Just in time to celebrate its 30th Anniversary in 2022, Sleeping Beauty Castle is now reopened to guests at Disneyland Paris after 12 months of renovation! Featuring gilded, golden details and unique, lavish mosaics, the symbol of Disneyland Paris is sparkling brighter than ever before thanks to Walt Disney Imagineering teams and construction masters who came together for the largest refurbishment the castle has seen since its opening in 1992.
“It was the first time we undertook something so monumental. Certain effects have even been improved so that the castle’s structure will be even more resilient in the upcoming years,” said Tracy Eck, Art Director, Walt Disney Imagineering Paris, who supervised the work done to breathe new life into the castle. “It took nearly a year to complete these works on site with all of the teams. Painters, electricians, gilders, craftspeople in charge of the tiled roofs… It was a hive of activity.”
Disneyland Paris also has a long history of collaborating with French and European craftspeople to build and maintain décor across the resort, and this very special project was no different. Imagineering and construction teams called on various French experts in historical monument refurbishment across carpentry, roofing, painting and ironworking to lend their skills to the project, which saw Sleeping Beauty Castle recognized as a valued monument in France.
“Some of the suppliers with whom we were lucky to collaborate on this project only work on historical monuments. When they accepted this assignment, we realized that they viewed our castle as a historical monument that is a part of our heritage. It was very touching,” said Tracy.
Let’s take a look at how the team brought their skills together to restore Sleeping Beauty Castle:
And did you know that there are even special hidden references to France throughout Sleeping Beauty Castle? Some are fun and symbolic, such as golden snails that seem to be trying to get away from French cooks – and some are more artistic, like the geometric gardens inspired by iconic French tapestries. Here are some more fun facts about the renovation of this beautiful castle!
- Sleeping Beauty Castle is 141 feet tall, with its tallest tower standing 55 feet high and weighing 15 tons.
- Renovation of the castle took 50,000 hours.
- 19,900 slate tiles were custom designed and installed on the roofs using 19,900 hooks. As a result, 4.8 miles of slates were cut.
- 41,200 gold leaves were applied by hand to gild certain parts of the castle.
- The team used 1,200 liters of paint throughout the project, including 14 different shades of pink.
- Since Disneyland Paris is Europe’s top tourist destination, Sleeping Beauty Castle is the most visited castle in Europe!
by Thomas Smith, Editorial Content Director, Disney Parks
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