For as long as I can remember, Tower of Terror has always been on of my favorite Walt Disney World attractions! It along with Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster makes Sunset Boulevard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios the place for big thrills in the Orlando Disney parks. Aside from being an all around great thrill ride, Tower of Terror masters the one component that sets Disney apart from other theme parks in my opinion: theming and story telling. Disney did not skimp on a single detail when creating this iconic attraction and I’m going to share some of my favorite Tower of Terror fun facts!

Towering Heights

Did you know the Tower of Terror is the second tallest attraction in Walt Disney World at 199 feet? (Only shorter to Expedition Everest, which reaches the height of 199.5 feet.) Like everything else with Disney details, this height choice was not random! If Tower of Terror was only one foot taller, the attraction would require a red flashing aircraft beacon on top of it (by Florida law, of course). Aircraft beacons don’t really match the vintage Hollywood aesthetic, so Disney towered as high as they could without affecting theming! — How cool is that?

More Than Meets The Eye

Twilight Zone television series fans may recognize the host of Tower of Terror’s pre-show video, but there’s more to this footage than meets the eye! Since Twilight Zone host Rod Serling passed away in 1975, Disney Imagineers got creative with some repurposed footage and a voice impersonator to create the pre-show feature that all riders view before entering the attraction. By using footage from the Twilight Zone episode “It’s a Good Life”, Imagineers were able to have Rod Serling speak the opening lines himself and have voice impersonator Mark Silverman narrate the rest of the pre-show video seamlessly! To make things even more special, Silverman was handpicked by Rod Serling’s widow, Carol.

Terrors Around The World

Although Disney’s Hollywood Studios was the first to offer the Tower of Terror in 1994, this one of a kind attraction became so popular it was duplicated into three more Disney parks worldwide! In 2004 Disney’s California Adventure opened a Tower of Terror in Hollywood Land. Two years later in 2006 Tokyo DisneySea added Tower of Terror to their park. And in 2007 Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, France unveiled the most recent Tower of Terror addition! Despite the attraction’s popularity, due to lack of space for new attractions in January 3, 2017 the Tower of Terror in Disney’s California Adventure was closed to make way for a Guardians of the Galaxy themed attraction — Mission: Breakout! DCA goers were sad to see this attraction be replaced in the California park, but luckily they can still venture over to the east coast to experience the OG Tower of Terror in Orlando if they feel the need to drop by to visit!

Free Falling?

Despite popular belief, your elevator isn’t traveling at the speed of gravity when it drops — it’s actually falling faster! With drops as fast as 39 miles per hour, the AGV’s (Autonomous Guided Vehicle) technology is actually pulling the cars up and down. Although you may not be free falling, you will get a different experience every time! Since 2002, Tower of Terror has been upgraded to have randomized drop sequences meaning riders never know how far or how many times they will drop. This suspense really kicks in at the beginning of the sequence — will we go up or down first?!

World Showcase Views

Disney is no stranger to the idea of going to great lengths to maintain the theming in its parks and attractions. For example, by using imagineering techniques like utilidors under the Magic Kingdom cast members are able to get around the park in their uniforms “backstage” without affecting the unique theming of each of the lands! This type of creativity came into play while constructing the Hollywood Tower Hotel on Sunset Boulevard. Imagineers realized that the backside of the 199 ft tower would be seen behind the Morocco Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase from certain views. To avoid this aesthetic blunder, the imagineers simply borrowed architectural aspects and color tones from the already existing Morocco skyline when designing the tower’s exterior! Now the towering attraction blends in almost perfectly to those World Showcase views.

Whether you love it or hate it, everyone has heard of this iconic Disney attraction! Even if you don’t enjoy dropping by the Hollywood Tower Hotel, I hope these fun facts helped to elevate your excitement on the history and theming of this awesome Imagineering masterpiece. While Disney parks for some are just “rides” or a “vacation destination”, you’re only just scratching the surface of what these parks are really made of! It’s the history, theming, technology, and details that keep me coming back for more — and the magic, duh.

Which was your favorite Tower of Terror fact?