able to travel to Hong Kong any time soon, the new-look castle could provide a blueprint for future enhancements worldwide.
Bringing the attraction into the 21st Century, the Castle Of Magical Dreams now focuses on 14 different Disney princesses and queens (spoiler alert: Elsa and Anna both became queens at the end of Frozen 2).
It’s the first time that Disney has redesigned one of its iconic castles and with so many royals to pack in, the structure had to be doubled in height.
Around 15 blocks were added to the existing castle to create 13 towers, spires and turrets.
Princess Aurora’s tower, topped with a gold crown, still takes centre stage, surrounded by new turrets dedicated to Moana, Mulan, Merida, Jasmine, Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Pocahontas, and Tiana from The Princess and the Frog.
While Frozen’s Anna and Elsa share a tower, the only one to have a silver spire.
The castle’s old pink and blue paint job is also out, replaced by colours that reflect the princesses’ dresses — corals and greens for Ariel’s tower, reds and golds for Mulan, yellows and blues for Beauty And The Beast’s Belle.
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All of the colours were merged together using a paint-blending technique developed by Disney Imagineers. Among other customisations to make the castle more inclusive are Celtic patterns on Merida’s tower, referencing the four Scottish clans of Brave.
On Moana’s, the courageous Hawaiian is represented by a sea-blue dome topped with the Heart of Te Fiti hook that was bestowed on her by the ocean.
Jasmine, from Aladdin, has a minaret with a bright turquoise cupola embellished with gold floral patterns.
The first-of-its-kind castle is adorned with dozens of royal symbols, from
Snow White’s apple to the coach used by Cinderella and Pocahontas’ hummingbird.
Visitors can look for the symbols on the ceiling of the castle’s octagonal rotunda, which has a delicate silver ceiling panel and floor paving decorated with each of the princesses’ flowers and emblems.
Famous friends of the royals also make an appearance and keep your eyes peeled for Mickey Mouse’s ears.
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SPREADING FAIRY DUST
Stroll around the rotunda and you will find 13 stone columns engraved with scenes from each of the movies.
On Ariel’s column her best fishy friends Flounder and Sebastian can be seen singing Under The Sea. While on Mulan’s her friend Mushu is waving a bone for her dog, Little Brother.
While above the rotunda, a beautiful stained-glass window also helps to bring the stories of the different princesses together.
At the centre of the Rose Window is Snow White’s red apple ringed by wild flowers, in honour of the first ever Disney princess.
As a tribute to the original Sleeping Beauty Castle, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather can now be seen spreading fairy dust across the castle’s breezeway.
Inside, a new Royal Reception Hall gives guests the chance to meet their favourite heroines in specially designed rooms — for now, selfies are socially-distanced.
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Between the reception rooms are bronze statues of queens and princess set inside softly-lit alcoves. Elsewhere, there is a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique where fairy godmothers turn children into their royal idols, with makeovers, hair styling and replica princess dresses.
The Castle Of Magic Dreams also acts as a canvas for a new wave of Disney entertainment, including daytime shows and high-tech after-dark projections.
There’s no news yet on what Sleeping Beauty thinks of the new arrangement but if there was ever a starting point for a Disney+ mocumentary, surely this is it.
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