What inspired Disney universe?

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In our childhood, everyone had cartoons that we watched over and over again, imagined ourselves as the main characters and dreamed of living in a magical kingdom, a fairy-tale castle or an enchanted forest. Today we invite you to go on a journey through real fortresses, palaces and abandoned cities, which served as a source of inspiration for the creators of cartoons from the Disney studio. Today it is quite possible to see the Sleeping Beauty Castle, visit the tower where Rapunzel was imprisoned, stand by the waterfall, just like Carl Fredricksen and walk along the streets of the village where Belle lived from Beauty and the Beast. Read our article and make your fabulous route!

France

France has been the inspiration for such legendary cartoons as Beauty and the Beast and Tangled. We can see why France was chosen by the Disney cartoonists - the country is home to hundreds of majestic castles, each with a unique history and cultural significance to the whole world.

Rapunzel's Castle - Mont Saint-Michel Abbey

The fortress island of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, northern France, was the inspiration for the Rapunzel castle. Since the 8th century, the abbey itself and the surrounding town have been located on the island, which today are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and are among the most visited attractions in France. From the fortress walls, built in the 14th century, you can see the ebbs and flows that separate the island from the mainland every day. At the top of the cliff is the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, a unique structure with a majestic cathedral, knights' halls, cloisters and crypts built between the 10th and 15th centuries.

Belle village - Alsace region

Alsace, a French region on the German border famous for its white wine and half-timbered architecture, was the inspiration for Belle's hometown in Beauty and the Beast. There is no exact information about which particular city or village became the prototype, so it is recommended to visit the places Riquewihr, Bergheim, Mittelbergheim and Eguisheim, included in the list of the most beautiful villages in France. In each of these places you will find colorful medieval houses, mills by the river, a central square with a fountain, wine cellars and endless vineyards.

The Beast's Castle - Chambord Castle

The different regions of France have become a source of inspiration for the creators of this classic cartoon. Chambord (Château de Chambord) - one of the most beautiful castles in the Loire Valley - became the prototype of the Beast's castle. This castle was built in the 16th century by King Francis I in the French Renaissance style and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The unique roof of the castle is replete with numerous carved turrets, decorated with chimneys and medallions, among which there is a large roof terrace. Leonardo da Vinci designed the central spiral staircase, and all 426 rooms of the castle are exquisitely decorated with gold, carvings and stucco.

Germany

Palaces of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty - Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle, one of the most magnificent castles in Europe, has appeared many times in different cartoons. This castle served as the inspiration for Walt Disney's palaces in Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, and also became the main screensaver and logo of the Disney studio. The castle is located on a rock surrounded by forest, next to the city of Füssen in Germany near the Austrian border. Unlike other castles that inspired cartoons, Neuschwanstein is not a real medieval castle, as it was only built in 1886 and was the embodiment of the romantic fantasy of King Ludwig II. This monarch, who was fond of fairy tales and adored Wagner's operas, decided to build himself a knight's castle in the medieval Gothic style, with halls decorated with paintings and tapestries based on his favorite sagas. Unfortunately, Ludwig II did not have time to see his dream - he died before the castle was fully completed. During the Second World War, the castle was used to store the gold of the Reichsbank, and today there is a museum within its walls, and anyone can come here.

Switzerland

Prince Eric Castle - Chillon Castle

Chillon Castle, located on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, was the inspiration for Prince Eric's castle in The Little Mermaid. This medieval castle, which is 3 kilometers from the city of Montreux, was known and loved by many writers of the 18th and 19th centuries, including Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas and George Byron. Chillon Castle, located on a hill above the lake and connected to the shore by a stone bridge, was built mainly in the 12th century, although some of its towers were added in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is recommended to wander inside the castle - you can see perfectly preserved medieval halls and a chapel, as well as enjoy a magnificent view of Lake Geneva from the windows.

Spain

Palace of the King from Snow White - Alcazar Palace

Alcazar de Segovia, a royal fortress-palace in central Spain, was the inspiration for the castle, where the father and evil stepmother of Snow White lived. This majestic palace, built in the 12th century on top of a cliff at the intersection of two rivers, originally served as a Moorish fortress, which was later intercepted by the Spaniards and converted into a royal residence. Today it functions as a museum. The Alcazar, built in the Spanish-Moorish style, includes buildings that are almost a thousand years old. Inside the castle you can see portraits, furniture and a collection of weapons that belonged to the Spanish monarchs. The throne room, like many other rooms, has been preserved in the form in which it was decorated in the 15th century for coronation ceremonies.

Scotland

Dunbroch Castle – Dunnottar Castle

Dunbroch Castle from “Brave” cartoon was inspired by the historic Dunnottar Castle on the east coast of Scotland. This harsh castle stands on a sheer cliff and is washed by sea waters, which made it an impregnable bastion. The history of this fortification dates back to the 7th century - for many centuries the castle faced sieges by the Vikings, Scottish and English troops, served as the headquarters of the resistance and the royal residence. Dunnottar Castle has preserved 11 13th-century buildings, several secret passages and caves. The castle is also famous for its ghosts - tourists often report seeing a girl in a green dress, a Viking and a huge greyhound.

Norway

Frozen Church - St Olaf's Church

The church in which Elsa's coronation takes place in the Frozen cartoon is an exact recreation of the wooden church of St. Olaf, built in 1897 in the Norwegian city of Balestrand. This temple reproduces the style of medieval Scandinavian frame churches. Its exterior is adorned with spiers, a turret and dragon carvings, while the interior is made up of wood carvings and many stained glass windows. After the premiere of the cartoon, the Church of St. Olaf attracted a lot of attention from tourists, especially among couples from all over the world who wanted to get married in this place.

India

Sultan's Palace in Aladdin - Taj Mahal

The magical city of Agrabah in Aladdin was inspired by the Indian city of Agra. In this city, located on the banks of the Jamna River, stands one of the seven wonders of the world - the mausoleum-mosque of the Taj Mahal. This amazing building was erected in 1653 by Padishah Shah Jahan in honor of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who tragically died in childbirth. The tombs of the padishah and his wife are located in the main hall of the mosque. Taj Mahal is a harmonious combination of Indian, Persian and Arabic architectural styles. Its walls, made of translucent white marble and adorned with precious stone inlays, change color depending on the light.

Venezuela

Paradise Falls from the cartoon "Up" - Angel Falls

In the 2009 Oscar-winning cartoon “Up”, the main characters, Carl Fredricksen and his wife Ellie, dream all their lives of traveling to South America to see Paradise Falls. To visualize it, the studio's animators spent several weeks at the Angel Falls (Salto Ángel) - the highest waterfall in the world – 979 meters. This waterfall is located in the Canaima National Park in Venezuela, on Mount Auyan-tepui. The height of the waterfall is so great that a significant part of the water turns into small droplets and forms fog before reaching the surface of the earth. This leads to the fact that several kilometers of forest around the waterfall are constantly covered with dense fog.

Many of the "locations" of the Disney Animated Universe are in Europe, which is quite logical, since the scripts were written from old European fairy tales. When planning your trip, you can connect fedafone special European bundle "EU and Schengen" and save on mobile data, focusing only on your experience, not on extra expenses!