This article is about the themed area. For the park in West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, formerly named "Fantasyland", see
Galaxyland. For the Christmas holiday attraction in Halifax, Nova Scotia formerly named "Fantasyland", see
Nova Scotia Light and Power. For the 2017 book by Kurt Andersen, see
Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire.
Here is a land of imagination, hopes and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment the age of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn and fairy tales come true. Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart, to those who believe that when you wish upon a star your dreams do come true.
Fantasyland is one of the original themed lands at
Disneyland. Fantasyland features
Sleeping Beauty Castle at its main entrance, which is also the park's icon, and a central courtyard dominated by
King Arthur Carrousel, in front of which sits a sword in an anvil; several times each day a costumed Merlin helps a child pull the sword from it. The entrance also contains a separate walk-through attraction that opened in 1957 but was closed from 2001 to 2008 due to security concerns following the
September 11, attacks. The attraction re-opened in May 2008.
The famed "
Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks" show was introduced in 1956, but Tinker Bell's first flight wasn't until 1961. The first Tinker Bell was
Tiny Kline, former circus aerialist. Multiple shows have replaced this most involving some sort of 'flying' character, such as Tinker Bell.
In 1983, Fantasyland received a major facelift (dubbed "New Fantasyland")[2] and the attraction façades changed from a Renaissance motif to a fantasy mock up of a
Bavarian village, similar to the European setting of many of the fairy tales Walt adapted. The area was expanded to allow for more space between attractions. Existing rides were given small but helpful upgrades; new rides were added; and only a small handful of less popular attractions were removed. To commemorate the opening of New Fantasyland, the drawbridge was lowered on Sleeping Beauty Castle for only the second time ever (the first being the park's opening in 1955).[3][4][5]
The plaque in front of the castle marks the spot where the Disneyland Time Capsule is buried. Sealed on the 40th anniversary of the park (1995), it contains different items from the history of Disney parks. It is scheduled to be opened in the year 2035, forty years after it was first sealed.
Fantasyland was said by
Walt Disney to be his favorite land in the park.[6] He said, "What youngster has not dreamed of flying with
Peter Pan over moonlit
London, or tumbling into Alice's nonsensical
Wonderland? In Fantasyland, these classic stories of everyone's youth have become realities for youngsters - of all ages - to participate in."
Mickey's Toontown Fair was closed on February 11, 2011 in order to build the Storybook Circus area of the Fantasyland extension.[14] Some elements of Mickey's Toontown Fair were demolished and others were re-themed to the new area. Storybook Circus is based on elements of the 1941 animated film Dumbo and other characters from the
Mickey Mouse universe. The
Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride was removed from Fantasyland and rebuilt in Storybook Circus, the new version doubling the capacity of the old ride and introducing an interactive queue. The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm was renamed
The Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini.[9] Storybook Circus has been completed and became fully open to the public on October 4, 2012. The first stage was completed on March 12, 2012 ("The Barnstormer", the renovated Storybook Circus train station, and the first half of the new Dumbo ride).[15][16] The second phase of Storybook Circus (the second half of Dumbo, the indoor queue area, and the
Casey Jr. Splash 'n' Soak Station) opened in July 2012. The third and final phase (Pete's Silly Sideshow and Big Top Souvenirs) saw the completion of Storybook Circus on October 4, 2012.
Snow White's Scary Adventures closed on May 31, 2012. The original ride was removed and Princess Fairytale Hall, a new
Disney Princess "meet and greet" area, opened on September 18, 2013, where the attraction previously existed.[9][17] An area themed to Disney's 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs features the dwarfs' cottage and a new roller coaster ride called the
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The coaster features a first-of-its-kind ride system with a train of ride vehicles that swing back and forth, responding to the twists and turns of the track. Although not part of the original plans for the new Fantasyland, this attraction took the place of several proposed interactive Disney Princess meet and greets; these have been removed from the updated plans for the expansion.[18] The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opened on May 28, 2014, completing New Fantasyland.[19][20]
Fantasy Faire - the exit gift shop at Mickey's Phiharmagic.
Sir Mickeys - gift shop themed after the Mickey and the Beanstalk segment from the 1947 Disney film Fun and Fancy Free. Guests can be "pixie-dusted" inside the store.
Hundred Acre Goods - specializes in
Winnie-the-Pooh-themed merchandise.
Bonjour Village Gifts
Points Of Interest
Rapunzel's Tower - a themed area and replica of
Rapunzel's Tower from the 2010 Disney film Tangled.
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique - offers
Disney Princess makeovers for children.
Cinderella Fountain - Cinderella themed fountain located near the castle.
Cinderella's Wishing Well - Cinderella themed
Wishing well located near the castle.
Pete's Silly Sideshow - an indoor character greeting space featuring Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy. Named after
Pete from the Mickey Mouse cartoons.
Tokyo Disneyland has two original attractions among the usual dark rides: Cinderella's Fairy Tale Hall, which features the story of
Cinderella in a walk-through style attraction, and
Pooh's Hunny Hunt, which uses a trackless ride system. It is also the only version of Fantasyland to still feature the original version of
Dumbo the Flying Elephant with only ten flying elephants, while the other versions of the attraction have sixteen elephants.
The fourth Fantasyland to open was in
France, at
Disneyland Park, previously named Euro Disneyland. Themed as a fairy tale village, this land specifically notes the European origins of the source material for many Disney animated films.
A unique attraction of the park was Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin, a
Ferris wheel added to the rear of The Old Mill building in 1993. The Old Mill, which resembles a Dutch windmill and was inspired by the 1937
Academy Award-winning Disney cartoon
of the same name, was a feature of the park when it opened in 1992, and serves drinks and snacks. The ride closed in the early 2000s, but the wheel and its eight bucket-like passenger cars were left in place and were seasonally decorated. It was later reformed, with the buckets removed, the mill's building serving as a snack counter and the queue area as a meet and greet area.[30][31]
Hong Kong Disneyland features the most prominent Disney trademark,
Castle of Magical Dreams and many of the classic fairy tale characters from everyone's childhood find their "homes" here, all have their own attractions, and the rest of the gang hangs out at the Fantasy Gardens, the meeting point for character greetings.
In August 2014,
the second Pixie Hollow decor had moved closer to
Adventureland, and the area that up to the Fantasyland Train Station, was surrounded by fences hiding the works that started recently[32] for "Fairy Tale Forest", which opened on December 17, 2015 as part of the park's 10th anniversary celebration presented by
Pandora.[33]
On June 29, 2023, the park removed Sword in the Stone due to the construction of a new Walt Disney statue entitled "Dream Makers" which debuted on October 15, 2023, as a part of the 100 Years of Wonder Celebration.[citation needed] The statue immortalizes the moment when
Walt Disney, sitting on a bench and watching his daughters on the Merry-Go-Round in
Griffith Park, dreamed up the idea for Disneyland.[citation needed]