Can you believe that Halloween is next month? Disney World is already celebrating the spooky season with Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom on select nights through November 1. In honor of creepy things, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some “frightening” facts about one of Disney’s most scariest attractions – The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Read on, if you dare..
- Walt Disney Imagineers viewed 156 episodes of “The Twilight Zone” for inspiration when creating The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
- The ride vehicle is an elevator car.
- The storyline of the attraction sets the date as Halloween night – October 31, 1939.
The architecture of the tower was inspired by multiple Southern California landmarks, such as the Biltmore Hotel and the Mission Inn.
- The building features 27,000 roof tiles.
- The outdoor queue area features the songs “Inside” by Fats Waller and “Mood Indigo” by Duke Ellington.
- The grounds of the Hollywood Tower Hotel were inspired by the look of California’s Griffith Park and Elysian Park.
- The lobby of the Hollywood Tower Hotel was outfitted with antiques and furniture purchased at Los Angeles-area auction houses.
- 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 the sheet music, which is for the song “What! No Mickey Mouse?”
- The clip of film in which Rod Serling introduces the attraction was taken from a “Twilight Zone” episode called “It’s a Good Life.”
- While actor Rod Serling appears in the film in the Library room, the voice you hear is actually voice actor Mark Silverman.
- The young girl who disappears in the elevator carries a Mickey Mouse doll.
The attraction’s “Fifth Dimension” scene was inspired in part by the “Little Girl Lost” episode of “The Twilight Zone.”
- The attraction offers a 13-story drop.
- The drop sequence for each elevator car is selected at random by the attraction’s computer system.
- Measuring 199 feet tall, Tower of Terror is one of the tallest attractions at Walt Disney World Resort.
- There is a Disney ghost story that has been passed around for years that the Tower of Terror is haunted by a former “Bell Hop” (cast member) that died during his shift on one of the loading platforms. The story goes that this “Bell Hop” ghost is known to appear on Platform D, flicker lights and freeze the attraction when cast members are trying to do their final ride through at the end of the day. True or not, it sure is spooky!
Do you love ghost stories?
If so, please check out my latest article on the Living The Dream Podcast Blog about the very real and very scary haunted hotel: The Stanley in Estes Park, Colorado. The Stanley Hotel inspired Stephen King to write “The Shining” after staying there for just one night. Click here to read more!
Heading to Disney World soon?
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