Cinderella Castle under construction at Magic Kingdom Park in 1971 at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista , Fla . IMAGES COURTESY OF DISNEY
host daily performances . The shows have featured dozens of characters , from Mickey and Minnie to Aurora and Jasmine . One of the best-known shows was Mickey ' s Royal Frienship Faire , returning this year with updates as Mickey ' s Magical Friendship Faire .
Over the years , Cinderella Castle has gone through several makeovers but has kept its essence intact as the most iconic castle in modern history . In 2021 , it received a makeover to celebrate Walt Disney World ’ s 50th anniversary .
SMALLER THAN IT LOOKS Cinderella Castle is large and imposing , but did you know that it ’ s actually much smaller than it appears ?
When the castle was built in 1970 , federal regulations stated that any structure taller than 190 feet needed a flashing red light on top to alert airplanes to its presence . Can you imagine seeing a red aircraft beacon atop the magical castle ? Talk about ruining the atmosphere . Cleverly , Disney Imagineers built the castle at 189 feet to avoid adding the eyesore light to the spire .
ABOVE : Dream Along With Mickey show from 2006-2016 . PHOTO BY CLIFF WANG BELOW : Mickey ' s Royal Friendship Faire , returning this year as Mickey ' s Magical Friendship Faire . PHOTO BY LAURIE SAPP
Since 189 feet isn ’ t all that tall for such an imposing building , Imagineers employed an optical illusion called “ forced perspective ” to make the castle appear larger than it actually is . The castle ’ s first