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[Home] - [Description] - [History] - [Castle Walkthru] - [Trivia] - [Pictures] |
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Opening Day |
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Sleeping Beauty Castle had been featured on Disneyland the television show as the gateway to the realm of Fantasyland. So it only seemed appropriate that the dedication of Fantasyland would take place on the banks of the Castle moat, on July 17th, 1955 - the opening day of Disneyland. |
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After the dedication was read by Walt, a small ceremony was performed for the 90 million viewers watching the opening day festivities live on ABC television. After the arrival of a knight on a horse and the blaring of trumpets, the drawbridge for Sleeping Beauty Castle was lowered, allowing the gathered children to be the first to run into Fantasyland, and creating a permanent bridge between the Castle and the hub. |
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The Castle Walkthru Diorama |
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Sleeping Beauty Castle takes its name from the 1959 Disney movie – yes, that’s right, the castle opened with Disneyland in 1955, four years before the movie even arrived in theaters. The idea was to provide free publicity and generate awareness of the impending blockbuster (which was anything but in its initial release). |
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For two years after the park had opened, the castle remained a empty shell. Instead of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip, employees would only find cats and mice taking up residence. But that changed when Walt asked artist Ken Anderson to create some miniature models based on the Sleeping Beauty film to display inside the castle. On April 29th, 1957 the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-thru was officially opened. |
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The Castle Walkthru, a simple attraction even by 1957 standards, tells the story of Sleeping Beauty through several small miniature displays seen through glass windows along a single walkway inside the castle.
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[Home] - [Description] - [History] - [Castle Walkthru] - [Trivia] - [Pictures] |
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