Today as part of the Hong Kong Disneyland 15th Anniversary celebration, the Castle of Magic Dreams was officially “unveiled” and welcomed into the park. The new focal centerpiece is an unprecedented first-of-it’s-kind transformation of a Disney Park castle.
Castle of Magic Dreams is celebrated as an achievement of diversity, inclusion and dreams. Inspired by not just one single character, the castle features 13 different stories of beloved Disney Princesses (and Queens) with its many towers and spires adorned in iconic patterns, textures, colors unique to each heroine’s story. Subtle nods are creatively integrated with details such as Snow White’s apple, Abu, Mushu, and Merida’s bow and arrow integrated as part of the design.
To pay tribute to the original Seeping Beauty Castle that the Castle of Magic Dreams usurped, the tower dedicated to Aurora reaches higher than any other towers — this tallest spire is over double the height of the former Sleeping Beauty Castle!
The transformation involved over 100 Imagineers globally, with 60% core team members from Hong Kong. From initial concept to final design, the castle took 4 years (2016 – 2020) to bring to life! Now, with details and photos provided by Disney let’s take a closer look at the magnificent new Castle of Magic Dreams!
Heroine-Inspired Design
The 13 stories represented in the castle are integrated in a variety of ways.
Towers:
Aurora
Aurora is an elegant, yet playful dreamer who overcame a wicked curse in order to rejoin her family and her kingdom.
- The tower dedicated to her reaches higher than other castle towers that represent fellow Princesses and Queens. That’s because this tower serves as an homage to the original Sleeping Beauty castle that was unveiled here on the opening day of Hong Kong Disneyland. It is the foundation on which this castle was proudly built upon.
- Her story is further interpreted through hints of color that match her iconic dress, which magically switch between pink and blue.
- The finial atop the tower features a shimmering golden crown that alludes to Aurora’s title and responsibility as a princess.
Ariel
Ariel is the spirited and curious mermaid who finds herself enchanted by all things human.
- The color of Ariel’s tower is inspired by her dress, using subtle gradations of coral and green, while the dome features scalloped details with a pearly luster and gold highlights.
- A golden seashell supported by kelp and pearls serves as this tower’s finial, alluding to Ariel’s deep connection to the ocean and all of its creatures.
Moana
Moana is the adventurous teenager who is inspired to leave the safety and security of her island on a daring journey to save her people.
- She is represented in her tower by the iconic earth-tone colors she is associated with, including various shades of oranges, reds and tan tones.
- A sea-blue dome adorned with a water reflection motif that symbolizes the ocean sits on top of a richly colored tower embossed with Polynesian patterns and waves.
- The golden finial on top of the dome depicts Maui’s hooks holding the heart of Te Fiti.
Mulan
Mulan is a tough, devoted daughter who will do whatever it takes to protect her family from harm.
- Architectural elements that pay tribute to Mulan’s story include an embossed cherry blossom motif with gold accents on a rose gold dome.
- Her tower also features jade corners and architectural ornamentation in the form of crossed golden spears, symbolizing Mulan’s heritage and fearless, warrior spirit.
- The golden finial on top of Mulan’s tower features her faithful companion – the dragon Mushu proudly and playfully using the finial as a gong.
Pocahontas
Pocahontas is a loyal daughter who has the courage to follow her own path in life. She also has a deep connection to nature, and will do everything in her power to protect it.
- Architectural elements inspired by Pocahontas’ story include a bas relief of flowing leaf patterns on her turret’s deep reddish-copper pointed roof, and a turquoise band below that represents her iconic necklace.
- The golden finial on top of the turret features her devoted hummingbird companion, Flit, with raspberries stuck on his thin, needlelike beak.
Tiana
Tiana is a hardworking young woman who has big dreams of opening her own restaurant.
- From the color of her ballgown to her transformation into a frog, green is a prevalent color in Tiana’s story – reflected in the tower’s shading.
- Another prominent design element found throughout her tower are water lilies, with an embossed water lily motif adorning the gold dome on her tower.
- Water lilies not only provide pleasant resting spots for frogs; these vibrant flowers are believed to symbolize love, peace, and new life.
- The golden finial on Tiana’s tower depicts Prince Naveen in the form of a frog, sitting atop a water lily, puckering his lips ready for a transformational kiss from Tiana.
Snow White
Snow White is a beloved princess known for her charm, kindheartedness, and being the fairest one of all.
- Yellow, red, white, and blue are the colors that stand out most in Snow White’s dress. And these colors have subtly been interpreted in the tower dedicated to her.
- A golden dome with an embossed apple lattice pattern sits atop a pale yellow tower with light blue highlights and banding.
- A golden finial takes the shape of a weather vane featuring her iconic apple positioned on a smaller coppery-red dome. This represents the poisoned apple given to Snow White by the Evil Queen, serving as the catalyst of Snow White’s enchanted sleep.
Merida
Merida is a skilled archer and determined princess who set out on a heroic journey to undo a beastly curse.
- Fiery copper, regal blue, and gold highlights are used to interpret Merida on this turret dedicated to her courageous story.
- Celtic designs that reference the four Brave clans adorn the turret roof, alluding to a strong family bond as well as her Scottish ancestry.
- The finial on Merida’s tower is shaped as a golden bow and arrow on a target. In her story, the bow and arrow signify Merida’s natural sense of freedom and serve as a source of personal strength.
