It makes Hong Kong's version look like Chinese ripoff.
I actually think it's quite the opposite. HKDL's castle looks like it was designed by skilled artists, while DL's colors look like a cheap knock-off.
The color scheme HKDL castle is restrained and dignified; it has hints of fantasy, while remaining grounded in reality. DL's new color scheme takes bits and pieces of how people imagine a Disney castle might look, and turns them up to a cartoonish level. Instead of being alluring and implying there's more than initially meets the eye, the new design stands there and shouts "LOOK AT ME! I'M A FAIRY TALE CASTLE, Y'ALL!"
Everything is bright, bold, and in your face; there's very little subtlety to the design. I understand what they're attempting with lighter colors toward the tops (the technique works incredibly well in Carsland, Pandora, and seemingly Galaxy's Edge), but it just doesn't work with blocks of color rather than a gradual fade. The contrast between the various roofs, walls, stone, and trim is just all too much, making it look like a mass-produced toy made with limited material options, rather than a real world structure made from actual building materials. Sure, some of it will fade over time, but at its heart it will remain the same; even after 9 years of sun exposure, the 50th color scheme was still far more pink that the castle had been in prior incarnations.
In a way, it reminds me of a beautiful woman who is aging, and instead of gracefully accepting it, she cakes on the makeup with increasingly harsh lines and bright colors. Instead of being beautiful and refined, she looks increasingly like a circus clown.
Until the last few years, Disney parks have always been grounded far more in reality than in fantasy. Sure, it's always been a romanticized version of the past, but that's what allows the fantasy elements to be folded in so seamlessly while still appealing to and connecting with general audiences. I fear that the recent shift toward ever-increasing emphasis on fantasy and cartoonish elements will be the most difficult part to undo of Iger's legacy of giving people what they think that want, rather than blowing them away with something they never expected. Yes, HKDL was designed and built on a budget, but it was also done during that previous era when even the fantastical designs were very much rooted in reality, giving them a timeless appeal and endless number of ways to connect with the audience.
Of course, HKDL's castle is currently being made over in an even more egregious manner due to some political posturing and castle envy, so any beauty and charm it once had will be gone forever. While DL's paint scheme is heavy-handed, at least it can be easily undone in the future with another coat of paint.
