Africa
Asia
Dinoland USA
Discovery Island
The Oasis
Pandora: The World of Avatad
Rafiki’s Planet Watch
Fantasyland
Theme Parks ⇒ Magic Kingdom ⇒ Fantasyland
Description
Fantasyland is synonymous with the Magic Kingdom and probably the land that first comes to mind thinking of the park. Fantasyland, the most extensive land in the park, takes its inspiration from the worlds of many of Disney’s animated classics. The land is divided up between the Castle Courtyard, Fantasyland Forest, and Storybook Circus. The Castle Courtyard, themed to a medieval festival, contains most of the classic dark rides, such as Peter Pan’s Flight and It’s a Small World, under the shadow of Cinderella’s Castle. Fantasyland Forest, newly expanded in 2012, is a lush extension beyond the walls of Cinderella’s Castle that features the locales from Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Located in the far back of Fantasyland, the circus has come to town in Storybook Circus, featuring Dumbo and the Great Goofini. The Walt Disney World Railroad also stops in Storybook Circus, giving you a relaxing ride to the front of the park.
Details
- There is a fountain featuring Cinderella behind Cinderella’s castle. Children (and adults that wish to get lower to the ground) can see a crown appear on Cinderella’s head
- Snow White’s wishing well can be found alongside one of the trails leading to the Castle
- Cinderella Castle stands at 189 feet tall because structures in Florida higher than 200 feet require a blinking red light on top to be visible to airplanes at night. The use of forced perspective makes the castle appear much larger than it is in reality. For those unfamiliar with forced perspective, the windows and bricks at the top of the castle are made smaller than those below to simulate they’re being further away. Speaking of bricks, the Castle is not actually made of bricks; rather fiberglass was used to construct the park icon
- The Fantasyland Forest and Storybook Circus doubled the size of Fantasyland to 21 acres and is the largest expansion of the Magic Kingdom in its history
- Storybook Circus has set up in Carolwood Park, in reference to the steam train that Walt Disney had in his backyard
