Over the last month, I have heard a lot of people talking about a possible Guardians of the Galaxy overlay for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Supposedly, Disney is looking to opt out of the licensing fees paid for the use of the Twilight Zone franchise in this ride at Disney Parks around the globe, as odd of an overlay as Guardians might sound like for it. Sounds pretty far fetched, right? Well, it isn’t. Actually, it’s all true according to sources.
Before you get too upset, from everything I have heard at this point, this only applies to Disney California Adventure. There are no plans anytime soon to overlay or replace the Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, especially with Disney and Sony working together on a feature film based on the attraction that also ties into the Twilight Zone franchise. Why overlay the California attraction? For a brand new theme park land for DCA – MARVEL Studios.
MARVEL Studios would encompass the last true expansion pad for the park, situated between Hollywood Land and A Bug’s Land. The area would be a natural extension of Hollywood Land, being a “working movie studio”. On the lot, guests could find a series on indoor and outdoor meet and greet experiences, as well as plenty of shopping and dining. One completely new attraction would greet guests according to current rumblings: a launch coaster featuring Captain America, showcasing elaborate show scenes between coaster ride portions. The other attraction would be near one of the two entrances to the new land: a Guardians of the Galaxy-themed overlay of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
With the current budgetary mindset in Disney Parks management right now, this makes a lot of sense. If they want to get MARVEL quickly and in a less costly manner into the California parks, this seems like a good answer. The Tower of Terror in California has never been as beloved or admired as much as the original attraction in Florida, and as long as an attraction of the same style existed, I find it hard to believe that any guests visiting the Disneyland Resort would actually care.
What would a Guardians of the Galaxy overlay for Tower look like? Who knows. I’m assuming there may be some material in the second Guardians of the Galaxy film which may lend itself to this attraction style, but until then, I am absolutely at a loss for how this makes sense. However, I don’t doubt Disney could make it work and make the overlay not feel so forced.
As always, things are subject to change and it sound like all of this is still in the very early design phases right now and very much subject to change. They still have an entire Star Wars-themed land to complete at Disneyland before this sees the light of day, and a lot can change between now and then. However, it certainly sounds like Disney is “hooked on a feeling” when it comes to Guardians of the Galaxy, so I expect to see an attraction based on these films sooner, rather than later.
The only part of this that I hate is that it would be another “working studio” environment but the rides would be “real experiences.” I’ll wait for the execution though.
If it’s only true to DCA then why put a picture of the one at DHS? You can’t tell me you don’t have any pictures of the one at DCA.
just gotta nit pick huh?
It’s a legit criticism for a Disney blog/news site. If that detail isn’t right, what else is sloppy info?
Other than the phrase ‘according to sources’, what part of this article ‘confirms’ anything? You said yourself that it’s many years away and you have no information as to how they will accomplish it, so what exactly are you confirming?
pretty sure it says “RUMORS CONFIRMED?” notice the question mark….
So the author is asking the reader if this article confirms the rumors? It obviously does not. It doesn’t confirm anything. The author knows that, so why imply that it does with the headline? Either way, click bait headlines just devalue and delegitimize the reporting on the website.
hi, im only unknown,fan right now
This infuriates me! First all this Stay Wars crap is ruining my favorite areas of Disneyland. Now the only attraction that is worth while at DCA. I may never go back!
Unfortunately for you, a lot of people quite like ‘Stay Wars’….. :-)
More people say Star Trek is better.
The same ride will still be there just with a different story, it’s gonna be ok. Also, was Big Thunder Ranch your favorite part of DL? You can still go visit the goats, they are at a nearby ranch. Oh and that Star Wars crap has made over $2 billion and has movies coming out yearly, also they paid $4 billion for the franchise so they are pretty committed.
Don’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya.
@Sue, I completely agree with you! Star Wars already has enough attractions, and with them addin a land for it, changing some of the other rides really makes me mad. Yes, Star Wars has fans, but not everyone loves it! I can’t even go through Tomorrowland anymore because of the franchise. Tower of Terror is one of my favorite rides, because of the creepy hotel factor! Changing it would be terrible!
