In fact, if you were to place a free fall tower next to Tower of Terror and have the two rides drop at the same time from the same height, Tower of Terror would reach the ground first. ![]() It also means you achieve a faster speed in a shorter distance when compared to free fall. That’s why if you let go of an object on the ride (not recommended for safety reasons), the object will appear to float to the top of the elevator car. With Tower of Terror, the elevator motors literally pull the vehicles at a greater force than gravity. With free fall attractions, the vehicle is literally let go (dropped) for a certain distance before the brakes are engaged. You drop at a greater force than gravity: Tower of Terror is technically not a free-fall attraction. Florida’s version of Tower of Terror is still the only version to use this ride technology (California, Paris, and Tokyo’s versions use a different kind of mechanism to move horizontally between load/unload and the main drop tower. Without skipping a beat, John explained exactly how they would make that ride system possible and tasked his team to start working on the project. He used a salt shaker on the table to demonstrate what he wanted the elevator to do and asked John if it would be possible. During the conversation he pitched the idea of an elevator traveling through a hallway and then dropping at the other end. McNair Wilson was a lead Imagineer for Tower of Terror, and he was having lunch one day with legendary Imagineer John Hench. McNair Wilson used a salt shaker to pitch the ride concept to John Hench: Concept designer C. Unfortunately, budget cuts led to this idea being shelved, but the Imagineers resurfaced the idea when Michael Eisner asked to develop a couple of new thrilling ideas for an expansion at Disney-MGM Studios.Ĭ. The attraction would have taken guests through a kind of free-fall mine shaft. The ride design was intended for Disneyland Paris: Shortly after Disneyland Paris opened (it was called Euro Disney at the time), the Imagineers began working on a new thrill ride for Frontierland. While the Twilight Zone seems like an obvious choice in hindsight, it would have been fun to see what a Mel Brooks Disney attraction might have been like. ![]() ![]() The Imagineers met with Mel on several occasions to develop his “horror hotel”, but Disney ultimately ended up going a different direction. Mel Brooks was an early collaborator: Before landing on a Twilight Zone theme, Tower of Terror went through many iterations and was once going to be a Mel Brooks horror-comedy (think Young Frankenstein). These fun facts are in no particular order. There are many stories surrounding this classic Disney attraction, but I wanted to share a few of my favorite fun facts that I’ve learned through interviewing Walt Disney Imagineers and researching Disney publications. Much of its success is thanks to the brilliant Imagineers who brought the ride to life, combining a rich storyline with an innovative ride system, surprising thrill elements, and intricate details. Most Disney fans and historians would agree it’s one of the best theme park attractions created by Walt Disney Imagineering. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror has been a fan favorite at Walt Disney World since it opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios) in 1994.
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