General info
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Park
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Category
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TypeTower Ride
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Opened
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Closed
Description
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is loosely based on the television series The Twilight Zone. The storyline of the ride is about the Hollywood Tower Hotel. In 1939 the hotel was struck by lightning, causing not only damage to the hotel building but also transporting a family in one of the elevators to the Twilight Zone. Guests are challenged to join a ride in the elevators of the deteriorated hotel and experience the Twilight Zone for themselves.
The ride is a freefall ride which includes dark ride scenes on multiple floors in the building. Riders are sometimes offered a glimpse of the outside world when the doors of the elevator open for a short time.
The (high speed) elevators of the original Tower of Terror attraction in Disney's Hollywood Studios (Walt Disney World, 1994) were supplied by Otis Elevator Company. While it has not been confirmed, it is assumed that Otis also supplied the elevators for this installation.
History
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was the second version of Disney's 'Tower of Terror'-attractions.
After the first verison in Disney's Hollywood Studios (Walt Disney World, 1994), Walt Disney Imagineering created an adapted design for an installation at Walt Disney Studios (Disneyland Resort Paris, 2007). The adapted design featured a similar theme, but mostly a simpler ride system, without the use of Automatic Guided Vehicles. However, construction plans in Paris were put on hold. The designs were then used for this installation in 2004, before eventually the installation of Walt Disney Studios was built in 2007. The installations in DCA and WDS were exact copies, until this version got rethemed into Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout! in 2017. So far, it is the only Tower of Terror-installation to be rethemed from its original theme.
This simpler ride system was also used for the version in Tokyo DisneySea (Tokyo Disneyland Resort, 2006), though the theme in Tokyo differs.
Rethemed versions:
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (2004-2017)
- Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout! (2017-present)
Statistics
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Ride duration2 minutes
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Number of vehicles6 vehicles
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Seats (per vehicle/theatre)21 seats
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Maximum speed55 km/h
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Maximum height32 m