It is time again to step into a most magical world! After designing one of my most complex papercrafts ever, last year, I thought, “Why not torture myself all over again?” I must be a glutton for punishment. But my suffering has paid off, and now I have this beautiful, 3D Disney World castle to share with you today!
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Designing that 3D Disneyland castle last year really wiped me out. But, I suppose it wasn’t enough to deter me from giving it another go with its Magic Kingdom counterpart.
Despite the excessive amount of time it took to design and created this new castle, I am really happy with how it came together! Even though the color schemes are much more similar these days, I wanted to emphasize the difference in architectural style between the two castles.
Watch a short video of me putting this project together on Instagram.
Please note that this project, while super fun, is not one you will be able to crank out in an hour. Plan on spending the majority of an afternoon putting this 3D Disney World castle together, and maybe even space it out over a couple of days if you can (I know I did)!
Supplies
- Cardstock
- Hot Glue
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- Foam Tape
- Decorative Ribbon (optional)
- Bone Folder (optional)
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- My Free Template
How to Make It
1. Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of the 3D Disney World castle pieces.
Note: If you are using the SVG files that includes the score lines, don’t forget to set them as such in Cricut Design Space and attach them to their shapes before sending them through your cutting machine. I used a lime green color to mark the score lines, so hopefully that helps! If you’re having trouble with the score lines, check out this video.
Prep Work (Optional)
2. To make my castle walls appear more “brick-like” I painted in some grey stones. If you would like to do the same, this is a good thing to do at the beginning, so that your paint has time to dry.
Assembling the Top Section
Rectangular, Left Tower
3. We are going to be working our way from top to bottom on this piece. It will likely be helpful to have a photo of the finished project handy, so you can have a reference for which pieces are which, and where they go.
Start by gathering your pieces to build your rectangular, left tower.
Attach the small, gold roof railing piece to the blue piece that looks like a sandwich board. Assemble that piece using the score lines and tabs provided.
Attach the blue roof pieces to your pink piece, as well as your spiky, gold piece (using the slit provided on the left).
Use the remaining two slits to attach your blue “sandwich board.” Then, assemble the rest of that tower using the score lines and tabs provided.
Small, Round (Pink) Towers
4. Gather the 6 pieces needed to make the two, small towers.
Note: the larger pink piece in the photo below actually goes to a different tower. You’ll want to find the one just smaller than the one next to it.
Roll your blue, pizza-shaped pieces into a cone, and attach with glue. Then, fold in the bottom tabs and attach the little blue circle.
Roll your pink, rectangular pieces into tubes. Fold the little tabs inward and attach your blue cones to the top.
Putting it All Together
5. Take your small, pink roof section (with the slits in it), and attach each of your finished pieces like so. Be sure to put the slightly taller, round tower in the back.
Assembling the Rest of the Pink Sections
Large Pink Tower
6. Roll your two remaining, pink tower pieces into tubes. Not the ones with squares on top!
Attach your remaining spikey, gold piece to the small, pink circle using the slit provided. Glue to the top of the skinnier tube.
Attach the bottom of the skinny tube to the larger pink circle using the slits provided. Glue the whole thing to the top of the larger tube.
Wrap the pink and gold rectangular pieces around the tower like so.
Adding the Walls
7. There are two wall pieces you will use for this section. One will just attach to the front-left side. The other will attach to the front-right and wrap around to the right side, the back, and the left side. A gap will be left where the tall, pink tower will go later on.
The Small Side Towers
8. Put together the small, rectangular, left-side tower. Attach the blue roof pieces to the pink piece. Assemble using the score lines and tabs provided.
Then, use attach the open end to the left wall of the large, pink tower (there is a hole that corresponds with the bottom section of this piece).
Gather the 5 pieces needed for the small, square, right-side tower. Assemble the little blue roof using the score lines and tabs provided.
Fold up the walls of the smaller, square piece, and attach the roof piece to it.
Next, fold and assemble the small box piece, and attach it to the bottom of the section you made previously.
Fold up the walls of the larger, square piece, and attach the top sections to it.
Finally, fold and assemble the larger box piece, and attach it to the right wall of the large, pink tower.
Assembling the Castle Base
9. Take your large, funny-shaped grey piece, and fold along the score lines.
Note: yours will look a little different than pictured. I made a slight adjustment to the design later on.
Attach the back and side walls using the tabs provided.
Carefully line up your large, pink towers, and slip the little tabs into the corresponding slits in the top of your grey piece.
Now, attach your large pink tower.
Front Tower – Square
10. Locate the grey tower piece that has verticle score lines in it. Fold and assemble to make your square tower.
Note: these tower pieces include a random-looking horizontal score line near the top. This is not meant to be folded, but rather is there to help you when aligning the pieces that you will wrap around them later on.
Find your grey strip that includes little squares at the top, and wrap it around your square tower. Use the score mark provided for alignment, and attach with either foam tape or hot glue.
