The Tower of Terror is the greatest thrill ride Disney has ever conceived and it is easily the
world’s best drop tower. Disney has built this attraction at their Florida resort, California
resort, Paris resort, and Tokyo resorts. While the theming and ride system differs between them,
all four feature an immersive story and a fantastic drop sequence. But which version
is the best between all the originals and the rethemed Guardians of the Galaxy version?
Find out in this review of Tower of Terror. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a park rich with
E-ticket attractions, but it wasn’t always this way. This Florida park originally opened in 1989,
but it had a severe lack of attractions. In 1994, the park saw its first major expansion
with Sunset Boulevard and it was anchored by the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
Development for a drop tower ride at a Disney park goes back to the 1980s. Disneyland Paris
considered adding a freefall style attraction in Frontierland named Geyser Mountain,
but the plan was scrapped. Disney revitalized the concept for their Florida resort and decided to
give it a horror theme. The ride cost roughly $140 million, but it would go on to be one of the most
popular and iconic Disney attractions of all-time. Heck the ride even got its own Disney movie!
Tower of Terror would be so successful that it would be
added at three of their other parks as well. Disney’s California Adventure received a
similarly themed tower in 2004 to boost attendance at the new and struggling park.
Walt Disney Studios in Paris received the same ride in 2007 for similar reasons. Tokyo DisneySea
also received their own version of Tower of Terror in 2006, but it would feature an original theme.
The premise for the three outside of Tokyo is that guests are visiting the dilapidated
Hollywood Tower Hotel. The hotel was highly popular until a tragic accident in the 1930s
when a lightning bolt strikes the tower, causing all five occupants in the elevator and an entire
wing of the building to disappear. Guests become stars of an episode of the Twilight Zone as they
board an ominous maintenance service elevator. Tokyo was unfamiliar with the Twilight Zone,
so their version received an original story. An explorer named Harrison Hightower steals a
tribe’s protective idol in Shiriki Utundu. When he returned home to store the idol in his penthouse,
the elevator dropped 13 stories. Hightower disappeared, but the idol remained. I think
this is the best story of the Tower of Terrors. Three of the four towers have retained their
original themes. However, California’s tower was transformed into Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission
Breakout in 2017 to coincide with the release of the second Guardians of the Galaxy film.
In this version, the Collector has captured the Guardians of the Galaxy. Rocket
escapes and asks guests to board a gantry lift to blow up the building’s generator
to release the Guardians and all the other creatures held within.
I slightly prefer the other two stories, but this one is still well-themed and executed well.
There have been whispers the other two Twilight Zone Tower of Terrors could be rethemed as well
so Disney no longer has to pay for the licensing for the Twilight Zone IP,
but nothing has been confirmed. And I like how you have a few different versions currently
since it makes each one stand out more. The themes are the biggest differences between
towers, but the ride system is also different. All 4 feature a high-speed Otis elevator. The
motors can accelerate the elevator faster than gravity and reach max speeds of 39 mph or 63 kph.
The original in Florida features four shafts for loading. The ride starts in the lift shaft
before the automated guided vehicle leaves the lift shaft in the 5th dimension room.
The vehicle then rolls into one of two drop shafts for the thrilling portion of the ride.
The other three versions feature a simplified ride system. The entire sequence takes place
in a single elevator shaft. There are three shafts. Each shaft operates independently,
which helps minimize downtime since each shaft can be serviced separately if issues arise.
Each shaft operates with two separate vehicles. The load platforms are stacked on top of each
other, so while one vehicle is experiencing the ride sequence, the other can be loaded.
The cars move in and out of the elevator shaft at the start and end of the ride.
Today, each car holds 21 riders. You have three rows, each seating 7 riders. Florida’s version
originally held 8 riders on the back row. From 1994 until 2002, the ride operated with lap bars.
I never experienced this version of Tower of Terror, but the airtime was even more pronounced.
Each row had a shared lap bar, so it would stop at the largest rider.
So smaller guests would get copious amounts of room for airtime.
In 2002, the Florida version was retrofit with individual lap belts for each guest.
The California and Paris opened with and still have the same restraints. The Tokyo version
features a more extensive seatbelt featuring both a lap belt and a shoulder strap. The latter
is more restrictive, but the belt still has just enough slack for you to experience the airtime.
Florida’s Tower of Terror stands 199 feet or 61 meters tall.
The ride is deliberately 1 foot shorter than 200 feet so it wouldn’t need a height beacon.
The facade looks amazing. It perfectly balances the feel of an upscale hotel that has been charred
and neglected. The queue line then routes riders through a lushly landscaped courtyard
before dumping them off in a deliberately dirty lobby. It’s quite the sight seeing
lavish furniture covered in cobwebs. The pre-show room takes place in a detailed library and then
you load in this dark and ominous boiler room. This tower also received fancy projection mapping
effects for Walt Disney World’s anniversary. I think the effects look super cool,
but they don’t really match the theme of the tower if that makes sense.