Disneyland has always, always been about cinematic experiences. Your righteous indignation is… entertaining. Buh bye.
If you put a question mark after confirmed, then it’s not confirmed, it’s still a rumor.
Actually, this conversion wouldn’t be nearly as difficult as it first seems. The key is to focus on one very specific part of GotG… The Collector.
His location has a vibe that could fit incredibly well with the hotel’s interior and exterior. You simply replace all the Twilight Zone references with items that were collected. Within the ride itself, have show scenes that include the collection, The Collector, the GotG, etc. The end payoff is through the use of the infinity stone exploding, leading to you falling and flying all over the place, only to end up outside his hideaway.
I don’t believe a “working movie studio” would work considering an amusement park has many people and attractions which generates too much noise. A movie studio lot needs a lot of silence in order to film, like how Universal Studios has their park separated by a good amount of distance from the lower lot where they film. Nickelodeon tried this with their park in Florida by having two live recording stages and dealt with similar issues. The main differences between their parks and this proposed ideas are that Nickelodeon filmed mostly TV shows in which a lot of them didn’t last long with life spans of one or two seasons. Still, a working movie studio on the edge of a theme park is red flag in my eyes. Unless they could cover a very large amount of distance between the attractions and noises, I wouldn’t consider it. Although, a marvel themed land has been in Disney’s rumor mill for quite some time. I’ve heard ideas of the stark expo to even creating a whole themed universe as a land.
Well yeah… sure.
Not happening. That rumor is completely made up.
Wrong wrong wrong
I really like the pictorials on this site; that’s why I keep coming back despite the ridiculous rumors you post. “Sources”… LOL
Stick to the photo reports and stop with the click bait already.
this is very much being discussed at Disney it’s not so much a rumor as it is brainstorming by the company as to what could replace the Tower of Terror theme. Jim Hill a well respected Disney insider did a podcast on this a few weeks back confirming that the company was looking into this it wasn’t until the internet lost its collective mind as usual that this topic kind of dwindled down
You know there’s first marvel ride at Hong Kong disneyland is iron man experience, I hope you add it with the other two marvel rides at DCA. Maybe replace a bug’s land because I believe there’s not enough space there. You all can talk about this rumors or confirming at the D23 expo next year.
Ummmmmm…..Who said “The Tower of Terror in California has never been as beloved or admired as much as the original attraction in Florida”? The wait times are always insane and it is many people’s favorite ride. This is an opinion. And a lame one. How can anyone judge that? You can’t. Especially if you are a WDW person. Not a DLR person.
You can’t argue with the fact that the WDW version is superior to the DCA version. Do you admire a cheap clone that is missing parts? I sure don’t. Wait times are an irrelevant comparator. Sure it can be someone’s favorite attraction in DCA, but no one is arguing that point.
Not everyone has been sale to ride both. For people on the west it’s a much more viable option than wdw. My family loves the ride and we would be very sad to see it changed that drastucally. The the ming is what makes it so grat.
Lol just like Pirates, It’s a small world, etc at WDW are cheap clones of the ones at Disneyland.
Sorry, but many prefer the updated DCA version. The original is a decent attraction, but the darker tone, faster pacing, and better opening/ending moments in the DCA make it stand out for many guests. Sure, it doesn’t have the 5th Dimension Room, but it’s not like the 5th Dimension Room has any great effects or visuals. It’s pretty awkward.
Anybody who doesn’t understand that the WDW version of Tower of Terror is on a whole different level than DLR’s simply doesn’t follow the Parks as closely as many of us do.
It is clearly much, much more beloved at WDW.
This is coming from a So Cal “DLR” guy whose been visiting the Parks for 35 years.
It’s much more beloved because it looks so much better and it has the benefit of not really having much competition. WDW is lacking in terms of modern effects and design. The DLR version is sadly shorter, but it also feels much tighter, darker, and advanced in technology.
If you’ve ever been, or are going to Disneyworld, you’ll definitely notice the difference. CA absolutely got the cheap, awful version of the tower. After riding the far superior version in Florida, I didn’t mind that they’d be retheming CA Adventure’s tower. And what do you know….. a year later it’s happening! I couldn’t be happier! People are still going to ride it.
