Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland California is modeled after Neuschwanstein, the Bavarian castle of King Ludwig (1869–1886). Sleeping Beauty Castle was designed using standard architectural detail pieces and parts available from studio shops around town. Herb Ryman was the Imagineer in charge of the design and construction of the castle.

The castle’s resident princess was not initially supposed to be Aurora. The original plan was for Snow White Castle, in honour of not only the first Disney princess but also the first full-length animated film that made Disney a huge success: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. However, Walt wanted to call it Sleeping Beauty Castle to promote awareness for his upcoming film, Sleeping Beauty. So the name was changed before opening.

Unfortunately, Sleeping Beauty was not very successful at the box office, but still, the name of the castle remains.