Many people are familiar with the distinctive green color used on buildings and attractions at Disney theme parks. This shade, known as “Go Away Green,” serves an important purpose – blending park infrastructure into the surroundings to avoid distracting from the magical experiences. While Disney does not make the exact paint color available to the public, similar shades can be purchased or custom matched by paint suppliers. This article will examine the history and use of Disney’s Go Away Green, options for buying similar paint colors, and tips for getting the look in your own home or business.
What is Disney Go Away Green?
Go Away Green refers to a custom shade of green paint used by Walt Disney Imagineering when constructing buildings and structures at Disney theme parks and resorts. It was dubbed “Go Away Green” by Walt Disney himself due to its ability to camouflage buildings into the foliage and surroundings.
The exact specifications of the color are kept secret by Disney. However, it is described as a muted, earthy green tone that leans towards grey. When used in the parks, it blends into trees, bushes, and grass, creating an illusion of invisibility and preventing structures from obstructing the magical guest experience.
Go Away Green allows the Disney parks to maintain carefully crafted atmospheres and sightlines. For example, Cinderella Castle would look very different with a vibrant pink building off to the side. The neutral green coloring ensures anything utilitarian blends into the background. It’s not meant to stand out, but rather, slip away from the foreground.
Why can’t you buy real Disney Go Away Green paint?
Disney closely safeguards the exact hue used for Go Away Green, keeping it proprietary to the Disney company. The exact pigments and paint formula are trade secrets that help maintain the Disney Parks’ unique visual identity.
There are a few speculated reasons why Disney does not share or sell Go Away Green paint:
- Maintaining unique Disney theme park aesthetic: The color is iconic to Disney’s theme parks and helps set them apart visually.
- Stopping unauthorized use of Disney intellectual property: Disney does not want the color used without permission or in ways that don’t align with Disney branding.
- Liability concerns: Disney likely does not want to take on liability as a paint supplier or deal with quality control issues.
Disney does sell a limited range of branded paint colors through partners like Valspar, but Go Away Green is not offered. The company prefers to keep precise control over how and where the shade is applied.
Closest shades to Disney’s Go Away Green paint
While you can’t purchase the exact Go Away Green from Disney, there are some commercially available paint colors that come quite close. These shades can give you a similar earthy, neutral green look in your own spaces:
| Paint Brand | Color Name | Color Code |
|---|---|---|
| Behr | Cavern Moss | P350-7 |
| Benjamin Moore | Verdant Olive Green | 2132-10 |
| Sherwin-Williams | Renwick Olive | 7030 |
| Valspar | Folkstone | 5007-10B |
These greige-green tones from major paint brands can help you emulate the Go Away Green look when painting your own buildings, walls, fencing, or backdrops. While not exact matches, they capture the muted, earthy spirit of Disney’s famed color.
Custom color matching Go Away Green
If you want to get even closer to Disney’s Go Away Green, many paint suppliers can offer custom color matching services. You provide them with a sample of the color, and they will scan it and formulate a unique custom paint to match.
To have Go Away Green matched, here are some options:
- Bring in a photograph of a Disney park structure painted in Go Away Green. Matching software can extract the dominant green tone.
- Provide a paint swatch sample if you have access to an actual Disney color sample.
- Show a paint supplier three or more of the closest commercial shades (like the ones mentioned above) and ask them to blend a custom color between those tones.
Color matching services are available from businesses like Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Dunn Edwards, and more. Costs vary but are typically reasonable for a gallon or quart of unique custom paint. This can be a great solution if you are set on truly replicating the elusive Go Away Green.
Tips for using your own Go Away Green
If you get your hands on Disney-style Go Away Green paint through color matching or similar commercial shades, how can you use it for maximum impact? Here are some handy tips:
- Use it strategically on hardscapes or backdrops rather than main attractions. Paint secondary buildings, walls, fencing, or facades.
- Use a matte or eggshell finish to mimic Disney’s flat utilitarian look.
- Extend the color onto trees, faux foliage, temporary structures, and camouflage netting for a fully immersive effect.
- Use green lighting or effects to enhance the color after dark.
- Pair with other natural tones like browns, greys, and earthy reds rather than bright primaries.
- Test small swatches first to ensure the color complements your venue and other design elements.
With the right prep work and strategic application, even paint that’s just an approximation of Disney’s Go Away Green can help create an atmospheric, immersive environment through subtle, blended colorwork.
Conclusion
Disney’s closely guarded Go Away Green may still remain out of reach as an exact paint color. But for theme park fans, theater productions, or anyone looking to mimic a magical Disney backdrop, matching commercial greens or custom color work can get you quite close. With clever uses of color, lighting, textures, and theming, you can find the right green tone to make infrastructure blend away, leaving only your attractions in the spotlight.
