The Disney 100 Sleeping Beauty Castle

If you read the online Disney community, you've probably heard a lot of opinions about the new Disney 100 decorations and furnishings that have gone up at the parks.  And perhaps the most vocal center around the dressing for the Sleeping Beauty Castle, the icon of Disneyland Park.  Many criticize the look for being uninspired.  Others love the castle is draped and appreciate the fountains that are now a part of the castle scene.  There are also critiques of the little elements of the decorations, from the bunting to hammered metal aesthetic to the color scheme.  I personally think that while there are some aspects of the decorations that look nice--like the banners along the drawbridge and Three Fairies, the overall scheme doesn't seem to pop as much as one would expect for a legendary 100th anniversary celebration. Compared to the 50th and 60th Anniversary Disneyland castle overlays, this one seems like an attempt at grandeur without full-on spending for it.

Now, there are some reasonable explanations for some of the restraint.  The Diamond Anniversary castle turrets--as great as they looked--resulted in significant roofing damage that require a lot of mitigation and repair.  So a custom roof installation wasn't really practical for these festivities.  And the floating medallion hung by the Three Faries from Sleeping Beauty looks nice in form.  But there are also alot of elements that seem muted, and the combination just doesn't quite click for me.

That said, the castle overall remains a lovely photo op, and these nitpicks are more about details.  At the end of the day, Sleeping Beauty Castle is a timeless beauty, and short of turning the castle into a giant birthday cake (looking at you 1996 Walt Disney World), most Sleeping Beauty Castle makeovers are still going to retain a baseline photogenic quality!