Beast’s Castle rises in Fantasyland at Disney’s Magic Kingdom
By Don Gworek
Beast’s Castle, which is to sit high above the mountains in the Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom, is now visible. There’s still some towers to be added and some paint work to be done, but it’s the first sign of what’s to come.
These close up views show the detail in the new mountain-top castle. Arrows point to details seen only in extreme zoom, like cornices on windows and gold eagles on top of columns at the doors.
This view shows the castle supported in mid-air. Rock work forms will soon be added underneath both the castle proper and the fortress walls.
Another view, framed by the current location of the Dumbo ride.
Rockwork forms are to the far left. Soon the entire green show building walls will also be covered in rockwork forms, perching the castle high on top of a mountain in a technique called forced perspective. Inside the show building will be the Be Our Guest restaurant.
The red arrow in this concept artwork points to the mountain top castle.
Nearby, the first concrete for the Storybook Circus show building is now visible. More concrete forms have been added for other walls of the building.
UPDATE: Here’s a photo showing the workers installing the castle. This gives you a good idea of its size. (This photo was shown as part of a slideshow during a Disney Economic Impact presentation.)
Here’s a video look at the castle:
This is SUPER exciting.
Can’t wait until this is complete!
This is AWESOME!!!!!!!!! I cant wait to see it all when its done!! 🙂
Does anyone know if they will be closing the tommorrowland speedway???? It looks like the story book circus and it are a really tight squeeze……
I don’t think has any more plans to change the Speedway. It should continue.
The force perspective isn’t working very well. It looks more like the castle in Storybookland at Disneyland, it’s to close.
I am a cast member, and I can tell you James that even tho you think it’s too close, it can’t go any farther away. Directly behind it is the cast member roadway that leads to the entrance to the underground tunnel. They have it back as far as it can go.
Also, from what I’ve heard, they’re ahead of schedule! eek! im so excited!! 🙂
I understand the footprint restrictions allotted for this expansion, as well as the existing back of house structures and utilities therein. My comment is, unfortunately the forced perspective dose not create an illusion of a full size Beast’s castle in the distance. Visually with the framework of structures around it, as well as the perspectives shown within the existing Fantasyland, the effect is more akin to Cinderella’s castle in Disneyland’s Storybookland. That’s not a bad thing, it just is what it is.
when is it open???
Fantasyland’s updated areas are going to open in stages starting in 2012.
I cant wait to visit, I am going in November 2012 and I am so looking forward to the “Be Our Guest” Restaurant, I am taking my daughter and her Fiance, when my daughter was young she watched Beauty and the Beast so many times we went through 4 VCR tapes by the time she was 5 years old….