Magic Kingdom Moat Refilled, Concluding Superb Cinderella Castle Makeover Project

With the refilling of the moat around Cinderella Castle and the Magic Kingdom’s central plaza, Walt Disney World has unofficially completed the Cinderella Castle makeover. Here’s the latest, along with our photos of the new-look icon, our take on the stunning outcome of this project and more.

This marks a full circle moment for the project, which began this winter with the draining of the moat around Cinderella Castle. That was done to place high-reach cranes and lifts in the dried waterbed to reach the highest spires of Cinderella Castle. These reaches were elevated during some morning hours to accomplish work, but were lowered by noon each day.

Even during the morning hours, the cranes and lifts were used sparingly. Most of the work was accomplished after hours, with the high-reach cranes seldom in guest view. This was much less impactful than the previous painting project in 2020, and for a much better outcome. We really have to hand it to the team behind this, as it’s been a triumph from start to finish.

Most guests probably haven’t noticed much ongoing work to Cinderella Castle in well over a month, perhaps closer to two. The largest visible sign of a construction project was that the moat was still drained.

During our more recent visits to Magic Kingdom last month, the emphasis has been on repairing rockwork in the moat at the base of Cinderella Castle. That took another full month, but appeared finished as of about a week or so ago. The only outstanding work at that point was the demolition of twin rocket towers over by the entrance to Tomorrowland. Obviously, that’s not part of Cinderella Castle, but they share the same moat.

That demo work now appears finished, and the moat has been fully refilled. I know we did the ‘photo report’ thing about a month ago, but I just cannot resist sharing more new photos of Cinderella Castle now that the moat is refilled and the project is 100% finished:

One thing we do want to stress is that Walt Disney World has not officially indicated that the Cinderella Castle repainting project is finished. The last update came prior to the kickoff of Cool Kids’ Summer, when Disney indicated work was “almost complete.”

An official timeline for complete completion was not given, but we had heard at the time that the back half of this project would stretch into June. Well, it’s now June, the moat is refilled, and there hasn’t been a confirmed construction worker sighting within 100 feet of Cinderella Castle in over a week. Official or not, I’m prepared to declare this one done.

Even if there is still stray work that’s technically part of this project for Walt Disney World’s internal accounting or budgeting purposes, that’s irrelevant from a guest perspective. The moat is refilled, the scaffolding is gone, rockwork is fully repaired, and Cinderella Castle is 100% repainted.

The other major development since our last update on this is that Walt Disney World has confirmed that the “Let the Magic Begin” welcome show will be a permanent audio introduction going forward. Disney used the repainting project as something of a ‘reset’ to quietly kill off that stage show park opening production. That’s an indirect negative of this project, but it’s the only one.

Another development pertains to something we haven’t heard in 6 years. Last month, we implored Walt Disney World leadership to Bring Back the Little-Known, Fan-Favorite Kiss Goodnight. For those who aren’t familiar with it, the Kiss Goodnight was/is a ‘magical moment’ that occurred nightly every thirty minutes after Magic Kingdom closed and, as the name suggests, wished guests goodnight. Cinderella Castle cycled through lighting schemes and twinkled as a narrator delivered a heartwarming spiel.

After publishing that piece, we’ve heard that a return of the Kiss Goodnight isn’t far-fetched or off the table. Meaning that it has not been purposefully retired. To the contrary, the Kiss Goodnight is actively on the radar of certain leaders, but also a subject of internal intra-division bureaucracy. If the Kiss Goodnight is something that matters to you, it might be worth conveying as much to Walt Disney World when sharing your guest feedback. This strikes me as one situation where hearing from fans might actually move the needle.

Cinderella Castle Project Background

Cinderella Castle’s iconic color palette uses a timeless combination: deep, handsome blues paired with radiant golds. These colors were chosen to reflect the Florida sunshine in a way that makes the castle shimmer from every angle.

The paint Walt Disney World uses has to undergo accelerated UV and weather testing, simulating years of sun exposure. This rigorous process ensures that the castle’s colors stay vivid for years to come. For hard-to-reach roofs and other locations, Walt Disney World uses a high-performance paint that is actually used for cars. The paint is durable and long-lasting, reducing the need for touch-ups of Cinderella Castle.

