Castle Makeover Has Begun!!!

[SorcererMickey]

The decorations are now being installed on the Castle!!!

Here you will find photos of the Castle as it is decorated for the upcoming "Happiest Celebration on Earth" celebrating Disneyland's 50th Anniversary.

Enjoy!!!

February 1, 2005

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February 2, 2005

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February 3, 2005

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February 5, 2005

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February 9, 2005

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February 19, 2005

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February 21, 2005

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March 2, 2005

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March 2, 2005

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[Wendy]

:clap: Thanks, SM! I've just been looking at the artist -type pictures so its great to see the real thing. Looks very tasteful and elegant........hopefully lessons have been learnt from '97!!!! :excited:

[Johnie]

If I close my eyes, I'm there..........

[SorcererMickey]

hopefully lessons have been learnt from '97!!!! :excited:


I think it was :yes: .

[BevW]

That's very pretty! Will be so happy to see the finished product.

[Josette]

Those are great! Ever think about professional photography classes? Your pictures are good! :D

[SorcererMickey]

Those are great! Ever think about professional photography classes? Your pictures are good! :D

Ok, that's it. I'm checking the schedule at the local Community College and sign up for a Digital Photography seminar. Usually those include Photoshop which I use a lot :yes: .

[Josette]

Ok, that's it. I'm checking the schedule at the local Community College and sign up for a Digital Photography seminar. Usually those include Photoshop which I use a lot :yes: .

One of my pictures won my sister a scholarship to an Art Institute. :( I couldn't go to it (even though it was my picture) because my sister lives in St. Cloud Fla, and I live in...Pennsylvania :(

[SorcererMickey]

One of my pictures won my sister a scholarship to an Art Institute. :( I couldn't go to it (even though it was my picture) because my sister lives in St. Cloud Fla, and I live in...Pennsylvania :(

:huh:

You took a photo, your sister enters it as her own and she is awarded a scholarship? :doh:

Has she lived up to the expectations of the award winning photo?

[Josette]

Well, it was more like, she teaches at a middle school. The family members of the employees could enter, and so could the students. Since I was a family member my sister put one of my pictures under her name because it would get me 300 dollars if I was to have won. (I got 4th wich was the scholarship, and it was only like one class) and she put my other one under students.

I hope she enjoys it. I get to visit her this summer, so hopefully by then she should have taken it. :)

I entered another one into another art show and got 3rd place. :D I got 15 dollars, and the school art teacher found me and asked me to put another picture into the art show for March :D I hope I get a good place!

This is the picture that won for my sister. :)

[SorcererMickey]

I think you will like this website:

ChicagoUncommon (http://chicagouncommon.com/)

It is my favorite "City Themed" website. Lots of architectural style photos. She (Dawn) has a great eye for details.

[Mickeymac]

Josette, nice eye! I hope you go far with it. Listen to your dreams.

You too, SM! :D You're never too old!

I've made myself a background with the artist's rendition of the completed castle. If anyone would like it, PM me your email addy and I'll send it along.

[tajainaz]

:clap: Thanks, SM! I've just been looking at the artist -type pictures so its great to see the real thing. Looks very tasteful and elegant........hopefully lessons have been learnt from '97!!!! :excited:


Was 1997 the year of the infamous pink castle? :unsure:

I first visited WDW in 1981, but had a 22 year break until my next visit in 2003! I missed a lot!

[Dopey77]

I'm confused about 97 too. Was that the year of the birthday cake?

[Josette]

97. It was horrbile!! :eek:!

[PaulaK]

Let's hope they don't 'overdress' it. I love the touches of gold :thumbs:

[Wendy]

Was 1997 the year of the infamous pink castle? :unsure:

:yes:...................... :notlook:

I know several UK people who's only trip to WDW was in 97 and they were not impressed :eek: they never got to see the "real thing". :(

[SorcererMickey]

I know several UK people who's only trip to WDW was in 97 and they were not impressed :eek: they never got to see the "real thing". :(

I know a couple that got married at the Wedding Pavilion during that time, They had not been told that the castle would be painted those colors, it ws not disclosed in the contracts. They found out when they arrived at WDW and saw it Pepto-Bismol pink :eek: . It had just been finished days prior.

