Carthay Circle Restaurant occupies the second floor of a detailed reproduction of the iconic Carthay Circle Theatre. The original Carthay Circle Theatre, built in 1926, played a significant role in the life of Walt Disney. His first feature-length film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, premiered there in 1937 and, in 1941, groundbreaking stereophonic Fantasound was installed in the theatre for the West Coast premiere of Disney’s Fantasia.
Carthay Circle Restaurant’s decor reflects the romance and glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age, including references to the accomplishments of Walt Disney and his original animators. See Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Courvoisier cels—the only animated art ever to hang in Walt Disney’s home—and charming pastoral scenes from the movie painted on the vaulted ceiling of the main dining room. Seating is also available on 2 open-air terraces for dining with a view.
Carthy Circle is a restaurant in Disneyland but it is also a reproduction of the Carthy Circle Theatre. The theatre was built in 1926 which showed Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. We were able to go on a tour of the restaurant during our visit to the park.
Here are a few fun facts from the tour:
- The tables in the restaurant have images of the queen from Snow White. Look closely and you will see her.
- This is one of the only places you will see a picture of Walt Disney with a cigarette. He was not proud of the fact that he smoked and had all the images edited to remove the cigarettes. (As a side note if you find yourself dining at the Steakhouse 55 you can see an edited version of the same picture without the cigarette.)
- A part of the wishing well from Snow White holds up one of the tables in the restaurant. Kind of cool.
The restaurant was supposed to have amazing biscuits and excellent Manhattans. We did not get a chance to dine here but plan to check it out next time we are Disneyland.