Goodbye Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Say Hello to a New Gardian’s of the Galaxy Attraction at California Adventure Park

Dropping several flights in an elevator was never my idea of fun, so saying goodbye to the Twilight Tower of Terror won’t be as hard for me as some other Disney park’s enthusiasts.

There is however, a part of me that’s always a little sad to see a ride replaced. Over the years several of my favorite rides have been either removed or replaced with newer attractions. Like the Submarine Voyage, a fun ride that took us deep into the depths of the ocean, revealing the secrets of the sea. That beloved attraction was replaced at Disneyland with the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, and the Snow White Mine Train attraction at The Magic Kingdom Park.

Now, Disney plans to shut down the Tower of Terror in January to make way for a new Guardian’s of the Galaxy themed attraction.

The Twilight Zone

It may seem like a weird concept for a Disney attraction, but the Twilight Zone theme has kept visitors coming back for over two decades. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction was based on the 1959 TV series the Twilight Zone. The first version of the attraction opened back in 1994 at the then called Disney-MGM Studios Park in Orlando, Florida. That park is currently under a major re-theme, but for many years brought the glamour of old Hollywood to park visitors. In the TV series, the Twilight Tower Hotel was a fictional hotel located in Hollywood, California. It’s fictional location made it a perfect fit for the park.

California Adventure Park

The California Adventure Park envisioned by Mike Eisner is very different from the one we see today. In it’s opening years it was heavily based on sunny Southern California. Songs from the Beach Boys played as guests entered the park, and Hollywood was again a major theme. The park suffered from low attendance in its first few years, prompting a complete overhaul in 2007.

Today the park offers guests a little Disney nostalgia. Buena Vista street was transformed into 1920s Los Angeles, the way it would have looked to Walt when he first moved to the city. As a nod to Walt’s original studio, the Golden Gate Bridge was removed and reworked as the historic Glendale-Hyperion bridge. That’s the same bridge Walt would have taken on his commute to the studio.  Cars Land was added to the park, and many attractions were re-worked with Disney themes.

There have been changes in recent months as well. Aladdin the stage production closed and was replaced by Frozen Live at the Hyperion. Anna and Elsa left Disneyland, and now provide meet and greets exclusively at California Adventure.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy did very well for Disney earning $773 million. It earned $94 million in its opening weekend. The film centers around an unlikely band of heroes who team up despite their disdain for each other to save the world. The movie is based on the popular comic book from 2008, a reboot from the original 1969 Marvel comic. The film stars several A-list celebrities including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Bradley Cooper. Get Guardians Of The Galaxy [Blu-ray] online now.

A Marvel Land?

At ComiCon last week, Marvel executives announced a new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction that would be replacing the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Many are speculating that the new attraction will serve as an entrance to a new Marvel themed land. If that’s true, Disney will have to retire additional attractions to make way for the new land.

On either side of the hotel are extensively themed lands. On the one side, there’s Bug’s Land which is the only portion of the park dedicated to younger children. The land provides several small attractions and water play areas for little ones. On the other side, there’s the Hyperion theater and Hollywood Blvd. which consists of shopping and dining experiences. The only attraction in danger would be the Monsters Inc. ride, which is rarely visited by guests despite it being a great dark ride.

Fans of the Twilight Tower of Terror can still enjoy the original attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park in Orlando, and Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris. Watch the video below to learn more about the newest attraction to hit California Adventure Park in 2017.