13 photos show how Disney World's Cinderella Castle has changed throughout the years

The theme park did so on April 7, also known as World Health Day.

"The gesture is a salute to medical personnel on behalf of all Walt Disney World Resort Cast Members during these challenging times," a representative for Walt Disney World News wrote at the time.

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As recently as March, construction equipment could be seen surrounding the Magic Kingdom landmark. Parkgoers didn't seem to mind too much, however, as they continued to take photos and gather around the castle.

However, construction at Disney World was halted that same month as a result of the pandemic, and it's unclear how this will affect changes to the castle.

In February, Jason Kirk, the vice president of Magic Kingdom, announced in a Disney Parks Blog post that the iconic structure will be getting a makeover in honor of the 70th anniversary of "Cinderella."

No specific changes were revealed at the time, but a mock-up image seemed to show that the castle would be painted pink. It's unclear when parkgoers will be able to see the new and improved castle, but renovations had begun before the park temporarily closed.

Of course, the building had been spruced up over the years — for example, criss-cross patterns were painted across some of the castle's exterior. Still, it maintained its blue-and-gray colors, pointed spires, and gold accents throughout 2019.

The light show ran between 2011 and 2012, and was named "The Magic, The Memories, and You!" According to Touring Plans, special effects were used to display various images across the castle, including portraits of real parkgoers and scenes from Disney movies.

Between the months of November and December, Disney put a holiday twist on the show, covering Cinderella Castle in images of candy canes and gingerbread.

As seen in photos from the 2009 event, Disney World used red curtains, garland, wreaths, and ornaments to bring holiday spirit to the Magic-Kingdom landmark.

Similar decorations are still used throughout the park today — and they're all purchased by a single Disney cast member, according to "One Day at Disney," a book that documents the wide variety of roles held by Disney employees.

Though nightly shows have changed since 2007, Disney World still incorporates the stunning lights into its yearly celebrations. In 2019, for example, the castle was lit each night between November and December as part of "A Frozen Holiday Wish."

When the alien-themed attraction opened in Magic Kingdom on November 16, 2004, parkgoers were surprised to find a giant Stitch inflatable sitting inside the park, according to WDW Info.

Even further inside, they encountered Cinderella Castle covered in toilet paper and a sign that read "Stitch is King!"

Disneyland turned 50 in 2005, and the anniversary was celebrated by every Disney theme park around the world. At Disney World specifically, each tower on Cinderella Castle was covered with gold spirals and character statues. Peter Pan and Wendy, for example, could be seen "flying" around the tallest spire.

A "magic mirror" was also attached to the front of the castle, displaying images of other Disney castles located around the world.

The castle was transformed on October 1, 1996, according to the Disney Everyday blog. It was covered in pink paint that looked like icing, candy-cane spires, and 26 decorative birthday candles. The overlay remained in place until January 31, 1998.

While some people loved the transformation, others weren't as impressed. After all, people travel from across the world to have their photo taken in front of Cinderella's home — not a larger-than-life cake.

In photographs from that year, the castle looked mostly the same as it had on opening day. However, its spires were seemingly painted a darker shade of blue than they were originally, and colorful flags were placed in front of the castle entrance.

Disney World opened for business on October 1, 1971. At the time, lush greenery surrounded the front of Cinderella Castle, which was painted with light blues, grays, and golds.

Each spire was also topped with a small flag. To this day, the castle still stands as the tallest structure in Magic Kingdom, reaching 189 feet.

As seen in vintage video footage posted by Disney on YouTube, Cinderella Castle — as well as the rest of Magic Kingdom — was built across barren land.

According to Disney World, materials like concrete, steel, plaster, cement, and fiberglass were used during construction of the castle, but bricks surprisingly played no part, despite the castle's outward appearance.