Cinderella Castle was inspired by a variety of real and fictional palaces. These included Fontainebleau, Versailles and the châteaux of Chenonceau, Pierrefonds, Chambord and Chaumont, as well as Castle Neuschwanstein, Bavaria, and Alcázar of Segovia, Castile and León (Spain), the oldest of all, which is nine centuries old and also the Moszna Castle in Poland which was built in 18th century. The chief designer of the castle, Herbert Ryman, also referenced the original design for the castle in the film Cinderella and his own well-known creation — the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in California.

Also visible in this image is the famous Partners statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse.