The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
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Tower of Terror Overview
Looming ominously at the end of Sunset Boulevard is the rundown Hollywood Tower Hotel,
The Tower of Terror sends guests plummeting randomly through a serious of death defying drops.
Guests are seated aboard a rickety old "freight elevator" that glides through mysterious hotel passageways, past ghostly images of former guests. As the journey progresses, the elevator enters a pitch-black shaft. The elevator launches guests skyward unexpectedly, then, just as suddenly, the cables "snap" and electrical sparks shower. The vehicle then plunges 13 stories. The elevator abruptly rises once more, with an unpredictable series of shorter drops and climbs.
Tower of Terror History
In 1982 Walt Disney Imagineering was just finishing up with Epcot® and Tokyo Disneyland, and they where looking for new ideas.
They found it in a new freefall technology developed by a company called Intamin.
Intamin had developed a straight free fall ride, but the imaginers wanted to somehow add the Disney magic to it and create a one-of-a-kind thrill ride experience for Disney Guests.
One initial idea that Imagineers came up with was to pass off the freefall technology as something that a mad scientist had developed. Some type of crazy device. This idea was actually going to be a main attraction in Discoveryland in Euro Disney, but became too expensive and was shelved.
A bunch of ideas ran rampant for Sunset Boulevard during the early stages of development for Disney-MGM Studios. Nothing really panned out for financial and contractual reasons, but Walt Disney World executives knew that the Sunset Boulevard side of MGM desperately needed a thrill ride.
Imagineers began toying with the idea of putting a horror themed attraction in the park, something like a haunted Hollywood hotel. The Imagineers new they needed to do something unquie, but something that wouldn't cost an exorbitant amount of money. They went back to their archives and decided to incorporate the Intamin idea as a core part of Disney's new thrill ride.
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The Imagineers wanted to capture the essence of Hollywood during the golden age and
have the hotel match the setting on Sunset Boulevard.
The eventually decided on architecture of the Hollywood Tower Hotel was to be inspired by
the revival styles that swept California in the early 20th century. The hotel is
modeled after the style of such landmarks as the Mission Inn, the Château Marmont, and
the Biltmore Hotel.
To make sure they got everything correct Disney Imagineers screened each of the 156 episodes of The Twilight Zone at least twice to capture the mood of the television series. Many episodes were screened three or four times and studied in regard to props, guest stars, settings, and music for inspiration, as well as to find the most representative quotes and characteristic phrases used by Serling in his role as host of the show.
After almost a decade of development The Tower of Terror Hotel opened to guests on July 22, 1994 at Disney-MGM Studios.
Tower of Terror Backstory
The Hollywood Towers Hotel was built to the highest possible standards of comfort and service.
On opening night, October 31, 1939, when a freakish thunder and lightning
storm descended on the Hollywood hills while the elite of the film community
found sanctuary in the Hollywood Tower Hotel's elegant lobby. Among those
checking in that night were a handsome young couple accompanied by an older,
over-worked bellman; and a child actress in blond curls and frilly dress with
her stern governess. They stepped in, the doors closed, and seconds later the elevator, its passengers,
and several sections of the upper stories of the hotel vanished.
Magical Mountain's Tower of Terror Marathon, Benefiting Give Kids The World
Many years ago there were jogging trails around the Hollywood Tower Hotel at MGM Studios. In September 1994 the jogging trails were shut down shortly after up and coming movie actress Shirley Malone and her husband mysteriously disappeared.
Every October the trail reopens for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ 13K, and Nathan and the Magical Mountain team will be retrace the path that Shirley and her husband took many years ago.
What nightmares will await The Magical Mountain team? Will they suffer the same fate of the Malones? What would make them want to participate in a race they may never come back from? The simple answer is to raise funds for a very special organization called Give Kids The World, (GKTW). For more information about this event head to our Magical Mountain, Tower of Terror Marathon page.
Tower of Terror Trivia
- There's a reason why the Tower of Terror was built to be 199 feet tall. Florida
state law requires an aircraft beacon on all structures that exceed a total
height of 200 feet or more. By coming in under the 200 foot limit, the Disney
imagineers avoided having to put a large red flashing light on top of the Tower
of Terror, which they felt would have detracted from the look of the building. - At 199 feet tall, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is the tallest theme park attraction at Walt Disney World®.
- The "fifth dimension" scene of the attraction was inspired in part by the "Little Girl Lost" episode of The Twilight Zone®. In the episode, a little girl rolls under her bed and disappears into another dimension.
- Ride Time: 5 Minutes
Tower of Terror Hidden Mickeys
- In the pre-show film, the little girl is holding a familiar friend.
- In the library, look closely at the sheet music.
- In the boiler room, look for a water stain on the wall, just after the queue splits.
- At the doors to the final drop, look closely at the swirl of stars.
- At the entrance, check out the main balcony just before you go inside.
Reviews
 | 6/28/2007 |
My favorite ride at Disney was the Tower of Terror. Not by much, but it was definitely the best thrill ride!! I was only eight at the time and was really really scared. I ended up loving it though. Unless you have some problem with heights or something you have to go on this ride!
| 12/26/2006 |
Tower of Terror is my ultimate favorite ride at Walt Disney World...i will ride it as much as possible during my vacation...the whole attraction from the line to the ride is in full character and amazing!!!! Can't wait until i ride again in June!!!!
| 8/22/2006 |
The twilight zone Tower of Tower is my favorite ride in the Disney's M-G-M Studios theme park. I love the screams and every single thing about it! For me it is not scary a bit. The drops are unexpected, though fun. I go on this ride about 5 times everytime that I go to Disney's M-G-M Studios theme park. It is extremely fun for older kids, but would be extremely scary for little ones. The Disney Imagineers did a wonderful job at creating a great classical Disney attraction. The lobby of the hotel just looks so cool. The cobwebs, service elevators, it really looks just like a real hotel lobby. The only weird thing about the attraction is that you sit in the elevator with a seatbelt on. Normally you stand in an elevator, but not at Disney's M-G-M Studios theme park.
Vist our Disney World® Reviews section for more reviews.
Do you want to contribute to the Magical Mountain community? Do you have a story about an experience at Walt Disney World® or a Walt Disney World® Tip/Recommendation? Then head on over to our Walt Disney World® review submission page and submit your Walt Disney World® review today!
The Twilight Zone® is a registered trademark of CBS, Inc. All rights reserved.
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