2 questions

[Airblue1]

Why did Walt start off with Sleeping Beauty's castle in Cali and then go to Cinderella in Orlando?

Also, I know why, but what imagineer or year did the hidden mickey craze began?

[xoHelloKittyox]

I heard that it was really sleeping beauties castle in WDW and not Cinderella's, even though it's fully decorated as Cinderella's? :confused:


so confusing!!!!

[MstngDrvnDsnyLvr]

I don't know why one is Sleeping Beauty and the other is Cinderella (it is the same in Toyko - Cinderella and Paris - Sleeping Beauty). I do know that both are patterned after Schloss Neuschwanstein in the Bavarian region of Germany and the real deal is absolutely beautiful and I highly recommend a tour if you are ever in that part of Germany.

[BeccaO]

I don't know the answer to this question, but I do know that it is true about the Neuschwanstein castle in Germany. I have visited this castle and it is abosolutely unbelievably beautiful!!!! Pictures do not do it justice!!!

[scoot241]

Not sure why Cinderella Castle is named as such, but I do know that Sleeping Beauty Castle was originally supposed to be Snow White Castle. Walt changed the name because Sleeping Beauty was released right around when Disneyland opened.

[Buttercup]

I could be wrong, but I think it had something to do with height restrictions, and the style of architechture from those stories... :confused: I can't remember.

As far as the hidden mickeys, there are many different ideas on that one. Some say they started at the very beginning as a way of Imagineers "signing" their work. If you knew where one was, you must have had something to do with the design of the ride. That's one of the stories out there anyway. A lot of hidden mickeys aren't necessarily intentionally created but urban legend turns them into real hidden mickeys.

[CaptSmee]

Not sure why Cinderella Castle is named as such, but I do know that Sleeping Beauty Castle was originally supposed to be Snow White Castle. Walt changed the name because Sleeping Beauty was released right around when Disneyland opened.

This is what i've read. They made it Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland because they wanted to promote his next big animated movie coming out (1959).

[Stu29573]

It's all timing and promotions...sort of.
Sleeping Beauty Castle was named that because of the film...which was scheduled to come out in 1959 (The park opened in '55, but the film was already in production). All of the Fantasyland attractions where for either recent or upcoming films- a point that's easy to forget since they're all classics now.

Cinderella's Castle was also linked to a film, of course, but it came out in 1950, nine years before Sleeping Beauty. The reason is simply that Disney really doesnt have that many films that feature castles, and none nearly as big as Cinderella. Therefore, Cinderella was just about the only logical choice (other than making another Sleeping Beauty Castle- which they didn't want to do for several reasons)

I hope this helps!

[MstngDrvnDsnyLvr]

I also know that the DLR castle was not originally to be called Snow White's Castle. Walt mistakenly called it that while being filmed and thus sparked this rumor.

[scoot241]

I also know that the DLR castle was not originally to be called Snow White's Castle. Walt mistakenly called it that while being filmed and thus sparked this rumor.

Well they said it during the Capital One Bowl the other day on ESPN. This wasn't the first time I heard it, but when it was said on ESPN during a promotional piece for Disney Parks (a "Did You Know" segment about Walt), I personally think it's a pretty strong source.

[Imagineer1981]

Walt had the blessing of size in Orlando, and with the way they were able to redesign the magic kingdom, he was able to put a larger castle and still have it hidden from the general public until they are in the park.

[Speedy1998]

The rumor that I have heard about hidden Mickey's is that they started appearing in the parks when Epcot opened in 1982. The imagineers were told that the traditional Disney characters were not to appear anywhere in Epcot, so that the public would not think that Epcot was just another version of the Magic Kingdom. So the imagineers started hidding Mickey in their work.