Sounds like BS. Plus, as an Annual Passholder for DLR, I care very much if Twilight Zone was removed. And I love Marvel and especially GOTG. Unless you remove Bugs Land and the Hyperion Theatre, it’s not be a very big “Land” for Marvel attractions. But something more definitely needs to be done with that area.
does that mean we can get rid of all of the Frozen stuff that’s there now?
I wonder how long it will be before Disney does some sort of deal with Universal for the Marvel Theme Park rights in Florida.
Oh boy a bunch of meet and greets and shopping. Disney rails again.
This is BS the Tower is the most popular ride in DCA if they wanted to save on fees they would get rid of it in all the parks not just California. I love this ride I am an Annual Pass holder that is the first ride I go on, it sits on a small amount of land this makes no sense unless they want to cut into Bugs land which is right next to it or the Theater .. Since they are now going to be playing Frozen.. which most of us are sick of.. they can take that land for an expansion.. They need to take a survey from the AP holders and see what they want they did that many yrs ago in Fla before they were doing the expansions . In the 70s they asked people to vote on what to put up..
It most d finitely is not the most popular ride in the park. One of them, yes. The most? Definitely not. I see wait times for the parks consistently five days a week, and Racers is easily the most popular.
When they mention the land between Hollywood Land and Bug’s, they’re actually talking about a sizable plot of unused backstage area that sits right behind Tower, Bug’s Land, and Cars Land. That’s the space they’re talking about for this land.
No racers is “popular” because the hourly capacity is laughable….Tower of terror is around 1800-2000 per hour and it has easily hour waits while cars does WAY less than that.
Did this writer actually type: The Tower of Terror in California has never been as beloved or admired as much as the original attraction in Florida, and as long as an attraction of the same style existed, I find it hard to believe that any guests visiting the Disneyland Resort would actually care.
Yes. He did. Well believe it…we would care.
I used to work for WDW for 19 yrs. Changes takes time. For those worried about loosing a favorite attraction write a hand written letter to Guest Relations Dept. at the park. Hand written letters are said to contain the opinions of thousands of like minded people. Electronic mail is the opinion of that one person that wrote it. If you want to save your favorite attractions let them know, and ask everyone you know to write a letter too. I’ve asked guests to write in before to ask them to change things, it worked. Start a letter writing campaign. The pen is mightier than the sword.
F U Tom. I care! Leave the Tower Of Terror Alone, damit! I don’t want a damn Guardians overlay!
Giving the same attraction a new look and feel can only be a good thing. I can’t see too many people getting upset about losing the Twilight Zone theme. It’s just the attraction people dig. Plus it’s cost effective. Which is a bonus.
A lot of people (including myself) would be very very upset. A huge part of it is the Twilight Zone theme, not “just the attraction”.
Uhhh me and all my friends would be absolutely heartbroken!! Plenty of Californian’s would definitely care so idk what the hell you’re talking about there… I really really hope this doesn’t happen. It would completely ruin and get rid of my favorite ride. :( This is the worst news!
Are they going to complete refurb the exterior of the ToT as well?? This seems like a long shot to me. GotG makes absolutely no sense at all in the Hollywood Tower Hotel. So that would mean a complete cosmetic remake. Also, the powers that be are not very likely to sign off on a project that undermines the idea of shared merch. I will believe this one when I see it.
DJ
Instead of Guardians…how about Avengers HQ (Stark’s Building) as an integration. It looks just like a giant building…because it is, and capitalizes on a HUGE amount of characters and Marvel Universe. The ride constantly drops and shows scenes on different floors. They could incorporate Avengers fighting in Stark’s building with a superhero lifting/dropping the elevator. Wasn’t there a fight in this building in Avengers 2?
Downstairs could be a general lobby (create an animatronic Stan Lee as the Front Desk Man greeting people…similar to the queue for Gringotts Bank in Universal) going to Iron’s Man’s party on the penthouse floor. Gets interrupted by some villain destroying the building and trying to drop the elevator, one of the hero’s saves the elevator (it drops to the ground, Hulk catches it at the bottom. Done.
