“It’s Really Inexcusable,” Disney Castle in Shameful State of Disrepair

Few buildings in the world are more iconic than a Disney castle. When guests walk under the train tracks and hit Main Street, the view of the iconic castle comes into focus and takes your breath away.

Whether at the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort, the Disneyland Resort, or one of Disney’s properties around the globe, the castle has become the image that defines Disney and all its theme parks.

🔧 There is a plan to fix the paint problem on the Sleeping Beauty Castle turrets, but the longer they wait, the worse it gets: pic.twitter.com/ndJvF0xSbe

— DLP Report (@DLPReport) March 4, 2024

But what happens when one of those castles falls into a “shameless” state of disrepair? What does that say about Disney and the park that it represents? At Disneyland Paris Resort, the Sleeping Beauty Castle has fallen into a state of disrepair, so much so that guests have said that it has started leaking inside the castle and damaging some of the artwork on the ceilings and walls.

A few months ago, guests started noticing that the paint on the castle’s turrets was starting to peel and fade, but a month ago, guests began posting on social media that the Sleeping Beauty Castle was now leaking.

The water has started leaking into La Boutique du Château, the Christmas shop inside Sleeping Beauty Castle, and cast members have put tarps or plastic over the displays to keep them dry.

It’s been so so long of the castle leaking with nothing being done and it’s really inexcusable.

Yes it’s a big and difficult job but this is destroying the interiors of the most beautiful Disney castle in the world. pic.twitter.com/oTSKB2Mca7

— Belle (@FiBelleFi) February 22, 2024

In late 2020, Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Disneyland Paris Resort shut down for 12 months for an extensive renovation. It reopened in time for the park’s 30th Anniversary in late 2021. However, it now appears that the refurbishment was insufficient to protect the iconic castle’s inside.

According to a report from @DLPReport, officials at Disneyland Paris say that they have a plan to fix the leaks in the castle, but they have not released a timeline for when the fixes will occur and how long they will take to complete.

Unlike Walt Disney World in Central Florida and Disneyland in Southern California, the Disneyland Paris Resort has to deal with extreme changes in weather and temperature. Earlier this year, Disneyland Paris was covered in a blanket of snow, while during the summer months, the temperature was well over 100 degrees. 

It also appears that Disneyland Paris’ nightly drone show has taken its toll on the turret’s paint and structure. Unlike other Disney Parks, which use projections and fireworks for their nighttime shows, Disneyland Paris uses all of those and drones to create its show. 

While Cinderella Castle at Disney World was built to handle hurricanes and the extreme Florida humidity, it appears the castle at Disneyland Paris was not made for the drastic weather changes.

Hopefully, the Disney theme park will have this fixed soon, and guests can return to enjoying the castle and taking their once-in-a-lifetime photos rather than having the peeling paint ruin the experience.

What do you think of the state of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Paris? Let us know in the comments.