They still had their wedding, but Disney had to retake their family portraits with the castle on the background after it was changed. It was "on the Mouse" :wink: .

[Mickeymac]

Let's hope they don't 'overdress' it. I love the touches of gold

They won't - the renditions I've seen are gorgeous. I love the guilded characters on it, too, which I think are totall cool (and subtle)

The best part is (and thanks Sorcerer for bringing it up) it will most likely be like that for the JoJo wedding! :D (I hope she's okay with it!)

[marivigi]

Thanks for the pics SM.. I think it looks Grand!!! ....


And Josette.. thats an AWESOME picture!!!... Keep it going!!!

[Wendy]

I know a couple that got married at the Wedding Pavilion during that time, They had not been told that the castle would be painted those colors, it ws not disclosed in the contracts. They found out when they arrived at WDW and saw it Pepto-Bismol pink :eek: . It had just been finished days prior.

They still had their wedding, but Disney had to retake their family portraits with the castle on the background after it was changed. It was "on the Mouse" :wink: .

:eek: Think i would have :cry: Glad to hear that Disney re-took the piccies! :thumbs:

[twink]

lets hope it doesn't look like this

http://members.lycos.co.uk/twink321/castle.JPG

[Bec]

Where can we see the artist type pictures?

[BevW]

I saw that pink castle 3 times (3 WDW vacations at that time) And then I saw it being UN painted and put back to normal. Of all times to pick to vacation that many times at WDW :lmao:

[SorcererMickey]

These are today's photos. They are not the best since it was so cloudy today. Go up to the original post to see all photos by date.

February 2, 2005

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[SorcererMickey]

The last photo is of the crane that's parked behind the castle during the makeover.

[Mickeymac]

SM, did you take those in January, or February?

[SorcererMickey]

SM, did you take those in January, or February?
:lol: February :rotfl:

[Bec]

Thanks SM they're great! Fingers crossed the crane willbe gone before my wedding!

[Kitten]

I'm so glad I wasn't there in '97, I think my world would have come tumbling down.... no princess wants to live in a cake.

But all the gold looks so pretty. I can't wait to see it in August.

[SorcererMickey]

The only new "gold accents" are the ribbon structures over the towers. All other gold areas were there already.

[Wendy]

lets hope it doesn't look like this

http://members.lycos.co.uk/twink321/castle.JPG


:ohno: Too close! Too close! Take it away! Aghhh! :notlook: :hide:

What WERE they thinking! :confused:

[SorcererMickey]

The decorations on the third tower were installed last night. These are the photos I took today...

Go up to the initial thread to see the progress of the makeover by day.


February 3, 2005

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[tajainaz]

:eek: That confection castle is awful! What were they thinking? :eek:

The decorations this time are much more in keeping with the castle. Terrific photos, SM! :thumbs:

[PaulaK]

:clap: I love it!! :excited:

Thanks for keeping us updated SM. Can't wait to see it! :micbounce

[SorcererMickey]

More photos coming tonight :thumbs: !

[wdwgrandma]

Oh, my! I can't wait to see the Castle!

[Wendy]

More photos coming tonight :thumbs: !

:clap: Thanks, SM! Wooohoooo!! :hehe:

[Mickeymac]

I'm looking forward to the day they take these things down and start selling them on eBay. The turret swirls will look lovely on Casa de Mickeymac! :lol:

[Bec]

Thanks SM great work!xx

[Eeyore1974]

It looks spectacular!!!! Great pics!

[SorcererMickey]

Nothing big was installed in the last two days, just more gold decorations on the towers on the right side of the castle...

February 5, 2005

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[Mickeymac]

I love the lighting - what time of the day are you there?

