Credit: Inside the MagicOn Wednesday, Walt Disney World Resort guests arrived at Magic Kingdom Park to find that the Cinderella Castle moat, which had been drained for several weeks, had returned… looking quite a bit brighter than normal.
Cinderella Castle Repainting Project
In 2025, Walt Disney World Resort announced it was finally replacing the pink-and-gold 50th anniversary color scheme on Cinderella Castle. In a long-overdue makeover, Walt Disney Imagineers revealed plans to repaint the Magic Kingdom Park icon in a light blue-and-gray color scheme inspired by its original look from 1971.
The work began earlier this year, forcing changes to Cinderella Castle stage entertainment offerings like Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire and the Let the Magic Begin Welcome Show. Crews drained the moat around the Magic Kingdom Park icon several weeks ago, allowing them to put the finishing touches on the structure’s turrets.
Much of Cinderella Castle is already blue and gray, but surrounding castle structures and much of the roof are still waiting for their makeover. Walt Disney World Resort has said the project will wrap up sometime in 2026, but hasn’t shared a more specific timeline.
Moat Returns to the Magic Kingdom
On Wednesday, a bit of water returned to the moat around Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom Park. But Central Florida Disney Park guests were surprised to find it looked a bit more… bioluminescent… than usual.
X (formerly known as Twitter) user @DisneyFoodBlog shared a video of the lime-green moat around the Magic Kingdom Park icon. They reported that Disney cast members said the neon color came from a chemical used by Imagineers to check for leaks in the moat.
Check out the drained moat around Cinderella Castle! 🟢 Cast Members confirmed it’s an added dye to check for any leaks while the moat is drained.
Check out the drained moat around Cinderella Castle! 🟢 Cast Members confirmed it’s an added dye to check for any leaks while the moat is drained. pic.twitter.com/3eIbyoD5Us
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 8, 2026
Apparently, the water wasn’t supposed to be this green. According to WDWNT, Disney cast members claimed that too much tracer dye had been released into the moat and that construction crews were in the process of removing it. The outlet shared this image of the ongoing work on Facebook:
Walt Disney World Resort did not officially acknowledge the lime-green water in the moat at Magic Kingdom Park on Wednesday.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen mid-construction at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments!