TBT: Photo of Cinderella Castle Shared by WDW President

For this “Throwback Thursday” we received a special view of Cinderella Castle before Walt Disney World even welcomed its first guest. Walt Disney World President Josh D’Amaro shares this special memory with us.

First Look of Cinderella Castle

Walt Disney World President Josh D’Amaro received a letter and this photo from the first Walt Disney World Ambassador, Debby Dane Brown. In the photo, Debbie is featured from the balcony of Cinderella Castle beside our favorite pal, Mickey Mouse.

This is such a wonderful photo, but what makes this even more interesting is that this photo was taken months before Walt Disney World even opened.

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Debby Dane Brown shares that at the time that this photo was taken that the castle was not yet completed. This was the only section that was shared in this photo.

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A post shared by Josh D'Amaro (@joshdamaro)

Cinderella Castle Then and Now

WDW President Josh D’Amaro thought that it would be special to share with Debby Dane Brown what she would look like in Cinderella Castle as it stands today.

He took the original photo that Debby shared and positioned it in front of the iconic Cinderella Castle. The castle is truly a classic and looks so similar to how it stood in 1971.

Photo Courtesy of WDW President Josh D’Amaro

Castle Ready To Welcome Guests

As many of you remember Cinderella Castle was to undergo a refurbishment. Cinderella Castle will receive gold accents, and the top half of the castle will appear more rose gold.

This new look is in honor of the 70th anniversary of the animated classic Cinderella and in preparation for the 50th Birthday for Walt Disney World in 2021.

Do you remember when the most urgent thing many of us were worried about was the large cranes being in our castle photos? Just as in this photo with WDW Ambassador the castle is still in a state of construction just waiting to be able to welcome guests again.

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President D’Amaro shares with us “Our castle quietly stands ready for the day when we’re able to welcome everyone back you our Kingdom. Until then, please take care of yourselves.”