Cinderella Castle Cake in 1996

Transformation

Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom was transformed into a huge birthday cake for Walt Disney World’s 25 Anniversary Celebration in 1996.

Some people loved it, some people hated it, and some people were just glad it was over. But transforming Cinderella Castle into a large, pink “cake” definitely got some attention for Walt Disney World.

Personally, I was in the group of people that did not care for it all that much. Because of that, I did not take many photos of the Castle Cake. But I did come across this one as I was scanning in my old negatives. In looking back at this photo, it does look rather interesting and colorful. Fortunately, it was not a permanent change.

If you are wondering, the cake look was achieved with inflatables, plastic decorations, and lots and lots of pink paint. While some are not all that happy with the current Cinderella Castle transformation for the 50th anniversary, it can’t hold a candle to making the castle into a birthday cake!

Calm Down

Isn’t it interesting to see what things can upset us? Way back 25 years ago, lots and lots of people were really upset about the whole Cinderella Castle Cake thing. And now, when we look back at it, we think, “What was the big deal?” Yes, they repainted the castle and made it look a little silly, but it was not the end of the world.

I wonder what we might get upset about now that will seem trivial in 25 years, or maybe even less. Yes, some things are definitely worth getting upset about. Some things are worth speaking up against. There are some big issues out there that need attention.

But for other things, it is best to just let it go and move along. Maybe quietly take your business elsewhere. But don’t raise a ruckus and get other people stirred up over something that is not all that important. Like a pink castle.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. - Romans 12:18

About the Photo

As I mentioned above, this photo is a scanned film negative, taken with my Pentax K1000 camera. And it was taken with Fuji ISO 200 film, if you really want to know. I considered cleaning up the film grain, but I ultimately decided to leave it as it is. I did, however, do some minor color correction just to make sure everything looked like it should. Yes, it really was that pink.

Photo: A scanned negative
Camera: Pentax K1000
Lens: 35mm
Date: October 1996
Location: Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida