History
Let's go back to May 1989. The new Disney-MGM Studios opens ahead of schedule to open ahead of Universal Studios Florida (its competition). While Universal opened in 1990, both were rushed ahead of schedule. That fact was pretty obvious when MGM opened, as it only had 2 rides (The Great Movie Ride, and The Studio Backlot Tour), and 1 show (The Monster Sound Stage). The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and Star Tours didn't open until later that year. Over the next 3 years Here Come The Muppet's, and Muppet Vision 3-D appeared, as well as The little Mermaid stage show, and the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground, and Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage.
The Studios, and the WDW Resort were in need of thrill rides and plans fell through for a drop ride at Euro Disneyland (geyser mountain) but the idea of a drop ride stuck. Imagineer's thought a haunted hotel in Hollywood would be interesting. This concept went through many phases including a comedic who-dun-it hosted by Mel Brooks, and an actual hotel. Imagine how fun a Mel Brooks thrill/interactive experience would be! I would have loved to see how that would have played out, but Disney found something that fit the haunted hotel better, Around this time Disney was looking at a ride that would take guests along with Dick Tracy on an adventure, This ride was never realized do to the lack of interest in the Dick Tracy movie that had been released, but the ride vehicle was eventually used in Disneyland for the Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.
Disney got the licensed rights to use the CBS show "The Twilight Zone" and the Tower was now a trip into the 5th dimension.
About a year ago I wanted to see what the Twilight Zone is like and it is amazing. It's Sci-Fi, with bits of Drama, Horror, Suspense, and Mystery. Seriously it has grown into one of my favorite shows since I first watched it. It really is as thought provoking as it is entertaining. so if you haven't already, check it out, it's on Netflix.
Site clearing for Hollywood Boulevard and the Tower of Terror in early 1992. The location of the hotel changed slightly due to a sink hole, but the huge new area would lead guests down Sunset Boulevard which leads directly to the Hollywood Tower Hotel. This location was so big because this was also to be site to future expansions and attractions, which ended up being: Beauty and the Beast Live (opened 1991), Fantasmic/Hollywood Hills Amphitheater (opened 1998) and Rockin' Rollercoaster Starring Aerosmith (opened 1999).
Disney had a very wild idea to not only use up and down elevator technology from Otis, but also have the elevator be pulled down faster than the speed of gravity, that way the guest will achieve more "weightlessness" moments, or rather longer ones. This design also called for the vehicle to move forward and backwards. Disney used a Automated Guided Vehicle or AGV to navigate the floors. AGV's are commonly used at warehouses to transport goods and such from trucks to their intended destination. Wires under embedded under the floor in the basement and in the "5th dimension" floor scene to guide the vehicles to each shaft.
This ride maybe one of the greatest immersive rides I've ever been on. Once you enter the line, you pass through the bowling greens (not actually) and a once beautiful terrace and fountain that is now empty. Outside, as well as in the lobby, you hear the blues playing in the background, as if someone forgot to shut the music off in 1939 and its somehow still playing. Then you enter the Lobby, which is actually pretty stunning. The first thing that catches the eye is the high vaulted ceiling, which is beautiful.
From there you enter the Library to view the pre-show video. Once that's over, your then ushered into the boiler room where the line splits in-two, one line straight and one to the right. Go straight! My unconfirmed theory is that usually the elevators in elevator shaft "Echo" tend to drop first instead of doing a mini-drop first. That is definitely unconfirmed, and most likely not a thing, but from personal experience, I've had good luck with it.
So I'm going to attempt to try to explain how the ride works. If you haven't seen Martin's Tribute Vid's you should they are amazing, and the graph he uses is so helpful (I'll post it underneath).The guest enters the show building in the lobby on floor 2, there you are sent to 1 of 2 identical libraries to watch the pre-show video. From there you enter a line in the boiler room which splits into 2 lines. The line farthest from the library (or the line that goes straight when it splits in two) will service elevator shafts Alpha and Bravo which will ultimately lead to drop shaft Echo. Once it's over your vehicle will go down to level 1 (the basement) and reverse into the unload area.