[SorcererMickey]

The first one of the entire castle on February 5th I took just after 5:15pm, the sun was starting to go down and the sky on the west was starting to get a purpulish hue.

That just reminded me of an episode of Seinfeld when George was asking Jerry if the girl he was being set-up with had a "pinkish hue" :rotfl: .

The other two of the tower I actually took Friday afternoon, it was very cloudy.

[Mickeymac]

LOL - I miss Seinfeld. :D

I hope they've got a bit more on there when we arrive in February. I can't wait. Anyone else watching this thread with as much excitement as I am??

[mandi321]

I wonder how much will be finished when we arrive in March towards the end of the month? I can't wait to see it!!!!

[phoohbaby2]

wow SorcererMickey, those are great pics, the castle looks wonderful with the new decorations. The spirals around the towers look like they might have some kind of lighting attached to them, maybe like a fiber optic thing? I can't wait to see them in person in may!

[SorcererMickey]

wow SorcererMickey, those are great pics, the castle looks wonderful with the new decorations. The spirals around the towers look like they might have some kind of lighting attached to them, maybe like a fiber optic thing? I can't wait to see them in person in may!

Thanks :blush: .

The sparkle comes from tiny shiny pieces of plastic and larger, about 1" diameter, gold and silver colored pieces of metal attached to the tubing around the spiral. It looks really cool when the sun is nice and bright, which has been rare the last few days.

[psdjmem]

Thanks for the great pictures!! can't wait to see it in December when we go!! :D

[SorcererMickey]

Today was beautiful!!!

Great for picture taking.
Here are the photos I took today. There are two more towers decorated.

I have created desktop images of the last photo I took, just in case anybody wants to decorate their monitor :D . Simply click on the link for the resolution that matches your monitor settings, right click on the image and click on "Set as Background".

Enjoy!!!

Magic Kingdom - Castle Desktop Image - 1024 x 768 (http://www.disneyguest.com/images/boards/mk-castle-05-1024x768.jpg)

Magic Kingdom - Castle Desktop Image - 800 x 600 (http://www.disneyguest.com/images/boards/mk-castle-05-800x600.jpg)



February 9, 2005

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[Bec]

Thanks Sm absolutley gorgeous!

[PaulaK]

WOW!! Thanks for keeping us updated SM, the pics brighten up our day! It's not much fun here in the rain :(

[Bec]

How's the castle looking SM?

[SorcererMickey]

How's the castle looking SM?

Not too much since last time I posted photos. I was there yesterday and there were a few more of the gold hanging decorations, but nothing major on the towers.

The big change will come when they start hanging the character sculptures :yes: . I'll try to swing by tomorrow again...

[kradatz87]

when will it be done?
any idea?

[Meezers]

Oh...one of the morning shows had a marriage proposal from WDW on today....saw the castle in the background...looks kinda neat I think!

[Bec]

Thanks SM. You're an angel.
Kradatz - the photographer who will be doing our MK photo shoot for the wedding said that the castle will be nearing completion by the time our shoot comes round - 1st April. Don't know actual completion date though.

[SorcererMickey]

Here are some more photos I took yesterday. The towers are now almost done! I hope the character sculptures start going up soon!!!


February 19, 2005

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[PaulaK]

WOW!!! I love it! :D

[Bec]

What stage are we at now SM? xx

[Kitten]

wow, I can't wait to see the castle in August.. I'm really looking forward to it.

[SorcererMickey]

These photos are from February 21. The weather has not been the best the last 4 or 5 days and I have not been to MK. I'm sure there has been some progress. It should clear-up by Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll have some more photos then :thumbs: .


February 21, 2005

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[Bec]

Thanks SM.xx

[SorcererMickey]

The characters have been installed!!!

These are today's photographs. Most of the characters have been installed, I think the last one should be Tinker Bell at the very top of the main tower. Hopefully it will be complete by the time I leave on my cruise :D . Looks like the very last item to be installed will be the giant stained glass window over the main entrnace. One of today's photos is of the support structure. Enjoy!!!

