Happy 22nd Birthday to the Hollywood Tower of Terror!
The original Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opened on July 22, 1994. This attraction is one of the most popular rides in Hollywood Studios because before you even enter the park, it's the first attraction you see. This is an accelerated drop ride that takes you through a story and into the twilight zone.
One stormy night long ago, the Hollywood Tower Hotel was the place to be for Hollywood's elite. A famous hollywood couple, a child star and her nanny and a bellhop stepped into the elevator of the hotel and would never be seen again. Lightning hit part of the hotel and they were taken into ......the twilight zone. The hotel was abandoned overnight and when you step in it seemingly hasn't been touched since. Thus guests are invited into the hotel and into the twilight zone.
Going through the queue gives you time to appreciate the detail put into the attraction. From the eerie period music to the misty fog. the statues that seem to follow you wherever you move. the luggage around the hotel lobby that was left, never to be retrieved. the library chock full of twilight zone show references if you look hard enough. So today i am going to share a few bits and pieces of information that i learned today or even discovered myself upon riding the attraction numerous times.
The elevator has a plaque that says the last time the elevator was checked. Its number is 10259, which is a nod to the date October 2, 1959, the date The Twilight Zone first aired. The plaque also states the elevator was checked by Mr. Cadwallader, the sinister deal maker from the episode "Escape Clause."
You can find the slot machine from "The Fever" episode at the end of the ride and the ventriloquist dummy Caesar from the "Caesar and Mme" episode.
The distinctive architectural features on and around the attraction's roof were designed so that the rear facade, which is visible from Epcot, would blend seamlessly with the skyline of the Morocco Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase Lagoon. The ride's slogan, "Never the Same Fear Twice!," refers to the drop pattern being randomly selected by a computer before the ride begins. It reaches a top speed of 39 miles per hour.
In the late 1980s, a Phase 2 plan for Disneyland Paris (originally known as Euro Disney) was a free fall type ride that was to be named Geyser Mountain. It would have been part roller coaster, part free fall ride that shot guests up a vertical drop shaft. The plan was scrapped, but was picked up by Disney's Hollywood Studios (then Disney-MGM Studios) as part of a massive expansion to the park. Several attractions were proposed including "Dick Tracy's Crimestoppers," which would be later made into Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland. Still needing a big "E-ticket" ride, the idea of a drop shaft ride came back and was chosen.[
There were several proposed ideas for haunted attractions, including a Vincent Price ghost tour, a Mel Brooks narrated ride, a real hotel, and a whodunit murder mystery, but none were made. They eventually settled on a 1930s Hollywood hotel with a "Twilight Zone" theme, but a new ride system had to be built. This would allow both more capacity inside the ride and allow the drop to be last. Otis Elevator Company and Eaton-Kenway both helped create both the vertical ride system and ride vehicle that could drive itself horizontally, respectively.
Site clearing and prep began early 1992. A sinkhole led to the site's being moved slightly. After construction ended, the ride was set to open on July 4, 1994. However, both Sunset Blvd. and the Tower of Terror opened on July 22, 1994.
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| Sundial in the TOT Queue |
The tip top club poster in the lobby features Anthony Fremont, a reference to the little boy in the "It's a Good Life" episode. The poster states Anthony and the orchestra will be playing at the very top and the irony is anthony hates when people sing. The footage of Rod Serling you see is also from that episode. His original line is ,“This as you may recognize is a map of the United States.”
Be on the lookout for an infamous pair of glasses from the classic episode "Time Enough to Last" on a stack of books in the library.
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| Furniture in Hotel Lobby |
Love the music played in the queue?
Here is a list of the song names and where you can find them
Also, as a special treat i discovered old promo videos for the attraction
here are some last minute quick facts!
- the architecture for the attraction was inspired by southern california landmarks such as the Biltmore hotel and the Mission Inn.
- the ground for the hollywood tower hotel was inspired by the looks of Griffith and Elysian Park.
- There are 27,000 roof tiles on the attraction
- The lobby of the hotel was decorated with antiques and furniture bought at Los Angeles auctions.
- Some of the sculptures featured in the lobby are the work of 19th century sculptor Auguste Moreau.
- A copy of “Four Pages of Hilarious Star Caricatures by Walt Disney” is featured in Photoplay Magazine on the lobby’s concierge desk.
- The Library room features a hidden nod to Mickey Mouse in this sheet music, which is for the song “What! No Mickey Mouse?”
- It measures at 199 feet exactly due to height regulations. It was not able to be over 200 feet tall so imagineers made it 199 feet.
- The attraction’s “Fifth Dimension” scene was inspired in part by the “Little Girl Lost” episode of “The Twilight Zone.”
- The young starlet in the elevator holds a mickey mouse doll.
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