The ride opened on July 22nd, 1994 and was a hit. It was the first modern thrill ride at Walt Disney World, not including Splash Mountain. This ride gave the Disney-MGM Studios the anchor attraction it needed, and gave the park some space that was desperately needed.
One interesting note about the ride; In its first year of operation the Tower of Terror featured only one drop! When you reached either the "echo" or "foxtrot" drop shaft the lift would bring you up to the highest point, take your photo and then drop you. That was it. Once I think of it, the Power Tower at the Cedar Fair parks basically only drop once, but after riding this ride for so many years with the multiple drops it seems ludicrous to wait in line for one drop.
Changes to the ride
I first rode the ride with my father and cousin I think in 1999, so I am relatively new to the Tower of Terror (lol). But in 1996 the ride went from one drop, to the "new devastating double drop" which, you guessed it, added another "drop profile" which dropped twice!
In 1999, the third version of the profile was added. This profile introduced the rumbling of the ride vehicle in the drop shaft, as well as increasing the pull of the vehicle to add more air time (time off of your seat).
In 2003, the ride changed to the ride we know and love today. This update add four new ride profiles and are chosen by random. Each ride profile is different, but they all include at least one full drop from the top of the shaft to the bottom. There was also projections added to the shaft, so while you drop there may be lightning, a blue ghostly apparition, or the original guests (the OG five lol). The vehicle will still rumble, and the ride is slightly longer. This version of the ride saw the restraints change from a lapbar to just seat belts.
In 2010, for the "Summer Nightastic" (so just for the summer), the Tower updated the profiles slightly to make each drop a farther drop. Some other changes included 1940's music being played in the drop shafts as soon as you entered them and a picture of your vehicle flashed before the door opened. Then finally when the ride ended and you vehicle started moving backwards, another ghostly picture of your vehicle flashes.
Once the Summer of 2010 ended, the ride reverted back to it's 2003 form. Only minor additions have happened since then, such as the installation of video cameras that both record you at the start of the ride, and your first drop.
Disney California Adventure
In 2004, 10 years after the Tower of Terror opened in Florida, the Tower of Terror opened in California. This version was actually intended to be for Disneyland Paris, however attendance at that time in Paris was very low, so it was put on hold and instead added to the also struggling Disney's California Adventure. Because of the location of Disneyland, space is always at a premium so the Imagineers had to cut costs as well as condense the space used for the ride. Instead of your vehicle moving forward and the "5th dimension scene" were cut all together and a new mirror scene was added. This meant you rise and fall from the same elevator shaft. The drop profile is set on this version, which means that every time you ride, you'll always have the same (great) ride experience. Cutting dialogue and ride time, as well as load/unloading in the same place definitely helped shorten the experience to become a little bit more efficient.
Who Rode It Better?
By who rode it better, I of course mean which one is better.
Growing up visiting the Walt Disney World Resort has made me very bias to this, so I have to say Disney's Hollywood Studios beats out Disney California Adventure, but they are both great rides.
While DCA keeps most of the same essence of the original, the thing that made the attraction so popular in the first place was the extra mile in theming and ride experience. DHS removes you from the rest of the park, and really makes you feel like something awful happened to this hotel. From the queue that is surrounded by plants and trees, to the fountain, down to the lobby, they feel more grand in Florida, even the exterior.
(DCA's Lobby)
(DHS's Lobby)
(DCA's Tower)
(DHS's Tower)
Why is Guardians of the Galaxy checking-in?!
You may have heard the rumors, and they are true, sort of, The Hollywood Tower Hotel is going to become Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, in early 2017, only on the west coast. The Original TOT is staying exactly the same. Bummer for the west coast peeps, but us Floridians (or honorary Floridians) can't wait to ride the new Marvel ride. I love Marvel and was hoping that the parks would start utilizing them.
