The new Disneyland holiday commercial is out, and the star of the spot is a Sleeping Beauty Castle that does not look quite like the one guests will walk up to this season. The ad builds to a nighttime shot of the castle wrapped in snow and icicles, with a ribbon of light spiraling around its towers, and something about it feels a little off.
Here’s the Disneyland Resort’s new holiday commercial and something seems off about Sleeping Beauty Castle
— Matt Desmond (@DisneyScoopGuy) October 27, 2026
What The Commercial Shows
The spot shows a crowd in front of the castle on a wet, glowing night. Several guests wear Santa hats, and a young boy riding on his dad’s shoulders raises his hand as a stream of sparkles shoots from it. The castle itself is coated in white from the spires down, with icicles dripping over nearly every wall, a wreath above the archway and a swirl of light looping around the main tower. The ad closes on the tagline “The Holidays Begin Here” with the season’s dates, November 13 to January 6.
The color is where it stands apart. In the commercial the castle’s sides glow in icy blue and the whole thing is frosted in white, with only a soft pink left in the center towers. The banners over the archway look washed out, close to cream, and the deeper pink and purple tones that usually define the castle at night are mostly gone.
How It Compares To The Real Thing
Disney’s official holiday photo of the castle tells a warmer story. It shows the castle lit in pinks, purples and deep blues, with garland across the front and red and purple banners hanging over the entrance. Disneyland describes lavish garlands shimmering on the castle and, at nightfall, lighting that creates snowcapped turrets and icicles.
The castle in the park right now is somewhere in between. Crews have spent the past couple of weeks adding snow and icicles, and last week we found that Sleeping Beauty Castle had even more icicles on both its front and back. Even with all that white up top, the pink and purple banners were still hanging over the archway.
The swirl of light and the sparkles from the boy’s hand are clearly added effects, and that is normal for a holiday ad. Still, anyone who books a trip expecting the exact frosty blue castle from the commercial may find a more colorful version when they arrive.
When To See It In Person
The holiday season at the Disneyland Resort runs from November 13, 2026, through January 6, 2027. Since Disney says the snowcapped look comes alive at nightfall, an evening visit to the hub is the easiest way to see how the real castle stacks up against the one in the ad. Take a photo from the bridge and compare it with the commercial.
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