After checking off the last Tower of Terror attraction at Tokyo DisneySea earlier this month, I’m here to rank all the iterations of the Disney drop tower.
Disney began designing their first free-fall drop tower back in the 1980s. Disney Imagineering dreamt up Geyser Mountain, an attraction intended for Disneyland Paris’ Frontierland. The attraction would have had guests board a mine car and travel through beautiful caves inspired by the Rainbow Caverns in Disneyland’s Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland. The car would continue through the caverns until suddenly, while on a bridge, a geyser underneath the train would erupt, shooting the mine cars into the air. You can read more about the history of this never built attraction here. But, like they say, good ideas never die. Disney continued working on their drop tower concept until the idea finally came to fruition in the 90s.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, originally opening in Disney’s MGM Studios back in 1994, was an instant classic. Since then, the thrill ride has inspired several iterations at Disney Parks throughout the globe. With variations of the attraction located at Disney California Adventure, Walt Disney Studios Park, and Tokyo DisneySea, let’s take a look at my ranking of the different versions and rethemes of Disney’s most thrilling attraction.
6. Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission:BREAKOUT!
A maybe unpopular opinion, Mission: BREAKOUT! is my least favorite iteration of the Disney drop tower. While I was very optimistic for this retheme, always viewing the California iteration as a lesser version of the original attraction, the story and theming fall flat for me. The hand scanning premise feels rushed and out of place. With much of the original interior intact and recognizable, I would have preferred the attraction to close for several years for a more thorough reimagining ala Frozen Ever After. I also find the exterior of the attraction to be visually obstructive and out of place. I will give credit to the Imagineers for the incredible Rocket Raccoon animatronic and the intense drop profiles. The ride is still one of the most exciting and fun attractions in the Disneyland Resort, I just prefer its predecessor.
5. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Pre-refurb Paris and California)
The first time I rode this version of the attraction, I was incredibly confused. Being a kid who had only gone on Walt Disney World’s version, I expected the California clone to be the same exact attraction. After loading into the elevator shaft, I was shocked that the elevator moved backwards and didn’t enter a different shaft for the drop sequence. I got off of the attraction disappointed and discombobulated. However, the theming for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was so incredibly well done that, once moving to California, the drop ride was still one of my favorite attractions at the resort. Paris’ version, which I had the opportunity to ride for the first time in 2008, was previously an exact clone of its California counterpart. It was easily the best attraction at Walt Disney Studios Park during my first visit to the Paris resort.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy- Monsters After Dark
Contrary to its daytime version, this nighttime Halloween-season overlay overrode many of my complaints about the retheme of California’s Tower. With a far more guest inclusive storyline, this ride represents the humor of the Guardians of the Galaxy in a way the normal version of the attraction does not. The original song also brings a unique tone to the attraction solidifying itself as its own entity. The nighttime lighting effects are visually stunning.
3. Tower of Terror (Tokyo DisneySea)
With an unexpectedly horrifying original story, DisneySea’s Tower of Terror really sits in its own league. The attraction follows S.E.A. member Harrison Hightower, owner of the Hightower Hotel, as one of his latest collected artifacts comes to life and plummets him down his own elevator shaft. This attraction uses the same ride system as the California Tower, with the elevator moving backwards into a shaft at the beginning of the ride. However, this version solves many of the theming issues, like entering elevator doors into a hallway, that the Twilight Zone themed variant had. The theming here is more intricate than the other towers, with one of Disney’s coolest preshows. The only reason it isn’t up at number 1 is how disappointing the drop profile. I would describe the drop intensity somewhere in between the other Towers and Jumping Jellyfish. The ride also uses over-the-shoulder car seat belt restraints. With some tinkering, this Tower could easily dethrone the number one spot.
2. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Paris)
Disney Imagineering knocked this update out of the park. While nothing thematically changed to the attractions exterior, queue or pre-show, the ride now features 6 different drop profiles compared to the single profile that existed before. The theme sequences for these profiles are incredibly creepy and include a lot of unexpected drops and launches. Imagineering took what they did with Mission: BREAKOUT!’s drop profiles and amped up the volume. I really wish Disneyland could have received this update over the retheme.
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Florida)
Nothing beats the original Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This is the only version of the attraction that contains the 5th dimension scene, a sequence where the elevator moves out of the shaft and into another one. The facade for the attraction dominates the skyline with a grace that the other towers do not emulate. While I would love to see them increase the intensity of the drop profiles, this version of the attraction accomplishes its story so perfectly. Every detail is on point, and it’ll be really hard for Disney to ever top this as their best thrill ride.
Thank you for checking out my ranking of the Disney drop towers. I hope we see new variations of the attraction built in both Hong Kong and Shanghai in the future.
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