Cinderella
Cinderella’s kindness and her unwavering positivity and determination guide her through her story.
- Blue is often associated with Cinderella because of the memorable, transformative ball gown she wears when she meets Prince Charming.
- A light blue color inspired by her gown is used for the roof shingles above the rotunda.
- The finial on the roof feature takes the form of a golden pumpkin coach, symbolizing the magnificent carriage that brought her to Prince Charming’s ball.
Belle
Through kindness and compassion, she helps a mysterious beast discover his own inner beauty and break a terrible curse.
- The colors used to represent Belle in her tower are blue and yellow; blue for the dress she wears while strolling through her village and yellow for her iconic ballgown.
- The golden finial on Belle’s tower depicts the enchanted rose from Beast’s castle.
- The blue dome features a golden embossed, book pattern that symbolizes her passion for reading.
- French flourish patterns also decorate the tower, paying tribute to her heritage.
Anna and Elsa
Elsa is naturally regal and composed, and has learned to embrace her magic power as well as the love of her adoring sister Anna.
- The storybook-inspired architecture of their tower includes a light blue shingled roof reminiscent of Elsa’s icy blue dress.
- The shimmering silver finial on the tower takes the form of a 3-dimensional snowflake, inspired by Elsa’s ice magic and the snow that propels her on her adventure with Anna.
Rapunzel
Rapunzel is a creative and feisty tower-bound heroine. With the help of a handsome bandit and her long, golden, magical hair, Rapunzel escapes the tower and finds her way back to the loving family she was taken from.
- Her turret is painted in shades of purple and is topped with a golden roof.
- The golden finial on Rapunzel’s turret is the Sundrop flower – the glowing lily-like blossom that is the source of magic in Rapunzel’s hair.
Jasmine
Princess Jasmine is the daring and generous princess who made her own choices and followed her dreams of experiencing life beyond the confines of her father’s palace.
- An Arabic fabric pattern embellishes the fuchsia walls of Jasmine’s tower.
- Her tower features a turquoise dome with a golden pattern that includes sword-like shapes.
- The golden finial that tops Jasmine’s dome depicts Abu playfully hanging onto the decorative spire as if caught in the wind.
Breezeway:
- Upon entering the castle Breezeway, guests will find depictions of Princess Aurora’s fairy godmothers, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.
- Guests will notice Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather casting their sparkling fairy dust from chandelier to chandelier until it reaches the rotunda ceiling in a glimmering display of over 8,000 twinkling points of light.
Rotunda:
- This majestic octagonal space celebrates the stories of the beloved Princesses and Queens in many forms.
- A decorative paving medallion in the center of the rotunda floor depicts thirteen flowers that symbolize the Princesses and Queens.
- A delicate ceiling panel is made up of 13 iconic symbols representing Disney Princesses and Queens.
- Within the rotunda area, guests will also find thirteen columns topped with capitals that depict scenes of the Princesses’ and Queens’ loyal friends. Delicately carved details reveal their shared stories. These include:
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- Ariel’s dearest friends Flounder and Sebastian in an under-the-sea, musical setting. Aurora’s column capital features her three Fairy Godmothers, as well as friendly woodland creatures in an enchanted forest setting.
- Belle’s column capital features a lively scene from the iconic musical number “Be Our Guest,” starring Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip and Lumiere.
- Snow White’s cute woodland animal friends are carved into a forest setting in her rotunda column capital
- Tiana’s features a snapshot from her journey as a frog with Prince Naveen. Ray and his firefly family also light the way, while Louis the alligator tags along.
- Rapunzel’s column capital features Pascal, her loyal chameleon friend, carrying paintbrushes in his tail against a backdrop of Rapunzel’s distinct painting patterns and iconic floating lanterns.
- Cinderella’s mice friends are carved into her column capital. They include Gus and Jaq preparing beads and thread along with seamstress mice and friendly, helpful birds amidst a pumpkin motif.
- Moana’s column capital depicts her pet pig Pua and the rooster HeiHei playing with coconuts in a tropical setting featuring Moana’s conch shell.
- Pocahontas’s column capital features Flit and Meeko playfully searching for raspberries in the woods, set amidst leaves floating in the wind.
- Merida’s column capital features her triplet brothers in bear form sitting in a meadow with archery targets to the right and forest wisps amongst the Standing Stones to the left. Anna and Elsa’s column features Olaf; his carving depicting him giddily dancing and singing from the scene ‘In Summer.’
- Mulan’s column capital depicts Mushu holding a bone for her dog, Little Brother. Cri-Kee the cricket can also be spotted amongst intertwined peach blossom branches.
West Entrance Rose Window:
- The rose window features symbols and flowers that represent our beloved thirteen stories of Disney Princesses and Queens, unified to form a vibrant masterpiece. Like the castle itself, the rose window brings all their stories together.
- At the very center of the window is Snow White’s red apple encompassed by six forest wild flowers, paying special tribute to the debut of the very first Disney Princess.
- Vivid green stems then connect other Princesses’ and Queens’ distinctive flowers to Snow White’s circle of wild flowers, from Cinderella to Moana, in the sequence that the Princesses and Queens were introduced.
- The connected stems symbolize the admirable qualities all of them have, despite their undeniable uniqueness.
More Pictures
