Am I Crazy? Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough New (ish)?

[aliceindisneyland]

I remember walking through a small part of Sleeping Beauty's Castle when I was a little girl (20+ yrs ago!) with little light boxes depicting scenes/characters from the movie. For all I know I imagined/dreamed it as I thought it was on the right side of the castle as you entered Fantasyland and there is nothing accessible there now.
**But**
Last wk DH found a door to the left side of the castle just past the little Sleeping Beauty/Prince Phillip monument with a clearly marked "Sleeping Beauty Castle" sign with the fantastic walkthrough special effects and all!
Our recent visits just started 2 years ago--has the Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough been there all along and we just missed it?
And was there in fact an older (much less extraordinary) version?
Thanks!

 

[pixiewings71]

No it was closed after 9-11. It was reopened last fall.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

Thanks--that means we only walked by it dozens of times on **one** trip! It's DS5's new favorite "ride"--we walked through about 5 times. Works for me especially during high season--no lines!!!

 

[Sherwin]

The walkthrough is pretty hidden but it has indeed been upgraded and revamped with new special effects and state-of-the-art technology. The old walkthrough was very updated and has been upgraded either once or twice before it was closed, as Kerri mentioned, right after 9/11.

 

[LuLusApple]

It's wonderful isn't it? it's one of our favorites, check out the alternative experience for people who can't get around the stairs, it's really done well.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

The walkthrough is pretty hidden but it has indeed been upgraded and revamped with new special effects and state-of-the-art technology. The old walkthrough was very updated and has been upgraded either once or twice before it was closed, as Kerri mentioned, right after 9/11.

Thanks!

It's wonderful isn't it? it's one of our favorites, check out the alternative experience for people who can't get around the stairs, it's really done well.

I can't wait to try that--thanks for the tip! DS will be very excited to see **more** of the castle!

 

[MAH4546]

No it was closed after 9-11. It was reopened last fall.

The walkthrough in 2001 and the walkthrough today share only two things in common: the theme and the location. It's brand new.

 

[pixiewings71]

The walkthrough in 2001 and the walkthrough today share only two things in common: the theme and the location. It's brand new.

theme and location.....ummm ok

The story inside is now a bit out of order, which is weird, but it's still amazing and one of my favorite things to do. It's not done with dolls anymore like it was the only other time I'd done it, it's much cooler now. My favorite scenes are the Maleficent becoming the dragon and book at the end. Watch for those 2 and you'll see what I mean.

 

[MAH4546]

theme and location.....ummm ok

Yes, theme (a Sleeping Beauty walk-through) and location (Sleeping Beauty's castle).

It's not as if they simply re-opened the ride. It's brand-new. Every effect/window is brand-new two, except the Maleficent shadow.

 

[MouseketeerCole]

I love it, really atmospheric. The only thing I noticed is that they spell the Princes name Philip in one storybook page, but Phillip in another. Whoops !

 

[pixiewings71]

Yes, theme (a Sleeping Beauty walk-through) and location (Sleeping Beauty's castle).

It's not as if they simply re-opened the ride. It's brand-new. Every effect/window is brand-new two, except the Maleficent shadow.

Yes, it's reopened and redone but it is the same "ride". It's not actually a ride at all, it's a walk thru that has a Sleeping Beauty theme. It tells the story of Sleeping Beauty, which is what it did before, only before it was done with dolls. I'm sorry, did I say they "simply reopened it"? I don't think so......I just didn't go into detail and say it was completely redone.

I love it, really atmospheric. The only thing I noticed is that they spell the Princes name Philip in one storybook page, but Phillip in another. Whoops !

LOL Too funny, I never noticed that....

 

[Eeee-va]

The current walk-through is kind of brand new, kind of not. It is actually based on the blueprints from the ORIGINAL walkthrough that went into the castle back in Walt's time. That original version was designed and put in well before the film came out, so that's probably why there are scenes out of order and even scenes that didn't occur in the film. They were probably based more on concept art than anything else.

The new version has some technological upgrades and occasional omissions (for instance, having a tape recorder to play back guests' snores was not something they felt would be a good idea nowadays ).

If you have the latest Sleeping Beauty DVD release, there is a virtual walk-through. If you watch it with the commentary, it tells the whole story, and even reveals how a lot of the effects work! Some of the scenes are slightly or very different from the virtual walkthrough, though. (The virtual walkthrough is the same one that is viewable in the "alternate viewing area" for those who can't navigate stairs.)

This detailed article compares the original and new walkthroughs.
http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/disneyland-castle-3014/

Between the original walkthrough and the current one were 1-2 different walkthroughs with dioramas not too different from the ones in the Main Street Emporium windows. I thought they were a pleasant enough diversion, but not nearly as neat as the new ones!

 

[Sherwin]

I love it, really atmospheric. The only thing I noticed is that they spell the Princes name Philip in one storybook page, but Phillip in another. Whoops !

Now that you mention it, that's a really easy typo to miss.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

Thank you Eeee-va! Just the info I was looking for!