Much has changed in the 55 years since Walt Disney died, not only in the fortune of his brand, now one of the most influential corporations in the world, but in the characters he creates and the values he promotes.
So when the company started building a new fairytale castle at Disneyland, Hong Kong, it took into account something it would have barely taken into account in the discussions when it opened its first resort in Anaheim, California, 1955: Diversity.
The new Castle of Magical Dreams, completed in November and reopened last month after relaxing Hong Kong’s Covid-19 restrictions, makes a gesture with the widest variety of female characters now appearing in Disney movies . Unlike Cinderella’s castles in Florida and Tokyo or Sleeping Beauty’s castles in California and Paris, all inspired in part by 19th-century Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany, the design is not just a heroine, but more than a dozen.
Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle in Hong Kong had been in place for 16 years. Credit: Courtesy of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
The new structure was built on top of the current Sleeping Beauty Castle, the centerpiece of Hong Kong Disneyland since the complex opened in 2005. As such, Princess Aurora still occupies a special place in the new castle, with a tower dedicated to the “Sleeping Beauty.” protagonist standing tallest.
But the other 12 towers pay homage to various princesses, queens, and heroines, including historical or popular Disney-fictional figures, such as Chinese warrior Mulan and Native American figure Pocahontas. (Anna and Elsa from “Frozen” share a tower with each other).
Diversity is also reflected in the eclectic architecture, which sees rose gold domes mixed with turrets and embossed needles. The so-called Disney “Imagineers”, the artists, designers and engineers behind the theme parks, incorporated the plots of the characters into the design of each tower, such as a pattern of apple lattice in Snow White (“Snow White and the Seven dwarfs “)”), scalloped details for Ariel (“Little Mermaid”) and a water lily motif for Tiana (“The Princess and the Frog”). colored glass and columns with hand-carved ornaments.
Mulan cherry blossom tower. Credit: Courtesy of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
Design challenges
Hong Kong’s original Sleeping Beauty Castle was directly inspired by the first Disneyland resort in California. This castle had been dreamed of in the 1950s by Walt Disney, who envisioned an amusement park for the whole family, with a replica of an American main street in the old and different “land of dreams.”
To honor the vision of its founder, Disney decided to preserve Hong Kong’s Sleeping Beauty Castle when it began a major expansion in 2016; instead of demolishing it completely, the designers built it around and around it.
“The original castle is a Disney base, so we wanted to take advantage of it,” said Hilcia Pena, senior architect at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) in a video interview.
The result is a kind of palimpsest, combining versions of many castles – the original from California, the 2005 Hong Kong replica and the brand new Castle of Magical Dreams. After the multi-year expansion of 10.9 million Hong Kong dollars ($ 1.4 million), which also saw the park host multiple new attractions, the reimagined castle exceeds twice the height of the ‘antic.
The new castle of magical dreams. Credit: Courtesy of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
According to Pena, this means that the castle is no longer diminished by the mountainous landscape of Lantau, the island where Hong Kong Disneyland is located. Even imagers used helium-filled balloons to help them visualize the height of the potential structure relative to its background. They then used 3D technology to model how the old castle and the new castle would be connected.
One of the biggest challenges was finding a way to build on the existing castle while keeping the park open to visitors. The equipment landed in a modular construction, which contemplates individual parts of a building or “modules” built in a factory before being transported to the site. In this case, the castle was built from 15 large pieces, each prefabricated, painted and assembled off-site. Individual towers and other components were then shipped and placed in place for a period of three months.
Together, the towers form a mosaic of cultures through color, symbols, and patterns, and each offers different elements of the world of their respective characters. Jasmine’s fuchsia tower is adorned with an Arabic cloth pattern and crowned with a turquoise dome. Mulan Tower is embossed with a cherry blossom motif. And the tower of Mérida is full of Celtic patterns, a reference to the four clans of the 2012 film “Brave”.
Each tower culminates in a gold-tipped finish exclusive to each character: a golden shell for Ariel and an enchanted rose for Belle. Meanwhile, guests will find 13 columns topped with details dedicated to the protagonists ’friends, such as Ariel’s Flounder and Sebastian, Merida’s triplet brothers and Moana Pua’s pig and HeiHei rooster.
The snow-white tip of Snow White is shaped like an apple, the poisoned fruit that caused the sleeping death. Credit: Courtesy of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
“We’re understanding different parts of the world, so we can’t just focus on one group, one princess or one place,” Pena said. “Our stories keep growing and we get to know different cultures of the world. So how can we introduce it into the buildings and the stories we try to tell?”
The only direct representations of the 14 heroines are found inside, where the Imagineers designed bronze statues of each. Its evolution, from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, whose lives are based on the kiss of a man, to insured and empowered characters like Merida and Moana, tells a story about how Disney has repositioned itself over the years. years. But even the statues of the older characters have been designed with contemporary values in mind.
“Instead of portraying them in a very submissive way, we portrayed them (all of them) as powerful women with a very attractive pose,” said Amanda Chiu, producer of WDI Asia, who noted Ariel’s portrayal. standing proudly as he exercises his new discovery. Freedom and Jasmine ride alone on the magic carpet.
The bronze statues of princesses from “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) and “Moana” (2016) are placed next to the new castle. Credit: Courtesy of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
Local inspiration
In line with the characters ’origins, Imagineers was inspired by Europe, China and the Pacific islands. “A European castle has the same style and detail everywhere,” Pena said. “This one has different architectural styles, even the domes have a very different style.”
Perhaps it is fitting that there is such an eclectic castle in Hong Kong, one of the most diverse cities in Asia. “Hong Kong is a city with a rich cultural fabric and cultural diversity,” said Chiu, who was born and raised in the territory.
The detail of the bauhania flower appears throughout the castle design. Credit: Courtesy of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
In addition to being inspired around the world, Disneyland Hong Kong was also built following the principles of feng shui, an important aspect of design and architecture in some areas of Asia. Based on an ancient Chinese system, the ancient practice is to place objects or buildings in relation to each other and their environment to foster happiness and good fortune. In 2005, for example, the angle of the complex’s front door was changed 12 degrees in the belief that it would maintain positive energy, or “chi,” flowing through the park. Feng shui also reported on the design of the new castle.
“Feng shui is about the balance of the five elements,” Chiu said, referring to wood, fire, earth, metal and water. “We want to take advantage of that harmony and apply it to the castle.”
A gold shell is the crowning element in Princess Ariel’s tower. Credit: Courtesy of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
The wood and earth are symbolized by the landscaping of the castle (a mixture of living plants and artificial foliage) that helps it combine with its surroundings; the fire will be used in fireworks at night; the metal can be found in the gold terminals of the towers; and water is used in the moat and the dancing fountains of the castle. “All of these elements come together in good harmony,” Chiu added.
Although still rooted in a kind of tradition, Hong Kong’s magical dream castle symbolizes, however, Disney’s attempts at modernization. With an increasingly global customer base and several resorts in Asia, diversity can not only be a matter of values, but also good business.