Every Fantasyland - and every Magic Kingdom more so - is defined by its castle. Our is the wondrous Moonlight Castle, a romantic tangle of turrets piercing the clouds and imbuing the surrounding countryside with its magic.
As seen from Main Street, this castle represents the merger of Disneyland Toronto’s many different lands. It rises majestically from Main Street’s waters, wedged against an island crag growing from Adventureland’s caverns. The castle ascends far into the skies and clouds, while insignia of the Moon and other heavenly bodies (plus a medieval observatory) all point to Tomorrowland.
When seen from Main Street, reflected in the lagoon’s perpetual twilight, Moonlight Castle resembles a combination of France’s Mont St. Michel mixed with the Corona castle from Tangled. Watery drawbridges lead to enclosed castle vestibules. These mark the transition from Main Street to Fantasyland, into Fantasyland’s entirely distinct multi-floor structure. The inner castle halls are enlivened with gorgeous stained glass murals of a floating kingdom. There are lunar sigils everyplace. Lights, statues and tapestries all relate to the moon.
Moonlight Castle lets out into the Inner Courtyard. A medieval castle town spreads out from the fortress walls, divided vertically into several levels. The courtyard’s center opens up onto empty sky, with just the clouds and the distant hazy earth below. Bridges span out over this emptiness, as do familiar Fantasyland attractions in an astounding new setting.
The village is a classic European setting full of cobblestone streets and thatch hut roofs. There is a “clockpunk” vibe to the entire land, with heavy wood clockwork and gears. A mechanical model of the Moon revolving around the Earth is the courtyard’s centerpiece just beyond the castle steps. Windmills dot the village facades, spinning and powering quaint medieval machinery. Bird nests line the rooftops; guests enjoy cheerful bird songs and glimpse animatronic avians.
Yen Sid practices his alchemy deep in the castle’s basements. Meanwhile, the tallest towers are home to other denizens from Disney’s Fantasia films. The Disney Princesses too call Moonlight Castle their “home away from home” when visiting this skyborne kingdom.