This is clickbait if I ever saw it, you do not confirm anything in this artilce and simply refer to ‘sources’ and speculation in trying to get as many hapless internet navigators to read this sorry excuse for an article. If I were you. I’d be ashamed to be part of the 21st century phenomenon of clickbaiting and lie to potential readers about the contents of your article. Don’t try to justify the name of your ‘article’ with a ‘?’ at the end; where’s your integrity?
The geography for a “Marvel Studios” doesn’t make a lot of sense, as described. “Between Hollywood Land and a Bug’s Land” – there’s no space. They’re kind of right up against each other.
Perhaps BEHIND the current Tower in that small remaining parking lot makes a lot more sense?
That’s a bad idea. My family and I actually love Tower Of Terror. It’s a very popular ride at DCA as seen by the long wait times. We loved Guardians Of The Galaxy but having that instead of Twilight Zone is a very dumb idea. Really hope it doesn’t happen
This is such a dumb idea that completely negates the 1 billion dollar makeover that California Adventure recieved. I’d expect a Marvel attraction, but not at the expense of something that already fits the overarching theme of the park itself. Just another MISTAKE from know-nothing executives.
NO ONE FUCKING CARES . FUCK THIS RIDE
I heard they have to redo the tower because Disney is in contract with the makers of the twilight zone (or something like that) so they decided to break contract and redo the tower with guardians of the Galaxy.
It makes sense, but I’ll miss the ride. I only rode it once. Of of the best rides. <3
Does anyone here realize that DisneyLAND came first, in 1955, then DisneyWORLD, in 71? By no means is DisneyWORLD the superior park to all the true Disney lovers I know. It’s the ORIGINAL one that is held close to our hearts.
Tower of Terror is one of the favorites among so many because it is awesome, made so by the Twilight Zone theme, & that it is one of Disney’s most “thrilling” rides, without the Disney cartoon/happy ending aspect.
Disney World was made because Walt Disney realized he wanted to do so much more, but had not aquired enough property in California for all his visions. While you may want to see Disney World, to at least experience it once, & go to each different park, also realize that you need to stay a while & be in pretty good shape, because each ride is miles apart, & each park is practically its own city! Granted, it has things that California doesn’t, but California is huge, yet still compact so you aren’t worn out before you even get to your next ride’s line queue, & it’s less expensive for seeing most of the same worthwhile attractions/rides & definitely still experience all the magical magic that is Disney.
I hope Tower Of Terror stays!
Makes total sense. It would be based on the prison scene where the artificial gravity is turned off.
Disneyland is my home park and I love tower of terror. I totally care
I was very disappointed when I went to Disneyland and realized they changed Space Mountain, but was relieved to find out that it was only temporary. Could and over lay on HTH with GotG also be temporary? Sure it would still be disappointing, but at least it would not be forever.
Honestly, if they were to re-do the tower of terror, they’d turn it into a Hightower Hotel style ride. But GOTG? Really? Nice clickbait.
We people in California would care. Thank you very much. It’s is a staple. I don’t care if it’s not the same as the ones in other parks. No ride is. It is unique to our park and will be missed.
I love Disneyland &California Adventure and all it represents, Not Marvel. Guess I’m a minority.
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/so-long-tower-of-terror
Disney does not equal Marvel. The executives need to get a grip and take a step back and actually look at what they are doing to the Disney name. Disney doesn’t even resemble the same park of 10 years ago. They’ve become a joke. Removing such an iconic ride like the Tower Of Terror is ridiculous, and I for one will be rethinking ever going back to their parks.
NOOOOO
“I find it hard to believe that any guests visiting the Disneyland Resort would actually care.” We care! We can’t just hop on a plane to Florida to ride one of our favorite rides. The whole ride from start to finish (even in line) is awesome! Changing it would be a horrible idea!
Why is Disney turning into such crap! This is ridiculous with all the Star Wars stuff they just put in I couldn’t even handle that. Now they want to eat rid of an amazing (and my favorite) ride. Walt Disney would be ashamed of the way Disney if now. Disney used to be about family. Now they are just about making money. I’ve been to Disney almost every other year of my life, I go quit often and I’ve seen everything change and I’m sick of it. Someone should do something about it