Over the past several months, through a close collaboration between teams across Walt Disney World, Cinderella Castle was refreshed and restored to its classic look. We now have a behind-the-scenes look at the team that helped make it possible.
A team of skilled painters has transformed Cinderella Castle back to a more classic color palette inspired by its original 1971 look at Magic Kingdom. Guided by a team at Walt Disney Imagineering, the project reflects the craftsmanship required to maintain one of the most photographed structures in the world.
The Cinderella Castle refresh was first announced last year at Destination D23. The project came to life through coordination across Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), Facility Asset Management (FAM), and partners in Disney Live Entertainment, Project Development, Operations, and PhotoPass teams.
For Nathan, the Associate Project Manager with FAM, this project is something even more personal. He started his Disney career as an intern just a few years ago, and now for the past several months, he has helped oversee the repainting of the Castle, guiding his teams on one of the most visible projects at Disney World.
“Not every day you are told, ‘Hey, you’re going to change the look of one of the most iconic buildings Disney has,’” Nathan explained. “That excitement hit immediately, and then very quickly, the weight of it.”
Chris, Senior Creative Director with Walt Disney Imagineering.:
“Presented with the opportunity to introduce a new color palette, it was important for us to consider the history and heritage of our beautiful Castle,” said Chris, ”We took our inspiration from that classic vision of the Castle in 1971 by selecting elegant shades that lean into the element of fantasy. To highlight the architectural details of the Castle, we used deep blue roofs, stonework, and graceful gold trim to celebrate the details and whimsy of our park icon.”
Before the painting could begin, hundreds of gallons of water had to be drained from the Castle moat.
“Probably one of the most difficult parts of this project was getting into the moat,” Nathan explained. “The moat had to be completely drained so we could safely work in there.”
Over the course of several weeks, painters suited up in safety harnesses and protective equipment were hoisted up to 150 feet into the air, where they carefully painted each piece of trim, wall, and roof of the iconic Castle with small brushes and rollers. One of the final pieces of the painting project happened when crews were able to paint the top of the Castle
For Nathan, it was a career-defining moment:
“Five years ago, I was not even working for Disney yet,” he shared. “Now I drive into work and get to say I helped manage the work on Cinderella Castle. That’s something I’ll carry with me forever. It’s truly a dream come true, and it gets me excited about the potential of what else I can do while working here.”
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