In the Blink of an Eye, Things at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Have Changed

Guests arriving at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this week are walking into a noticeably different park, and the Hollywood Tower Hotel at the center of it all is more covered in construction equipment than it has been at any point this summer.

More of the Facade Disappears Behind Scaffolding

WDWNT reported on August 12 that the scaffolding surrounding the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror had expanded again, this time extending across the left side of the building past the drop shaft — the most significant single-step progression in a project that has been creeping around the Hollywood Tower Hotel facade since early July. The outlet shared a photo of the current construction, showing the full extent of the building’s exterior now concealed behind metal scaffolding.

The one thing the scaffolding hasn’t touched is the ride experience itself. When the elevator doors open during the drop sequence, guests still have an unobstructed view of Disney’s Hollywood Studios below.

Months of Work, One Building at a Time

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror’s exterior transformation has unfolded in deliberate stages. A queue refurbishment in May kicked things off, followed by the removal of decorative flags above the gift shop and the installation of scrim over several facade elements — subtle early signs of a much larger project to come. Scaffolding arrived above the gift shop in early July and has been advancing steadily ever since, moving right, then forward, then up the front facade, and now across the left side of the building.

In areas where the scaffolding has been in place the longest, the repainting work is already producing visible results. Sections of the Hollywood Tower Hotel now show noticeably fresher, brighter pink paint that has yet to receive the building’s signature artificially aged and weathered finish. That distressed treatment appears to come later in the process, once the base coat is established.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror remains open and operating normally. Walt Disney World Resort has not announced any plans to temporarily close the 32-year-old attraction while the exterior work continues.

Have you noticed any other construction at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Disney Dining would love to hear from you in the comments!