I have stood in front of the Magic Kingdom castle loads of times. This year I finally noticed the trick hiding in its bricks.
Walt Disney World logo used with permission. Abby's Labs is independent of Disney and was not paid for this story.
Every time we visit Magic Kingdom, I get a photo in front of the castle. This year I was standing by the moat with my arms crossed, trying to look serious, and I noticed something odd.
The bricks near the top were smaller than the bricks near the bottom.
## The trick is called forced perspective
Your brain knows that things far away look smaller. So if the windows, bricks and details get smaller the higher up you look, your brain decides the top must be very far away. The castle seems much taller than it really is.
The castle is about 57 metres tall. Designers kept it under a height limit, because anything taller would have needed a flashing light on top to warn aircraft. That would have spoiled the fairytale, so they made it look taller instead.
Main Street uses the same trick. The upper floors of the shops are built smaller than the ground floors.
## Yes, you can go inside
For years I wondered whether anyone actually used the castle. There is a dining hall up inside it, with stone arches, shields and banners everywhere. I had hot chocolate there and wrote up my notes, which felt like the most fancy newsroom ever.
## Why it matters
Forced perspective is not only for theme parks. Film makers use it to make actors look tiny or giant, and artists use it every time they draw a road disappearing into the distance. Once you notice it, you start seeing it everywhere.