Construction continues around the Magic Kingdom hub. Cinderella Castle now has new spires near to the curb. They provide more speakers and better themed control booths for the castle stage shows. They are also adding new, more gently sloped ramps up into the castle from… Read More »Magic Kingdom Castle Construction Update – October 2015
It was a rainy day at the Magic Kingdom yesterday, but we stuck it out and had a lot of fun in the late summer crowds. The plaza/hub refurbishment is continuing, but most of the focus now is on Cinderella Castle and nearby garden areas.… Read More »Magic Kingdom Plaza / Hub Construction Update – Towers Revealed
Even celebrities can be swept off their feet by the magic of Walt Disney World. This week brother and sister Derek Hough and Julianne Hough got to have their “Once Upon A Dream” moment inside Cinderella Castle as they posed with Princess Aurora and Prince… Read More »Celebrity Spotting: Derek Hough and Julianne Hough at Magic Kingdom
Tony Award-winning actor Alan Cumming was at the Magic Kingdom earlier this month to celebrate his birthday. Of course, what better way to celebrate than to share a cake with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in front of Cinderella Castle. Cumming, turned 50 years old… Read More »Celebrity Spotting: Alan Cumming at Magic Kingdom
The Hub, or Central Plaza, of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is in the middle of a major makeover that will bring a lush garden like setting with more room for viewing parades and fireworks. There will also be new permanent stage lighting and control… Read More »Magic Kingdom Plaza / Hub Construction Update – April 2015
With the movie Cinderella in theaters, I thought it was a good time to take a look at the beautiful piece of art on display inside Cinderella castle at the Magic Kingdom. The main corridor between Fantasyland and the Plaza is home to an amazing tableau retelling of the classic fairy tale “Cinderella” in five massive mosaic murals.
Designed by Disney Imagineer Dorothea Redmond and assembled by artist Hanns-Joachim Scharff and his team of six craftsmen, each mosaic mural was hand cut and applied. There are over 300,000 pieces of Italian glass in more than 500 colors along with ‘gems’ and bits of gold and silver in the murals.
Some of the murals are as large as fifteen feet high and ten feet wide. The whole project took nearly two years to complete.
There’s also a bit of hidden Disney in the mural. In the scene after the ball where Cinderella is trying on the slipper, the footman was made to resemble Herb Ryman and the Arch Duke looks like John Hench. Both men started as animators and later were key to creating the look and feel of Walt’s prized theme parks.
A gallery with 18 more images and close ups from the murals are below the jump.