March 2, 2005

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[sal]

Thanks for the wonderful pictures SM. It looks really lovely. Can't wait to see it for real in the summer.

[Bec]

Thanks so much SM, it looks beautiful! You're an angel - :angel: taking all of these for us. They have done a great job this time haven't they? Enjoy your cruise.xx

[PaulaK]

Thanks SM! I thought their plans sounded hideous at first, but it's been very tastefully done. I love it! :D

[Wendy L]

Thanks for posting them SM, it looks very good, now all I need to do is work towards getting there to see it for real.

[mandi321]

Wow looks great can't wait to see it in a couple of weeks!!

[uscwest]

Thanks SM, it is gorgeous.

[Isafari]

Thank you so much for the wonderful photos SM............you so deserve your U-OGstar :thumbs:
We weren't going to take a camera or camcorder with us next visit as we spend too much time behind a lense and not seeing much of the shows etc....I so want to take at least a camera again :sigh:

[twink]

Thank you so much for the wonderful photo's SM it really looks so classy :)

[SorcererMickey]

Thanks guys :blush: , happy to keep you informed on the progress.

This time they did it right. I really enhances the features of the castle. I can just imagine how it will look once it's completed :thumbs: . Can't wait to take photos under the sunlight of a bright summer morning :yes: .

[BevW]

those are awesome pics SM! Thank you so much for sharing!

[Bec]

SM - Is it only the stained glass window left now?x

[SorcererMickey]

There is the stained glass and the sculpture of Tinker Bell at the very top of the main tower left to install.

Here are some illustrations of the final result.

http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/photos/ccmakeover2.JPG

http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/photos/ccmo5.jpg


Joanne has more information about the events and the castle rehab here (http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/news111.html).

[Bec]

Fingers crossed, those will be done soon. Hope everything is done by
Easter weekend!!:fingers:

[wdwgrandma]

Oh my gosh!!!!! I absolutely cannot wait to go see that beautiful Castle for myself! I love it!

[Mickeymac]

Sorcerer, cute story for you...

We were leaving MK, and we were all reminiscing about things we wished we had done, but didn't get to do. I said I wished I had gotten some good photos of the gilded up castle for my scrapbook, and that I was really bummed. My daughter looked up at me and said "but you could ask that man - he takes LOTS of pretty pictures!" Took me a moment, but I realized she meant your pics - we looooove keeping up with your thread! :D Thank you!

[SorcererMickey]

Ahh! Thank you, that's so sweet :blush: . Tell her I will take twice as many photos after the decorations are complete so she will feel like she is actually there.

[Mickeymac]

Thanks, I know she will appreciate it. I have a very depressed daughter on my hands.

[twink]

i so enjoy all SM pictures i have to wait until January for our next trip but love the pictures you post SM thanks and keep putting them on for us to see.
I have just spent ages going through your Disney cruise pictures LOVERLY :) just the thing on a chilly day thanks

[SorcererMickey]

This will be my last update before we leave for our Disney Cruise :hyper: .

Well, the "Stained Glass" window is up now and it looks beautiful. And guess who was there... Christy Carlson Romano. There was a camera crew filming something related to the castle rehab, I'm sure that it will be for The Disney Channel.

Enjoy the photos...

March 5, 2005

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[tajainaz]

Wonderful shots of the castle, SM!

Hope you and Mrs. SM have a magical cruise! :thumbs:

Complete with trip report following thereafter! :wink:

[mandi321]

Thanks Sm great pictures getting more excited to see it now 2 weeks from today!!!!!! and get out of this cold weather finally!

[Bec]

Fantastic! Thanks SM, you've been my guardian angel watching over this castle in transformation - really worried about completion for wedding photos.The castle looks absolutley stunning Can't wait to see it in 3 weeks time!!!!!

Thanks so much again and have a wonderful cruise.xx