Community Corner
Disney says, 'Tower of Terror No More' -- New Ride to Take its Place
Fans of Disney have a year to enjoy Tower of Terror before the ride makes way for something new in the Disney / Marvel Franchise.
ANAHEIM, CA — The Tower of Terror — one of the most popular attractions at Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim — will be remade into a "Guardians of the Galaxy" ride, officials announced this weekend during San Diego's Comic-Con.
Based on the legendary 1960s television show "The Twilight Zone," the Tower of Terror is a free-fall elevator ride that opened in 2004 and was based on a similar attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. It currently combines elements of the TV show with a structure designed to look like a 1930s hotel, based on the real-life Hollywood Tower apartments on Franklin Avenue.
The iconic building will be turned into a new attraction called Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout! set to open in summer 2017. It will serve as an anchor for a "broader universe of superheroes that will grow over time" at California Adventure, according to a statement issued by Marvel Studios and posted on Disney's official parks blog.
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The new attraction will feature a free-fall sensation and various visual and audio effects.
Walt Disney Co. bought Marvel Entertainment Inc. in 2009 for $4 billion and has been integrating Marvel characters into its Anaheim theme parks.
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"Guardians of the Galaxy" was one of the biggest box-office hits of 2014. The first sequel, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," is scheduled to hit movie screens in 2017.
Reactions on social media about the transformation were mixed.
On Twitter, Lauryn Garrett wrote, "Getting rid of Tower of Terror? Why don't they just rip my heart out and stomp all over it while they're at it." Others started using the hashtag #SaveTheTower. A petition to preserve the original ride was gaining traction on the website Change.org, with more than 18,000 supporters as of this evening.
Some on the Twittersphere welcomed the change. Tweeter Jared Mendez wrote, "Not really sad to hear about Tower of Terror... That ride got old."
Many people simply said they wanted one more chance to ride it before it's gone.
City News Service