The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Tower of Terror at Disney 's Hollywood Studios, Florida

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - also commonly Tower of Terror - is a combination of a free-fall attraction and a theme ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Adventure Disney's California Park in Anaheim, California, and the Walt Disney Studios Park, Marne -la -Vallee, France.

Tower of Terror - Hollywood Studios Park, Orlando

Location

At the end of Sunset Boulevard ( Main Street Hollywood Studios Park ) of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror stands on a hill. Through a garden, past the hotel takes you to the lobby of the "Hollywood Tower Hotel ". The background story consists of a fictional episode of the Twilight Zone, an American mystery television series. In the 30s disappeared 5 people in the elevator of the Hollywood Tower Hotel after a lightning struck the building. Now the guests go the events on the track and take the freight elevator through various scenes and experience a mixture of a free-fall tower and a theme ride.

Waiting area

Due to the lobby to get into one of the two libraries ( in the original: Library), where on a black and white screen, the story is explained. The film is stylistically strong orientation to old episodes of the Twilight Zone. Particularly clearly makes this the sequence with Rod Serling, the host of the American TV series. Next it goes through the engine room, ( in the original: Boiler Room ) are placed in the old machine parts and dummies of the elevator art on display. The guests will be received by an employee and distributed to the four stations.

Loading

Visitors are divided into six lines for this purpose. In this case, line 6 sets ( four) in the first row on the left (as viewed from the entry of ), line 1 (with three people) in the first row on the right. Line 5 is equal to the 6 with the difference that you are sitting in the second row and line 2 is seated in the same row behind Line 1 Line 3 and 4 form the final again with three (right) and four ( left) seats. This results in a capacity of 21 people per trip. Now the guests are asked to control their belts. The Cast Member ( Disney term for employees ) leaves the cab and the ride starts. In total, there are two chutes which extend parallel to one another, each shaft driving in three elevators. Backed by a two-point belt is one. The boarding and show trays are there four times, two each lead together in the 5th Dimension Room and lead to the exit in the basement back together. For this operation, the cable is turned 90 °.

Ride

After loading the car drives up and stops in front of a hallway. With the theater trick Pepper's ghost once lost guests are projected in the hotel corridor. The elevator continues upward, the door opens. This time he moves slowly forward. The only version of three of these features the 5th Dimension Room, a short corridor with stars and other projections. Here you go forward through to the chute. Two of the four wells show converge at a turnout here. The carriage arrived at the drop shaft speeds up or down, the driving programs be changed after the accident. The maximum speed is 13 m / s, this speed is generated by motors with an output of 12 000 HP. In the middle of the ride, a door opens and you have the unobstructed view of the Hollywood studios and the entrance of rock 'n' Roller Coaster. The exit platform here is located on floor zero, the entry on the first floor.

Tower of Terror - Walt Disney Studios Park / California Adventure, Paris / California

The entrance to California Adventure is similar to the Tower of Terror in Orlando. In both parks is the waiting area in front of the hotel and leads the side. The journey begins with these versions with a stop at a mirror, where inmates see themselves. The light is dark and the visitors see themselves as spirits again. The elevator simulates an earthquake, after all occupants have disappeared in the mirror image.

The next scene ( the hallway scene) is almost identical to the Tower of Terror in Orlando. The difference is that is replaced in this scene the 5th Dimension Room. The opposite elevator doors remain as the only visible when the light goes out. The entire space wraps himself in a star. The elevator doors open at the end, you just see the inmates who disappeared in the night. A little while later you fall even a few meters, so the show scenes are at an altitude of about 20 meters. After the fall of the car bounces up and the doors open. Just before you fall again the ride photo is shot. Once again driving the car up to the top of the shaft, but without the crashing stop at the depth and the journey ends after a further case. In contrast to the Floridian " ToT " there is a well which Dark Ride Part and chute in one. For loading process of the car is driven in a niche in which visitors can get on and off. Can drive 2 cars per bay. In total there are 3 wells, all of which are parallel.

The exit is located at the same place as the entry. If one goes, you go through the first door, just by a hallway and then passes only in the driver's cab. After getting the attraction leaves the hall. For those who have just before the entrance ( in the division series ) decided not to ride the attractions can without going into the cabin to leave the hall.

Tower of Terror - Tokyo DisneySea

The theme of the Tower of Terror in Tokyo is an entirely different. Instead of an Art Deco style, as in the American / European attractions, the Japanese version comes with a Gothic design and uses a story from the 19th century in New York. Harisson Hightower, owner of the Hotel Hightower, disappears with the totem Shiriki Untundu. The preshow is not in a library instead, but in Hightower's office.

Like the Parisian and Californian version is omitted the 5th Dimension Room. The journey begins here with a hotel corridor, where the story is explained once again. Continue on to the mirror, which have the same function as the Tower in Paris and California. Thereafter, the main drive is in free fall. The Japanese Tower of Terror also has 3 bays with 2 cars per bay. Guests are in contrast to all other towers secured with three-point belts. Critics smoother driving program in the Japanese Tower of Terror.

Parallels with the TV series

Through the inspiration of the American TV series The Twilight Zone, are some hints, though hidden to see the attraction. The video in the " preshow " became part of the episode " It's a Good Life. " cut. The sound was later taken up by Mark Silverman.

In the waiting area prior to loading the elevator cars there is a maintenance certificate that is dated October 31, 1929 and was signed by a " Cadwallader ", which also occurs in the episode " Escape Clause" and ultimately identified as the devil.

From the episode " It's a Good Life. " is the name of Anthony Fremont, who plays loud display in the foyer this evening in the " Tip Top Club", that place should go to the visitors of the hotel with the service lift. In the series, the person is, however, not a musician, but a little boy with supernatural abilities.

For more information hide under the screens on the photo sale. There is, for example, a toy telephone from the episode " Long Distance ".

Filming

In 1997 appeared based on the story of the Tower of Terror a feature film. In the Hereafter, are still rooms available at a horror comedy and was filmed in Florida ( shooting at the attraction ) and in Los Angeles. The original title is " Tower of Terror ". Thus, the attraction leans only on the Twilight Zone series, but does not attack their consequences or suggests to the visitors to be located in a new, invented for the passenger episode. Meanwhile, the film is in the German version no longer acquirable, but is rarely aired in the German pay- TV.