Tower of Terror

[smart1hermione]

Yeah, usually WDW takes rides from DLR and improves them (double seating on Splash, anyone?). But this time, it's the other way around. DCA's improved ToT. Really little things, like height and the track's different, I've heard.

I love that line! Once you get inside. It's entertaining like Indy's! I've heard about the design of the lobby area, how they tried to find and replicate as many authentic artifacts as possible. Dream job!

[GuestJockey]

Yeah, usually WDW takes rides from DLR and improves them (double seating on Splash, anyone?). But this time, it's the other way around. DCA's improved ToT. Really little things, like height and the track's different, I've heard.

I love that line! Once you get inside. It's entertaining like Indy's! I've heard about the design of the lobby area, how they tried to find and replicate as many authentic artifacts as possible. Dream job!

I've been working on a new tour and I got the show info guides from WDI on TOT. MAN are they cool! They list EVERY Twilight Zone reference in the queue and all sorts of stuff that I'd never catch on my own. I think the TOT queue has surpassed Indy IMHO as far as neato stuff in the queue

[hobie16]

I think the TOT queue has surpassed Indy IMHO as far as neato stuff in the queue

Years ago we were first in line for the opening of Indy for the day. A CM lead the thundering herd so there would be no running. Along the way he reached behind a pillar to hit a button which caused a rock to drop down from the ceiling.

Does that still exist?

[Mad Maxx]

Years ago we were first in line for the opening of Indy for the day. A CM lead the thundering herd so there would be no running. Along the way he reached behind a pillar to hit a button which caused a rock to drop down from the ceiling.

Does that still exist?

Only thing that sounds close to that is the bamboo pole in the spike room. Thats still there working on and off...

[smart1hermione]

Years ago we were first in line for the opening of Indy for the day. A CM lead the thundering herd so there would be no running. Along the way he reached behind a pillar to hit a button which caused a rock to drop down from the ceiling.

Does that still exist?

Uhm... Kind of.

In the line, there's a section that looks like unstable rocks that are supported by bamboo. On a timer, the rocks will tumble, I think. There's also a section with the infamous indy shrinking ceiling spear room. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I try to never wait in line at Indy. 15 minute wait or bust. It just seems as though the ride breaks down whenever I put a good 45 minutes or more into the wait.

[felinefan]

I was never really into the Twilight Zone when I was a kid; the only episode I remember watching all the way through was the one that had William Shatner in it, I think it was called Terror at 35,000 Feet. It's the one where Shatner plays a mentally unstable man being transported on a commercial airliner with his wife, and he keeps seeing this creature on the wing, tearing at the wing structure. Everytime Shatner tries to tell his wife or the stewardess, the creature floats off the wing. Finally, Shatner manages to break the window and try to get the creature off the wing so it won't remove the wing of the plane. He ends up getting taken off the plane in a straitjacket, but how to explain the damage to the wing?

To anyone's knowledge, were any of these stories based on actual events of any kind, or totally fiction? Obviously the one I described was fiction, but I know some fiction is based on a retelling of actual events. I was especially wondering about the one Tower of Terror is based on.

[smart1hermione]

I think most of the Tower of Terror plots were just short stories... But we all know fiction has some basis in fact.

Fun Fact: ToT isn't based directly on the Twilight Zone episode, it's based on the Disney TV movie based on the Twilight Zone episode. Starring Steve Gutenburg, no less.

[EpcotFan]

Fun Fact: ToT isn't based directly on the Twilight Zone episode, it's based on the Disney TV movie based on the Twilight Zone episode. Starring Steve Gutenburg, no less.

Its a fun little film. It looks like they must have filmed parts of it a the attraction in WDW. I've always wondered if they did the filming before the attraction opened? There are exterior parts where it looks like it was filmed before some queue elements were added.

[smart1hermione]

Its a fun little film. It looks like they must have filmed parts of it a the attraction in WDW. I've always wondered if they did the filming before the attraction opened? There are exterior parts where it looks like it was filmed before some queue elements were added.

I could have sworn that the ride was made after the movie, but the ride's been in Orlando since 1994 and the movie came out in 1997. Weird.

I want to go to Tokyo DisneySea for their version... Check it out:

[Randy B]

I could have sworn that the ride was made after the movie, but the ride's been in Orlando since 1994 and the movie came out in 1997. Weird.

That's the way I remember it. The attraction was in operation and popular well before the movie was written and shot. And yes they did shoot some of the scenes at the WDW ToT exterior. I remember being in the parks shortly after they did the shoots and hearing from some friends about it. Many of the exterior shots were night shots and were done after the park closed for the day. I believe they also shot some of the "at home" shots on some of the exteriors on Residential street (rip).

BTW the movie was poor, but not as bad as the Country Bears movie. Those two movies almost made it impossible to convince the bean counters to even try Pirates. Of course, the poor income from the Haunted Mansion movie just before Pirates didn't help any. (and just to keep my collection complete I DO have all of these movies in my DVD collection.)

Randy