Much has changed in the 55 years since Walt Disney died -- not just in the fortunes of his brand, now one of the world's most influential corporations, but in the characters it creates and the values it promotes.

So, when the company went about building a new fairytale castle at Hong Kong Disneyland, it took into consideration something that would have barely factored into discussions when its first resort opened in Anaheim, California, in 1955: diversity.

The new Castle of Magical Dreams, completed in November and reopened last month after Hong Kong's Covid-19 restrictions loosened, nods to the wider variety of female characters now featured in Disney movies. Unlike the Cinderella Castles in Florida and Tokyo or the Sleeping Beauty Castles in California and Paris -- all of which were partly inspired by the 19th century Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany -- the design represents not just one heroine but over a dozen.

The new structure was built atop the existing Sleeping Beauty Castle, the centerpiece of Hong Kong Disneyland since the resort opened in 2005. As such, Princess Aurora still holds a special place in the new castle, with a tower dedicated to the "Sleeping Beauty" protagonist standing the tallest.

But the other 12 towers pay homage to a variety of different princesses, queens and heroines, including historical or folk figures fictionalized by Disney, like the Chinese warrior Mulan and the Native American figure Pocahontas. (Anna and Elsa from "Frozen" share a tower between them).

Diversity is also reflected in the eclectic architecture, which sees rose gold domes mixed with embossed turrets and spires. Disney's so-called "Imagineers" -- the artists, designers and engineers behind the theme parks -- incorporated the characters' storylines into the design of each tower, such as an apple lattice pattern in Snow White's ("Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"), scalloped detailing for Ariel's ("Little Mermaid") and a water lily motif for Tiana's ("The Princess and the Frog"). Elsewhere, the structure boasts gold-tipped finials, stained-glass rose windows and columns with hand-carved embellishments.