Sheen also plays an important role. Subtle variations help the castle feel more lifelike: stones are finished with a lower sheen to appear natural, while rooftops and gold accents shine with higher gloss, giving them a decorative sparkle. Gold is used strategically around the spires, to catch the last reflections of sunlight.

Cinderella Castle Makeover Verdict

As shared last month when the project was materially completed (there’s no new ground covered in what follows), I love the new-look classic color scheme of Cinderella Castle. This is more subtle and regal than the ‘princess pink’ from before. It’s more timeless, and it’s how Cinderella Castle should’ve looked for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.

The royal makeover struck me as something done to make photos ‘pop’ more for social media. The pink castle works at Disneyland Paris, and more fanciful styles are likewise popular in Shanghai and Hong Kong, but I’ve always loved the regal and sophisticated look of Cinderella Castle.

I don’t begrudge Disney for trying something different, and I’ll also concede that the circa 2020 color scheme grew on me over time, especially once it faded a bit and lost some of its sheen. It worked especially well on rainy days and during storm season. But I don’t love that it’s what they did for a milestone anniversary, or that it lasted so long.

This is the best Cinderella Castle has looked in over a decade. This is the best the icon has looked since I’ve been an adult.

Sarah and I started visiting Walt Disney World together during the Happiest Celebration on Earth in 2006, at which point Cinderella Castle itself looked good. But it was adorned with gold trimmings and character statues, plus a gigantic magic mirror with faux stained-glass illustrations of all the Disney castles globally. I don’t mind short-lived overlays like that, but I like the classic look better.

The new-look Cinderella Castle strikes me as a return to the classic color scheme, but applying lessons learned from the last repainting. It pulls the best from both, along with none of the negatives. The current color scheme features much more contrast, with the deep blue turrets really popping, especially when kissed by the early morning or late afternoon golden light. The facade is lighter, and looks fantastic against a clean blue sky. The gold trim accentuates the underlying architecture, drawing the eye to detail-work.

Everything about the Cinderella Castle repainting is perfect. It’s the rare “no notes” project by Walt Disney World.

Nevertheless, I’ll offer the obvious caveat that the above is my personal opinion as a Walt Disney World diehard who has been visiting since the 1980s and has spent more years with the classic color scheme than the pink one. I’m undoubtedly biased towards the classic colors, even though I spent a ton of time as a local visiting multiple times per week in the heyday of the pepto-pink castle.

After only a couple months with the new-look, this is already my all-time favorite style of Cinderella Castle. The added contrast with the deeper roof and lighter facade, along with the gold accents give this added depth and dimension, like Cinderella Castle 4D, as compared to even the best version of the pre-2020 look.

Magic Kingdom’s version of Cinderella Castle is now #1 in the world, taking the throne from Tokyo Disneyland. If only we had the same stonework in the moat by Tomorrowland, along with those twin towering monoliths marking the entrance at TDL. The ‘what’s old is new again’ approach at Magic Kingdom worked with Cinderella Castle, so let’s try it again in Tomorrowland!

Walt Disney World deserves applause on a job well done with the new-look Cinderella Castle. We were optimistic based on the concept art and original description of the makeover, but the end result exceeds expectations. This is not just like a refreshed version of the icon as it existed in 2019, but the best version of Cinderella Castle that I’ve ever seen. It is picture perfect, and befitting of Magic Kingdom’s status as the crown jewel of the Disney Parks portfolio.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t circle back to the logistics of this makeover. Walt Disney World should be applauded for the degree to which highly visible work was minimally impactful to guests. The project planning and management was superlative, to the point that the cranes were barely visible. Walt Disney World has had several of these ‘singles and doubles’ successes in the last several months, and it’s really starting to feel like the parks are getting back on track.

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Your Thoughts

Happy that the moat is finally refilled? What do you think of Cinderella Castle’s new-look classic color scheme? Do you prefer this or the pink castle? Is this the best Cinderella Castle has looked since you’ve been visiting? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!