Scroll through the years
to discover where
Fantasyland
reigns.
1960s
Walt Disney’s Big Announcement
-
1965
Walt Disney confirms that a new Disney theme park will be built in Central Florida. -
1965
Disney Legend Herb Ryman creates designs for Cinderella Castle. He previously sketched Sleeping Beauty Castle for Disneyland park. -
1969
Disney Legend Dorothea Redmond designs five Cinderella-inspired mosaics for the castle breezeway. They boast more than 500 different colors.
1970s
Fantasyland Takes Flight
-
1970
The carrousel received 18 hand-painted scenes from "Cinderella.” -
1971
“Land ho!” The Nautilus makes its way through the streets of Tampa on the way to Magic Kingdom Park. -
1971
The opening-day attraction "it’s a small world" features 472 dolls, toys and animated props that represent cultures on six continents. -
1971
The Peter Pan’s Flight attraction features a total of eight pirates. They are: Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Turk, Black Murphy, Mullins, Starkey, Skylights, and Bill Jukes. -
1971
Fantasy in the Sky fireworks illuminate the sky high above Cinderella Castle for the first time.
-
1970
Imagineers fine-tune 96 Audio-Animatronics figures for Fantasyland’s Mickey Mouse Revue musical attraction. This orchestra featured an all-star cast of Disney characters playing hit Disney songs. -
1971
Peter Pan’s Flight, Skyway to Fantasyland, Mad Tea Party, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and other Fantasyland attractions debut on the park’s opening day. -
1971
Dumbo the Flying Elephant opens nearly 30 years after the film was released. -
1971
Each carrousel horse has its own unique color palette and distinct carvings. One special steed, Cinderella’s horse, is marked with a golden ribbon on its tail.
1980s
A Magical Milestone
-
1981
Cast members in the 1980s showed their Disney spirit by picking up merchandise at Fantasyland's Mad Hatter shop. -
1985
Tinker Bell makes her first magical flight from the top of Cinderella Castle as a part of the summer's Fourth of July festivities. The flight measures 75 feet and takes :34 seconds to complete. -
1987
The 3D film “Magic Journeys,” which shows the world through a child’s imagination, moves from EPCOT Center to the Fantasyland Theater.
1990s
The Many Adventures of Fantasyland
2000s
Wishes Come True
-
2000
The first official Disney Princess dresses are sold in Magic Kingdom Park. They'd quickly become a frequent sight in the Fantasyland area of the park. -
2007
Cinderella Castle Suite, the princess’s private quarters, opens inside Cinderella Castle and is used as a grand prize during The Year of a Million Dreams celebration. -
2007
Cinderella Castle shines with the light of more than 200,000 holiday lights for the first time with the launch of the Castle Dream Lights.
2010s
A Whole New World
-
April 2010
The first milestone in the New Fantasyland expansion is met with the relocation of Pooh’s tree outside The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction. -
November 2010
Walt Disney Imagineers unveil a new interactive queue at The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction. -
April 2011
Walt Disney Imagineering shares the first photos of Beast’s Castle on the Disney Parks Blog. -
April 2012
The model of New Fantasyland debuts at the One Man’s Dream exhibit at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. -
July 2012
Dumbo the Flying Elephant doubles in size with the addition of a second carrousel, and becomes a FASTPASS attraction. -
July 2012
The Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station, themed after the train featured in the 1941-film "Dumbo," pulls into Storybook Circus to give young guests a place to cool off. Numbers on the back of the train cars offer a special nod to Disney history — each one represents an opening year of a Walt Disney World theme park. -
July 2012
The first guests preview Enchanted Tales With Belle, an unforgettable character greeting experience in which families visit Maurice's cottage and cross through a magic mirror to meet Belle and Lumiere. -
December 2012
Be Our Guest Restaurant welcomes its first diners. The restaurant, which is themed around the song “Be Our Guest” from “Beauty and the Beast,” serves healthy and delicious French-inspired cuisine. -
2013
Princess Fairytale Hall, a new royal meet-and-greet area, will open in 2013.
-
2014
-
This new land awaits!
Now tales as old as time
can be told for
generations to come.
-
June 2010
Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel is renamed Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. -
April 2011
Walt Disney Imagineering offers a glimpse of the unique ride system that will be used to transport guests through the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. -
April 2012
Walt Disney Imagineers install the chandeliers in Be Our Guest Restaurant in New Fantasyland. The largest is 12 feet tall and features more than 100 crystals. -
July 2012
The first Storybook Circus attractions — the “doubled” Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station, and Barnstormer, featuring the Great Goofini — officially open as a part of New Fantasyland. -
July 2012
Guests waiting to experience Dumbo the Flying Elephant can now play in a new Big Top circus-themed queue area until it’s their turn. -
July 2012
Barnstormer reopens with a new theme centered on the daring feats of the Great Goofini, a story that is told in the colorful circus posters found throughout Storybook Circus. -
October 2012
Pete’s Silly Sideshow character greeting opens in Storybook Circus, offering guests a chance to meet the Great Goofini and other Disney characters in circus attire. -
December 2012
Guests can now take a trip on Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid with Ariel and follow along as she meets Prince Eric, battles Ursula and makes the decision to follow her heart into the human world.
