The idea for a castle as the focal point or anchor for the Disneyland theme park Walt Disney imagined first appeared on paper in December 1952 when a map of the proposed park was drawn by WED Enterprises. The castle was named for Sleeping Beauty as advance publicity for the newest Disney animated film of the same name.
Sleeping Beauty Castle is the smallest of the Disney castles, rising only 77 feet into the air. Walt built it small on purpose, feeling that it would be friendlier that way as opposed to the huge imposing structures built by tyrants in Europe. The design of the castle was based partly on King Ludwig II of Bavaria’s Neuschwanstein Castle and partly on French designs. The Disney logo is carved over the main entrance; the spires are adorned with 22-karat gold-leaf and the gargoyles are actually little squirrels.
Construction on the park began in July 1954 in the center of 160 acres of orange groves near Anaheim, Orange County, California. Sleeping Beauty Castle began as two long buildings that would house the Snow White, Peter Pan and Mr. Toad attractions on opening day. The walls and turrets that comprise the castle and join with the earlier buildings to form the courtyard would be built early in 1955.
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