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Behind-the-Scenes Look at Beast’s Castle, Part of the New Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World

in The Walt Disney Company, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World

Posted on by Ricky Brigante 20 Comments
The iconic castle centerpiece of a major theme park, featuring soaring pointed turrets and classic stone walls, evokes the magical atmosphere of the Magic Kingdom, set beneath a vibrant, cloud-dappled blue sky.

Move over Cinderella. A new castle is being erected in the sky at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Beast’s castle from Beauty and the Beast is rising high over the park as part of the New Fantasyland.

This week Disney has provided a backstage look at the construction of this new castle, situated upon a hill:

Related: Magic Kingdom At Capacity! Easter Crowds Flood the Park

Beast's Castle

Beast's Castle

UPDATE: To show the scale of Beast’s castle, below are new photos from Disney and MouseSteps.com offering a good frame of reference in the form of construction workers building the structure. It’s clear that Beast’s castle is considerably smaller than Cinderella Castle, though it appears large due to great use of forced perspective.

Related: Beauty and the Beast Castle at Tokyo Disneyland

Beast's Castle

Beast's Castle

Beast's Castle

Beast's Castle

Be sure to visit MouseSteps.com for a huge photo update and JeffLangeDVD.com for a video from Fantasyland showing all the details of Beast’s castle. (Video also embedded below.)

Related: PHOTOS & VIDEO: Close-Up Look at Beast’s Castle, Belle’s Village at Tokyo Disney

Inside the castle of the Beast will be the “Be Our Guest Restaurant” which will feature a ballroom dining experience, gallery and mysterious “West Wing” of the castle. The restaurant will seat 550 changing from quick service by day to full table service dining by night.

The castle and surrounding area can be seen in the artwork below, which is cropped from the overall New Fantasyland concept art released in January.

Concept art for a vibrant theme park land featuring meandering pathways, whimsical fairy-tale architecture, and a picturesque castle perched on a rocky hilltop inspired by Beast’s Castle in New Fantasyland.

Another view can be seen in other concept art, with a comparison construction view from today:

Vibrant depiction of Beast's Castle perched on a hill in New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom, with guests approaching the entrance beneath lush trees, capturing the park's fairy-tale atmosphere.

Yellow excavator and metal framework at a construction site in Magic Kingdom, with Beast's Castle towering in the background of New Fantasyland.

Nearby the castle will be Belle’s Village, where guests will find Gaston’s Tavern and Bonjour! Village Gifts. Further down the path will be Belle’s cottage and Enchanted Tales with Belle, in which the adventure begins in Maurice’s workshop, where a magical mirror is the doorway to a new kind of storytelling experience. Guests will be transported to the Beast’s library to meet Belle and Lumiere to take part in an interactive, re-telling of the “tale as old as time.”

In the full artwork, the placement of Beast’s castle and the village can be seen relative to the rest of Fantasyland:

Vivid illustrated map of New Fantasyland highlighting iconic landmarks like Cinderella Castle, immersive themed areas, and attractions such as the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Princess Fairytale Hall. The map spotlights the Fantasyland Expansion at Magic Kingdom and features a "Fall 2012" debut label.
(Click to enlarge)

The castle and restaurant are scheduled to open in late 2012, along with the rest of the New Fantasyland in phases that follow.

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