The Castles of Sleeping Beauty
King Stefan's Castle
Sleeping Beauty's castle (or, King Stefan's castle) as it appears in the film. Its vertical design is quite a departure from the horizontal fortresses that actually dominated medieval Europe. But, this is a fairy-tale after all, and this castle is nothing short of enchanting. The perfect castle for a fairy-tale princess.
The Castle of Sleeping Beauty (Chateau d'Usse)
The Disney Studios credit Charles Perrault's version of the Sleeping Beauty as their source for their film version. It is said that Charles Perrault was inspired to write Sleeping Beauty when, upon his visit to the Loire Valley in Northern France, he encountered the Chateau d'Usse. This castle is known as "The Castle of Sleeping Beauty" (and also, "The Castle of Dreams") and even contains some of Perrault's manuscripts of the fable. Interestingly, while Disney looked to Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle for inspiration for Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland, this castle inspired Cinderella's castle in Florida.
Sleeping Beauty Castle - Disneyland California
Sleeping Beauty's castle in California was the vision of Walt Disney who wanted a fairy-tale castle as a central point of his theme park. Early models of this castle was said to look very much like the famous King Ludwig castle, Neuschwanstein. While discussing the model, one of the designers is said to have turned the top center section of the castle around just as Walt entered the room. Walt loved the modified model and that's what we see today. This castle is actually made of concrete, not stone, and its spires are topped with 22-karat gold. Only 75 feet tall, the castle's "forced perspective" fools the eyes in believing that it is taller than it actually is. Disney's coat of arms graces the castle's archway leading to Fantasyland.
Here are two examples of the illuminated books that tell Aurora's story in the Sleeping Beauty walk-through. I apologize for the flash in these photos. Unfortunately, the walk-through has been closed.
*NEW* The photo to the right was submitted by Hillary Robins, which was taken
earlier this year. To help commemorate Disneyland's 50th Anniversary, the folks at Disney collected photos of the many
guests who have visited the parks. Then they used these photos to create photo collages (or Photomosaics) of memorable
Disney scenes.
And who can forget the famous kissing scene from Sleeping Beauty!
I couldn't get to Disneyland this year to see these images, so I just love it when people share their photos of unique Disney moments like this. Man, I wish I could have seen this in person! Be sure to click on the thumbnail to view the entire image. Thank you so much for sharing this photo, Hillary.
Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant - Disneyland Paris
Sleeping Beauty's castle returns to France with the opening of Disneyland Paris. Above is a gorgeous piece of art by Frank Armitage used to promote the park to the European public. This castle was a challenge for the Disney crew since Europe is graced with unique and beautiful castles built throughout the centuries. How do you make this castle unique? Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant was actually inspired by a 12th century monastery in Normandy in Northern France. Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant galleries contain beautiful stained-glass windows, tapestries and illuminated manuscripts depicting Sleeping Beauty's tale. And the basement boasts a fire-breathing dragon.
Also pictured is the Place des Vosges in Paris, France. Notice that the clipped, box-shaped trees shown here were also featured throughout the film. The Disney designers also incorporated these boxed trees in the landscaping around the Disneyland Paris castle as well. This kept the castle in close association with the film version of Sleeping Beauty, and also draws in strong French elements as well. A nice tribute to the film's French roots.
Sleeping Beauty Castle - Hong Kong Disneyland
This is the third Sleeping Beauty Disney theme-park castle. It is located in Hong Kong Disneyland and welcomed its first guests on September 12, 2005. It's basically an exact replica of Disneyland castle in California. You can visit the Hong Kong Disneyland Page at StartedByAMouse.com to view some startling photos of this castle.