One of Disney California Adventure Park’s most popular rides, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, will be closing Jan. 2, 2017, after thrilling people with its 13-story drop since May 2004.
After it closes, Disney will be revamping the ride with a “Guardians of the Galaxy” theme. “Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!” will still feature the iconic elevator drop, but the story will now be based on a walkthrough of the marketplace shown in the movie.
The announcement of the renovation, July 23, was met with resistance by many fans.
Kylie Vari, senior mathematics major, said she has been riding the Tower of Terror since she was little and does not know why they would change it.
“The Tower of Terror is such a staple in California Adventure,” Vari said. “The first time I went on it I was really small and it was just me and my oldest brother and every time we dropped he had to pull me back down.”
Vari said the theme of the Tower of Terror works with the elevator drop, but the “Guardians of the Galaxy” theme feels forced.
“The workers get really into it,” Vari said. “You don’t have to be super happy and peppy because you’re telling people they are going to ‘die.’ If you know anything about ‘Twilight Zone,’ it’s that creepy-like feel. Everything really works together to give you that cohesive — for lack of a better word — atmosphere.”
Kiara Santos, junior graphic design major, said she does not like how Disney is changing the ride, and the original theme should not be abandoned.
“It’s one of those rides where you would wait in line for it and I would ride it two, three times,” Santos said. “Some things are just classics and that’s the nice thing about Disney. They have classic characters, classic stories and the Tower of Terror is one of those.”
It is not too late to check into the Tower of Terror one more time. Disney will be having a “Late Check-Out” from Sept. 9–Oct. 13, before the ride closes, consisting of a completely blacked-out elevator drop and including performances from Dolly, Silver Lake Sisters and Fiddler.