The original version in California and Paris had similarly nice facades and interiors.
The external queue area was just a sea of switchbacks on these ones though.
One weird thing with the Paris one is that the back looks pretty naked.
Unlike the Florida and California ones where the attraction was placed on the park’s perimeter,
Paris’s is located smack dab in the center of the park. Another neat thing with the Florida
one is that the building can be seen from Epcot so the back of the tower was designed to blend
in with the Moroccan area of World Showcase, which shows Disney’s attention to detail.
Tokyo’s looks like a lavish apartment building and it’s an architectural marvel.
The inside is filled with fancy artifacts from Hightower’s expeditions. I also love how this
one features a chilling projection mapped lightning bolt effect at night whenever an
elevator drops. It looks really cool and I wish we saw something like this on the other versions.
The Guardians of the Galaxy retheme in California is polarizing. I think the tower looks pretty
ugly by day; however, it looks really cool at night with the multi-colored lights.
This one has the best interior though. I am a Marvel nerd, so I’m like a kid in a candy shop
looking at all the Marvel characters and props. Each attraction is one of the most popular rides
in their respective parks. It’s common to have to wait over an hour for each one.
The best way to skip the line for each is to grab a Fastpass or Lightning Lane reservation,
which should have you on the attraction in less than 15 minutes. Alternatively,
you can head there at the very start or end of the day, particularly on the Florida one since
most people head to Galaxy’s Edge first. One thing to watch out for prior to your
visit is if Tower of Terror is running at full capacity or not.
I know the one in Florida was operating with just one drop shaft for a while,
which significantly eats into the ride’s hourly capacity. If Tower of Terror doesn’t have all
the drop shafts available, you want to hit this ride early before the line backs up.
The pre-show for the Twilight Zone themed towers always scared me as a kid.
It’s why I never rode Tower of Terror until I was an adult.
It’s a very dark theme for a Disney park seeing 5 people killed and turned into ghosts.
And the fact you’re watching a little television set just adds to the creep factor.
I think the pre-shows for the other two versions are more exciting though.
Tokyo’s is set around a Shiriki idol and this window with colorful projection mapping.
The narration is understandably entirely in Japanese, but I still understood the story. But
my favorite is Guardians. The Rocket animatronic looks amazing and the pre-show has the irreverent
humor the Guardians films are known for. When you reach the load platform, you are assigned
one of three rows. You can request the front if you’re shorter and want the unobstructed view,
but the tiered seating makes the visuals just as good in all rows for me.
I also like how the bellhops on Tower of Terror are allowed to get into the experience.
They usually recite the safety spiel without a smile in a deadpan tone. It’s one of the few
Disney rides where cast members aren’t required to be smiling at all times.
Before delving into the specific theming and drop sequences on the individual towers,
I want to discuss the sensations this drop tower delivers. I think the drops
feel comparable across all 4 versions. The ride sequence consists of rapid descents
and ascents. The drop shaft is 13 stories tall . You have some partial drops and at least one
full drop. No matter how far you drop, you get good floater airtime paired with a wonderful
stomach-dropping sensation, but the longest drop is the highlight of the ride for me.
Then there are also points where the elevator rapidly ascends the tower
and immediately drops back down. This motion delivers oodles of sustained
airtime. I think this part is better than most S&S space shots on its own.
Most of the ride takes place in near total darkness,
which boosts the stomach dropping sensation for me since you can’t tell how far you’re going to drop.
But the elevator doors at the top open a few times to offer an aerial view of the park. The
elevator shaft can also rumble at points, which helps build anticipation for the next plunge.
Tower of Terror’s theming is what separates it from the other drop towers out there,
but the sensations are among the best of any drop tower too. This ride gives more airtime than any
other drop tower between the power of each drop and the fact you drop multiple times each ride.
Most largescale drop towers only drop you once per ride. Plus you have just a seatbelt and
little hold onto. And because it’s a Disney park, you take all your belongings with you,
so there’s something inherently enjoyable seeing bags at your feet levitate in the air.
The Florida version begins with the iconic Twilight Zone theme and Ron Sterling’s narration
continues through the experience. You then ascend to the first showscene. You see the ghosts from
the preshow flickering with lightning ahead of you. They’re standing in a hotel hallway
and it’s a brilliant use of a Pepper’s Ghost effect. Then the entire hallway turns into a
starfield and the window at the end shatters. It reinforces the horror vibe from the pre-show.
You then ascend another level and when the door opens,
your elevator travels forwards out of the shaft and enters the fifth dimension
as you pass these giant clocks and eyeballs. It’s a nice physical set you don’t get on the others.
