18 Magic Kingdom Castle Facts

Cinderella Castle is the flagship castle of Walt Disney World in Florida. The Magic Kingdom castle recently underwent a total royal makeover featuring a brand new color scheme to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Disney Animated classic, Cinderella.

While the exterior may have changed slightly, many things about the Magic Kingdom castle have remained the same since being built.

If you’ve ever wondered about the history of Cinderella Castle, we have 18 facts to share about the iconic landmark and I bet you will learn some things you didn’t know!

18 Magic Kingdom Castle Facts

1. The Magic Kingdom castle is officially named Cinderella Castle and the design on it was inspired by Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. 
2. The castle took less than 2 years to build and was completed in 1971.
3. While the castle appears to be brick, it is a false façade. Instead, the castle is built of concrete, cement, and fiberglass.
4. Cinderella Castle was built to be the focal point of Magic Kingdom, so that it could be seen from all areas of the park.
5. It is 189 feet tall, but built with forced perspective to make it appear much more grand. Only the first floor is built to scale, the rest is much smaller.
6. The castle had to be built under 190 feet in order to avoid having to have flight lights put on the top of the castle.
7. Cinderella castle has a gray and pink façade with a sapphire blue roof and bright gold accents. There are 27 towers and 13 gargoyles that adorn the Magic Kingdom castle.
8. While there is a drawbridge, it is only for decoration. It does not go up or down.
9. The clock on the exterior of the castle does not use the Roman numeral for four. Because the original story of Cinderella dates back to a time before the use of IV, the numeral four is labeled IIII.
10. Inside the castle, there are mosaic murals that tell the story of Cinderella. It is worth walking inside the castle at Magic Kingdom to see all of them.
11. There is also Cinderella’s Royal Table restaurant inside the castle where you can dine with Disney Princesses in a fairytale setting. 
12. Hidden to park guests, is the Disney Cinderella Suite which is actually inside the upper levels of the castle. This suite sleeps up to 6 people and is available only to those whom the Disney company chooses to gift it to or through special sweepstakes giveaways.
13. There are three elevators inside the castle. One that takes guests to Cinderella’s Royal Table, one that takes guests to the Cinderella Suite, and one that is used by staff to access the Utilidor.
14. The moat surrounding the castle in Magic Kingdom contains over 3 million gallons of water.
15. Each night, Tinker Bell takes flight from atop Cinderella Castle to begin the “Once Upon a Time” light projection show. 
16. Each evening after the park officially closes, Cinderella Castle is illuminated in lights for a secret “Kiss Goodnight.” If you are lucky to still be in the Magic Kingdom, you will hear “Wish Upon A Star” followed by the words from Roy Disney’s dedication speech for Magic Kingdom.
17. While there is one other Cinderella Castle (in Disneyland Tokyo), the Magic Kingdom castle is larger by a few feet.
18. Outside the castle is Cinderella’s Fountain where the Disney Imagineers included a pretty neat visual effect.

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