Neuschwanstein, a Bavarian castle commissioned by King Louis II of Bavaria, was the inspiration for King Stefan Castle in Sleeping beauty. However, like the queen's castle in Snow White, Disney added some elements to create a more mystical sensation.
Cohen explains that many of the characteristics of the Palace of King Stefan point to different eras: there are Renaissance, Gothic and Scandinavian turrets, in addition to pointed Gothic arches. While King Stefan's castle is a bit unequal in terms of the accuracy of the time, it served as a prototype for future Disney castles. In fact, the king's castle, in addition to Cinderella, served as inspiration for the Disney logo.
Mont-Saint-Michel
Corona Castle in Tangled It is «an excellent example of incorporating a structure into history», Cohen says. Disney's animation is based on Mont-Saint-Michel, where, originally, there was a Benedictine abbey on a small island of Normandy in France. Over time, the Church became a prison and, in real life, you can only access Mont-Saint-Michel twice a day during the low tide. These two details metaphorically represent two important parts of the history of the princess: the prison symbolizes the early life of Rapunzel trapped in a tower, and the tides that enter and come out illustrate their hair, the limited half it had to connect with the outside world.
Eilean Castillo Donan and Dunnottar
Dunbroch of Brave He was inspired by two castles of Scotland: Eilean Donan and Dunnottar Castle. Although the animation clearly reflects the real structures – the stone facade and the horizontal profile, in particular – there are some irregularities. On the one hand, the story is located in the 10th century, but, as Cohen points out, the castles were not built in stone until the eleventh century. The palace is also deteriorated, which would have been unusual if there were still people living in it, although Cohen explains that this could have been done to Symbolize the tension between the clans in the film.