Front Towers – Round
11. Roll your three front tower pieces into tubes.
This next piece is a little funky. If you don’t want to fiddle with it, or if you are struggling, then feel free to skip to the next step.
Take one of your little grey strips and one of your blue, half-circle pieces, and glue the tiny grey tabs to the inside of the blue piece—following along the outer edge. When you are done, you will be left with a circular wall/roof section you can attach to your tower (use the score line for alignment).
Repeat with the other two towers.
Tower Roof Pieces
12. Assemble your three cone-shaped roof pieces. Attach them to the top of your round towers.
Assemble your pyramid-shaped roof piece using the score lines and tabs provided. Attach to the top of your square tower.
Mini Turret
13. Gather the 5 pieces you will need for your mini turret.
Form your grey piece into a tube and the blue pieces into a cone roof.
Attach the roof to the top. Slip the whole thing into the little gap on the right side of the front wall, and attach.
Use foam tape or hot glue to attach the gold, half-circle just below it.
Front Gateway
14. Gather the 6 pieces you will need for this section. Layer the decorative elements together like so.
Attach the small, gold roof railing piece using the slit provided. Fold and assemble the blue section using the score lines and tabs provided. Attach the decorative pieces to the front.
Attach the whole thing to the front of your castle—aligning it with the front archway.
Attaching to the Base
15. Fold and assemble your base piece. Line up the bottom tabs of your castle with the slits provided, and secure with hot glue.
Now, attach your four, front tower pieces, with the square tower on the right side.
Finishing Up
16. Attach any remaining, flat turret pieces wherever you’d like. Add some decorative, gold ribbon on the rooftops for some extra pizzaz!
Isn’t it just so pretty?! Because of how much taller/skinnier Cinderella’s castle (Disney World) is than Sleeping Beauty’s (Disneyland), I was a little intimidated by how it might look, if I could get it to stay together, and whether or not I could make it recognizable. And, even if it’s not perfect, I still think it turned out quite nice!
I use Adobe Illustrator for all of my designs, and a Cricut Maker to bring my creations to life. For tips on creating fun paper cuts like this one, see the FAQ section on my website. Also, be sure to check out the other 3D freebies available on my blog!
Enjoy making your very own, 3D Disney World castle! I hope you have as much fun putting it together as I did. Be sure to share your stunning results with me on Instagram!
*This post contains affiliate links. By clicking through my links to make a purchase, you are supporting this blog and the hard work that goes into providing free, quality designs.
**All Disney-inspired designs on this site are unofficial, fan creations and not associated with the Disney corporation.
Mandee is a professional graphic designer, amateur bird watcher, and rollercoaster enthusiast. She is a wife to hardworking high school teacher and mommy to three adorable little humans. She fell in love with graphic design when she started working on a comedy website with a guy she met her freshman year of college. Design wasn’t the only thing she fell in love with, and they were married a year and a half later. She created Designs By Miss Mandee to be a place where she could merge her passion for design with her lifelong love of crafting. 11 Comments on 3D Disney World Castle – Intricate Cut File
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Eileen Smyth
August 16, 2022 at 7:19 am (10 months ago)WOW WOW WOW.
THIS IS AMAZING WISH I WAS ABLE TO DO IT.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING.
Mandee
August 16, 2022 at 11:05 am (10 months ago)I’m so glad you like it!!
Helen J Roberts
August 16, 2022 at 8:12 am (10 months ago)My Cricut Cuties are definitely going to get to go to Disney now! Love this and all the other Disney items you have created. Thank you for another awe-inspiring creation.
Mandee
August 16, 2022 at 11:06 am (10 months ago)Thanks so much Helen!! Have fun putting this one together—your cuties will love it. 😊
Amanda
August 16, 2022 at 8:18 am (10 months ago)gracias por tan hermosos proyectos. Bendiciones, Como la busco en redes sociales
Mandee
August 16, 2022 at 11:08 am (10 months ago)Thanks Amanda! You can download the design by clicking the button below the main image in the post. If you are looking to follow my on social media, you can find me on Facebook and Instagram. 😊
Claudia Brawley
August 16, 2022 at 10:07 am (10 months ago)Ah-May-zing! You knocked it out of the Cinderella Stratosphere. Congratulations!
Mandee
August 16, 2022 at 11:08 am (10 months ago)Haha, thank you Claudia! You are too kind!! ❤️
Nicole
August 16, 2022 at 12:59 pm (10 months ago)Gorgeous! GORGEOUS! You look at this and can practically hear disney music!
Okay a maybe wild idea…but any thoughts about maybe making a dumbo ride? or the trams?
Mandee
August 17, 2022 at 9:09 am (10 months ago)Thank you!! Oh man, you’ve got my wheels turning with the Dumbo ride idea! I wonder if I could make that happen…🤔
Nicole
August 17, 2022 at 11:13 am (10 months ago)Oh please! You’re much too modest! You could make anything happen <3