The depiction of the Partners statue on the Sleeping Beauty Castle-inspired 70th anniversary sculpture at Disneyland Resort was replaced, seemingly because Walt Disney looked like Donald Trump.
Walt Disney or Donald Trump?
The new castle sculpture was under construction in the esplanade between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure for about two weeks. WDWNT reported on the castle being near completion on May 9. Each of the blue towers was topped with a golden icon representing a different land, with the silhouette of the Partners statue for Main Street, U.S.A.
Within a few days, the Partners statue icon was removed — reportedly because the image of Walt Disney looked too much like President Donald Trump and not enough like Walt Disney.
Indeed, a look back on the element does reveal a resemblance to Trump, particularly in the hairstyle. For reference, below is the famous Partners statue in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
In retrospect, the Trump-like silhouette does seem odd. Guests compared the silhouette on the element to Walt in the statue, noting Walt is usually depicted with very little hair.
As of May 13, the element has been replaced. The new depiction of Walt does look more true to the Disney founder and better matches the Partners statue.
The sculpture is now complete, and construction walls have come down from the surrounding area. At 50 feet tall, the castle towers over the esplanade. It’s made of stained glass and gold pieces atop a rounded base.
The base features Mickey & Friends in their 70th anniversary outfits. They’re joined by Disneyland Resort iconography like Sleeping Beauty Castle, Space Mountain, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, churros, “it’s a small world,” and more.
The design is filled with colorful four-pointed stars. The background is waves of blue and yellow, matching the main color scheme of the event decor. The Disneyland Resort 70th logo is also featured, including pink towers of Sleeping Beauty Castle above a blue and purple “70.”
The theme of the celebration is “Celebrate Happy,” which is written on a white diamond with pink filigree on the base. The top of the base has golden railings resembling the turrets of the real castle.
The other lands of Disneyland are represented by the Mark Twain Riverboat (Frontierland), a carousel horse (Fantasyland), Space Mountain (Tomorrowland), and a Jungle Cruise boat (Adventureland).
The Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration officially kicks off on May 16, 2025, and runs through the summer of 2026.
As for President Donald Trump, the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World is expected to reopen with his Audio-Animatronic moved back to the center position on stage later this year. The show closed on the day of Trump’s 2025 inauguration.
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