Credit: Inside the Magic As Disneyland prepares to launch its 70th anniversary festivities this week, a last-minute change to a central decorative display has caught the attention of guests and fans following the lead-up online.
A decorative sculpture placed atop a new Sleeping Beauty Castle photo op has been quietly removed, just days after it was widely criticized for bearing a strong resemblance not to Walt Disney—but to Donald Trump.
The sculpture in question was a decorative weather vane representing the iconic Partners statue—an homage to Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse that has stood in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle for decades.
t was one of several themed toppers added to the new display in the esplanade between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, with others representing classic attractions like Space Mountain and the King Arthur Carrousel.
But unlike the others, the Main Street, U.S.A. topper didn’t sit well with longtime Disney fans. Once a close-up image of the weather vane began circulating on social media platforms like X and Reddit, guests began pointing out that the figure’s hairstyle and facial shape more closely resembled former President Donald Trump than Walt Disney.
“That’s not Walt,” one post read. “It looks exactly like Trump—what happened here?”
Another viral post simply read:
“I thought this was a joke. It’s not. That’s Trump on the weathervane.”
As fan reactions escalated, Disney made no public comment—but by the following morning, the controversial topper had been removed from the sculpture altogether. It’s unclear whether it will be replaced or if the feature will simply be left bare.
Guy Selga wrote, “The Walt and Mickey icon on Disneyland 70 decoration in the esplanade has been removed.”
The Walt and Mickey icon on Disneyland 70 decoration in the esplanade has been removed. pic.twitter.com/na9zxAaX5J
— Guy Selga (@guyselga) May 12, 2025
A Misstep in the Making of Magic?
The incident marks a rare stumble in the lead-up to a milestone celebration for the Disneyland Resort. While Disney is known for keeping tight control over visual design and park iconography, this piece appears to have slipped through the cracks—or, at least, unintentionally signaled something the company did not intend.
The timing is especially sensitive. The Walt Disney Company is currently under scrutiny from federal regulators during Trump’s return to office, with investigations reportedly ongoing through the FCC and DOJ. While the weathervane was almost certainly not a political reference, the resemblance was enough to ignite online debate and, ultimately, a quiet removal by park officials.
The rest of the 70th anniversary decorations remain in place, and the festivities are set to begin May 16. On July 15, the resort will debut Walt Disney—A Magical Life, a new limited-time show that will temporarily take over the Main Street Opera House.
Disney has yet to confirm whether the Main Street weather vane will be reinstalled in a revised form. But for now, one thing is clear: in a celebration that’s all about looking back, the last thing Disney wanted was to become the story for all the wrong reasons.