Disney Begins Cinderella Castle Paint Testing at Magic Kingdom

Imagineers have begun painting Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom, but not in the way you might expect. Earlier this week, the eagle-eyed BlogMickey spotted a mismatched pink swatch on the right side of Cinderella Castle. It wasn’t a mistake. It was a test.

That brighter pink most likely covered a temporary paint swatch used to preview the castle’s upcoming color refresh. Last August, Disney confirmed that Cinderella Castle would return to its roots with a palette of grays, creams, blues, and subtle touches of gold.

As you’d expect, Imagineers are testing those new colors directly on the real thing. But those tests can’t stick around for long. Guests want their castle photos, and Disney is aware of that fact. Crews will only work on the Magic Kingdom icon in the morning, leaving the castle camera-ready in the afternoon.

Back to the test swatch. Once the test was reviewed, crews painted over it using the castle’s current pink. The only issue? That paint has faded over the last six years, leaving behind a slight mismatch, one that didn’t escape BlogMickey’s notice.

Thanks to X’s Zombie Scott for sharing the lead photo for this article.

Read more: Magic Kingdom Adjusts Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire Schedule