3. Walt Disney World’s Fantasyland had its biggest expansion in 2012

The most instrumental change to the Fantasyland in Walt Disney World was much more recent. It more than doubled in size from 10 acres to 21. Still, to make way for the new, some of the old had to go. Mickey’s Toontown Fair closed on February 11th, 2011. That made room for the Storybook Circus area, which first opened on October 4th of 2012 with things like a renovated train station and half of a new Dumbo ride. In July of 2012 the second phase of Storybook Circus, which included the rest of the Dumbo ride, the Casey Jr. Splash ’n’ Soak Station and more. The renovation was complete with a third phase that had the additions of Pete’s Silly Slideshow and Big Top Souvenirs. It was all finished on October 4th, 2012.

4. There are a lot of cool pieces of Disney history within the Anaheim Fantasyland

Image: Disney

All the Disney parks are filled with references and Hidden Mickies and various fun mementos to times past. The original Disneyland, though, has some especially strong history behind it. That includes the big yellow mushroom outside of Alice in Wonderland and the Storybookland Lighthouse, which were both actually ticket booths once upon a time. There’s also official Disney crest of Walt’s family of a triple set of lions that was added to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in 1960. The Disney of the not-too-distant past even prepared for the not-far-from-now future. A time capsule that summed up the essence of Disneyland was buried on July 17th, 1995 and is supposed to be dug up and opened on July 17th, 2035, Disneyland’s 80th anniversary.

5. The international Fantasylands made some big changes from the original model

Image: Disney

In order to continue the spirit if not the exact design, changes had to be made to make the Fantasylands in other countries resonate as much to its citizens as the Fantasylands at the original Disneyland and Walt Disneyland have resonated with Americans. Here are the key differences of the Fantasylands of three international Disney theme parks:

• The Fantasyland at Tokyo Disneyland is pretty similar to the original two, but it does have two completely unique attractions. One is Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. The other is Cinderella’s Fairy Tale Hall, which tells the story of Cinderella through a walk-through. Tokyo Disneyland also has the only Fantasyland that still contains the original version of the classic Dumbo the Flying Elephant attractions with just ten elephants, while all the other versions have sixteen. 
• Disneyland Park in Paris, France (formerly Euro Disneyland) pays homage to the original home of the stories Walt Disney and friends adapted in their early animated features. The Fantasyland at Disneyland Park is themed as a fairy tale-like village to highlight their European origins. It had one original attraction with Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin, a Ferris wheel added on to The Old Mill building in the early 90s. The Old Mill is a relatively unknown but Academy Award winning Disney Cartoon. The attraction ended up closing in the early 2000s, however.
• Shanghai Disneyland is going to have the most radically different version of Fantasyland. The castle is called Enchanted Storybook Castle and, unlike the other castles which celebrate one specific princess, it will represent ALL Disney princesses. It will also be the largest castle of the bunch. Along with a traditional Fantasyland area behind the castle, Shanghai Disneyland will also have an area called Gardens of Imagination, a group of gardens and attractions at the center of the part. Shanghai’s unique Fantasyland attraction is housed there. It’s named Voyage to the Crystal Grotto, and will be a guided boat ride.

Fantasyland has a rich legacy, as it should since it was widely considered to be Walt Disney’s favorite part of the original Disneyland. I hope it was fun to look back at its history, look into its present and look forward to its future!