The starfield ahead of you then parts, opening the way to the drop shaft. Whether you start by going
up or down is random. There are a few pre-set drop profiles the ride’s computer can randomly select.
Each one guarantees at least one full drop. But the rest of the ride is filled with a mishmash of
rapid ascents and descents. Some smaller ones and some larger ones. And you may even get a surprise
video screen at the bottom of the drop shaft as well. The variation adds a lot of reridability,
but it wasn’t always this way. For the ride’s first two years,
it only offered one big drop. In 1996, the ride was
upgraded to feature two full drops and it was advertised as “Twice the Fright”.
In 1999, the ride was upgraded again to feature faster accelerations
and roughly 30% more time in the drop shaft.
The randomized drop sequence has been in place ever since 2003.
California ran a pre-set drop sequence for its entire life as the Twilight Zone Tower
of Terror. And Paris had the same program from 2007-2019. This version began by raising guests
to the first showscene. A mirror shows the guests, but lightning flickers, and the guests are turned
into blue ghosts and eventually disappear. It’s a fun scene I wish the Florida version had.
You then ascend higher and experience a second showscene.
It starts like Florida’s first one with the ghostly family,
but after the hallway turns into the starfield, you see an elevator at the end of the hallway.
That elevator suddenly drops and right on cue, riders also begin their drop sequence.
The drop sequence never varied, but it was excellent. You started with a drop from roughly
halfway up the tower. You’d then ascend to the top. The doors would open. You’d get this fake
out drop, plunging a story down the tower, before dropping all the way down the shaft.
You’d then rapidly rise up and down the tower in total darkness, getting lots of
airtime along the way. The elevator would head to the top one last time and start rumbling.
You’d then plummet all the way to the bottom. This would end the drop sequence.
I haven’t experienced Paris’s tower since it was rebranded as the New Dimension of Chills in
late 2019. This version features 3 new stories, each featuring the little girl who disappears
in the pre-show. The ride also features new drop sequences to add more variety to the experience.
The Tokyo version has the same ride program as the old versions in California and Paris.
The two showscenes leading up to the drops are different. The first one features Shiriki
magically coming to life, throwing Hightower into an elevator, and dropping him to his death.
It’s a pretty brutal scene, but it fits perfectly on a ride themed to a haunted elevator.
The second scene is the first scene from the California and Paris ones,
except the ghostly blue light is replaced with green lighting for Shiriki.
Lastly, you have Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.
I think this is the most intense of the towers. This one has a much more chaotic feel.
Rather than starting with some slow showscenes, you immediately rocket halfway up the tower.
There, you encounter a screen that return to several times during the experience.
Here, you’ll see the Guardians being freed and fighting multiple creatures. The visuals are
crisp and capture the feel of a Guardians film. And even during these showscenes, the elevator
never stops moving. It keeps bobbing up and down, which amplifies the action. Then the drop
sequence around it is reminiscent of Florida with a seemingly random series of ascents and descents.
The ride takes place to one of six songs- I Want You Back, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Give Up
the Funk, Free Ride, Burning Love, and Born to Be Wild. Which song you get is random and it governs
which visuals you see during your experience. It gives you a lot of incentive to keep trying
for different songs. The music is goofy, but it gives the ride a dance party atmosphere.
Guardians also features a Halloween overlay called Monsters After Dark.
This story takes place immediately after the events of Mission Breakout
and Groot was left behind, so riders return to a monster infested tower. The overall ride
sequence is similar, but you get song exclusive to the attraction called Monsters After Dark.
Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite version of Tower of Terror.
The story isn’t quite as good as the others Disney devised, but it’s almost as good. The
reason I place this one at the top is because of the superior ride program. The whole ride
is more action-packed start to finish with the elevator’s more erratic motions and the always
awesome drop sequence. It’s also just a ton of fun rocking out to songs while dropping 13 stories.
I think Tokyo has the best theme. That one is a little weaker in the thrill department though
since it’s the only one with a shoulder belt. It doesn’t have a tremendous impact
on the experience, but you do notice it. I think Florida has the best show-elements,
especially because the ride system is more complex incorporating the 5th dimension scene.
So what would I rate Tower of Terror and Guardians of the Galaxy? All iterations of this attraction
earn a perfect 10 out of 10. This is the world’s best drop tower. The drop sequence alone would
make it arguably the best drop tower out there as you get multiple sizable drops and lots of
airtime with just a seatbelt. But when you add in an immersive story that spans the queue line,
pre-show, and ride itself, you have a truly world-class attraction.
This is not only one of the best attractions at any Disney park, but I think it’s better than most
roller coasters out there. These attractions come darn close to supplanting coasters in my top 25.
So those are my thoughts on every version of Tower of Terror at the Disney parks.
What are your thoughts on this popular attraction? Which version and theme do you like best?
Let me know down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it if
you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a lot more
roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!