Fantasyland at Disney’s Magic Kingdom has always been an iconic part of the park, filled with classic attractions and charming touches. With the expansion of the new Fantasyland, this area offers twice as many fun little details to enjoy. Don’t miss these carefully themed features that make Fantasyland such an immersive and entertaining experience.
1. The brass horn band
Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom is an animated short produced by Walt Disney Productions in 1953. This decorative brass horn band near the queue for classic Disney characters in Fantasyland features a subtle nod to the cartoon in its name. This area of the park is filled with special features like this that pay homage to Disney’s animated past, which is celebrated more in Fantasyland than any other spot on property.
2. Snow White’s vultures
Though Snow White’s Scary Adventures is no more, some of the characters from this attraction have found a new home at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. These vultures are originals from the old dark ride and now lurk over the Mine Train mountain.
3. Special details in the pavement
Disney Imagineers always carry their theme through an environment from top to bottom, so you can catch a lot of great details by looking down. In Fantasyland, you’ll find peanuts littering the ground in Storybook Circus. In other parts of Fantasyland, marks from horseshoes lend an authentic touch to a kingdom where you’d expect these hooved friends to provide transportation through the streets.
4. Canvas flooring in the circus tent
The Storybook Circus Big Top Souvenirs tent is decorated to look like a real circus tent. Colorful details are abundant in the shelving, which often looks like circus podiums. Don’t forget to look down here, too. The flooring in the store features grassy turf, wooden circus floorboards, and detailed canvas.
5. Creative features at the Disney Vacation Club
The Disney Vacation Club booth in Fantasyland features a striking sign with several hidden details. The globe, sun, and moon create a hidden Mickey. The sign reading “H. Goff Cartography” pays tribute to Imagineer Harper Goff. Goff was deeply involved in the set design for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He later contributed to concept art for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
6. Maurice’s Popping Machine
Popcorn carts are nothing new around Disney World, but the one in Fantasyland is truly something different. This cart is carefully designed to look like a wacky invention of Belle’s father Maurice. Though the product is the same, this is a great intricate detail that you don’t want to miss.
7. Maurice and Belle’s Cottage
The queue for Enchanted Tales with Belle takes you through Belle and Maurice’s quaint French cottage. Keep your eyes open, because the details throughout are astounding. They begin right at the entrance, where you may notice several interesting features in the signage. A lamp that’s distinctly reminiscent of Lumiere illuminates the sign, and a windmill and several gears complete the design, giving guests the impression that there’s no part of his home that Maurice didn’t try to improve with his inventions.
8. Cinderella’s Kingdom walls
The new Fantasyland area added a separate section to the land that stands apart from the classic Fantasyland streets. The old and new are divided by kingdom walls that match the architecture of Cinderella’s Castle. When you see them side by side, the similarities are unmistakable. Head past the walls of her kingdom, and you’ll find other castles, including Eric’s castle from The Little Mermaid and Beast’s castle from Beauty and the Beast.
9. The Blue Fairy’s Wish Book
In Pinocchio’s Village Haus, you’ll find a special place for making wishes. The wish book beneath the Blue Fairy stained glass window features real pages that you can write on. Come prepared with a few special wishes to record and add your legacy to the book.
10. Giant lance supports
The bright pink pillars around it’s a small world may look a little strange when you really examine them. This is because these distinct architectural features are designed to look like lances, fitting in perfectly with the theme of the Fantasyland kingdom.
11. Pascal’s garden
Across from the Rapunzel restrooms, you’ll find a very special garden. Look closely along the brook and on surrounding buildings for friends of Pascal, Rapunzel’s chameleon companion. Rumor has it that there are a total of 10 of these little lizards tucked away throughout the garden. How many can you find?
Fantasyland has plenty more details to enjoy, but these will give you a small start and help you train your eye to catch all the little decorations Imagineers have left in the area.