Castle of Magical Dreams

{{About|a structure at Hong Kong Disneyland|the structure at Disneyland|Sleeping Beauty Castle|the structure at Disneyland Park in Paris|Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant|the structures at Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland|Cinderella Castle|the structure at Shanghai Disneyland|Enchanted Storybook Castle|}}

{{Infobox attraction

| name = Castle of Magical Dreams

| altname = Castle of Magical Dreams
奇妙夢想城堡

| logo =

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| image = Castle of Magical Dreams.jpg

| imagedimensions = 250px

| caption = Castle of Magical Dreams in May 2021

| location = Hong Kong Disneyland

| section = Fantasyland

| status = Open

| cost =

| opened = 21 November 2020

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| previousattraction = Sleeping Beauty Castle

| replacement =

| coordinates = {{coord|22.31262|N|114.04113|E|region:HK_type:landmark_scale:2000|display=inline}}

| type = Walkthrough

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| designer = Walt Disney Imagineering

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| theme = Disney Princess/Frozen

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Castle of Magical Dreams is the centerpiece castle at Hong Kong Disneyland. It replaced the park's previous centerpiece, Sleeping Beauty Castle, as part of the park's 15th anniversary celebration. The castle's design pays tribute to the 12 Disney Princesses and 2 Frozen queens:{{Cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/business/media/disney-hong-kong-resort-upgrade.html?_r=0|title=Hong Kong Disneyland, seeking a return to profit, Plans $1.4 Billion Upgrade|author=Barnes, Brooks|date=22 November 2016|website=The New York Times|accessdate=23 November 2016}} Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, Elsa, and Moana. It is the third attraction to open as part of the park's multi-year expansion from 2018 to 2023.

The castle features a jewelry shop — Enchanted Treasures and a meet-and-greet attraction — The Royal Reception Hall. The castle forecourt features a show stage and viewing area for the new daytime and nighttime spectacular, Follow Your Dreams and Momentous. The castle area consists of the castle itself, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Storybook Shoppe and the Snow White Grotto.

History

On 22 November 2016, The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong government announced plans for a multiyear, HK$10.9 billion expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland. The proposed expansion includes a reimagined castle, World of Frozen, Stark Expo, multiple new attractions and live entertainment.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney Imagineering Asia revealed creative design concepts and details of the upcoming castle transformation on 8 December 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://secure.cdn3.wdpromedia.com/media/wdpro-hkdl-assets/prod/en-intl/system/images/castle-transformation-pdf.pdf|title=Hong Kong Disneyland Resort reveals creative concepts of castle transformation|accessdate=January 23, 2021}} The construction began after the last show of Disney in the Stars fireworks spectacular on 1 January 2018. The construction also took place in park operating hours and guests were invited to be part of the transformation in a campaign called "#CreateADisneyCastle". Throughout the transformation, the Central Plaza displayed the scenes of 13 Disney princess stories with lyrics of the stories' classic songs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/events/create-a-disney-castle/|title=#CreateADisneyCastle with Your Photo|website=Hong Kong Disneyland|accessdate=January 21, 2021}} On 1 July 2019, another Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in the resort opened in Storybook Shoppe as part of the new castle project. The name of the newly imagined castle was unveiled in D23 Expo 2019, the Castle of Magical Dreams.{{Cite web|url=https://secure.cdn3.wdpromedia.com/media/wdpro-hkdl-assets/prod/en-intl/system/images/castle-of-magical-dreams-en-pdf.pdf|title=Hong Kong Disneyland Names its Transformed Castle the Castle of Magical Dreams|accessdate=January 23, 2021}}

Although the castle was slated to officially open in late 2020, park guests were able begin experiencing previews of the castle through special hotel and ticket packages starting on 25 September 2020, after the second closure of the park due to COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web|url=https://secure.cdn1.wdpromedia.com/media/hkdl/news/park-reopen-sep-en.pdf|title=Hong Kong Disneyland reopens on Sep 25|accessdate=September 23, 2020}} On 20 November 2020, former managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Stephanie Young officially announced the opening of Castle of Magical Dreams in a celebration moment with Disney Princesses and heroines and representatives of local non-profit organizations.{{Cite web|url=https://news.hongkongdisneyland.com/img/upload/20201120_HKDL_Press%20Release_15th%20anniversary%20launch_EN%20Final.pdf|title=Hong Kong Disneyland Resort commemorates the 15th anniversary milestone with the unveiling of Castle of Magical Dreams|accessdate=January 23, 2021}}

=During 15th anniversary =

As part of the park's 15th anniversary celebration, the opening of Castle of Magical Dreams came along with a behind-the-scenes exhibition and an audio tour in introducing the creative process from conceptual sketches, innovative building techniques to story integration.

=During 20th anniversary =

As part of the park's 20th anniversary celebration, If the Castle of Magical Dreams was expanded, it could potentially include new themed areas representing different Disney princesses, more intricate towers and spires, a larger courtyard for shows and parades, additional interactive elements, and potentially even new ride experiences all tied to the various Disney stories the castle pays homage to, with a focus on diversity and inclusivity across the different princess narratives; essentially creating a more immersive "world of dreams" experience for guests.