Final Warning Issued: Disney Park Prepares To Shut Down 20-Year-Old Tower of Terror
Guests have less than a week to enjoy Tower of Terror at one Disney theme park.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror debuted at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1994, dropping guests through the abandoned Hollywood Tower Hotel. Its success spawned versions at Disney California Adventure in 2004, Tokyo DisneySea in 2006, and Walt Disney Studios Park — now known as Disney Adventure World — in 2007.
Not every Tower tells the same story. Tokyo DisneySea skipped The Twilight Zone licensing entirely, instead building its attraction’s storyline around fictional explorer Harrison Hightower III that would better appeal to the local demographic. Disneyland Paris also refreshed its version in 2019, introducing three new storylines, effects, and drop sequences (arguably making it the best version of the attraction) while keeping the Hollywood Tower Hotel setting.
The biggest change came in California. Disney closed its Tower of Terror in January 2017 and transformed the building into Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!, which opened later that year. The original concept survives in Florida and Paris, while Tokyo’s Tower continues with its separate storyline.
But guests don’t have long left to enjoy Tokyo’s version of the attraction.
Tower of Terror Closure Approaches
Tokyo DisneySea’s Tower of Terror is set to close on September 28, 2026, taking one of the park’s most recognizable attractions out of operation.
The adjoining Tower of Terror Memorabilia shop is also scheduled to close at the same time as work gets underway.
Thankfully, the shutdown is not permanent. Both the attraction and its shop are currently scheduled to reopen on November 6, meaning Tower of Terror will be unavailable for just over five weeks as part of Tokyo Disney Resort’s planned attraction closures.
Disney has not announced any major changes to the ride during the downtime. Unlike California’s former Tower of Terror, Tokyo’s version is still expected to return with its existing Harrison Hightower storyline intact.
Elsewhere at Tokyo DisneySea, Aquatopia permanently closed on September 14 after 25 years in Port Discovery. Oriental Land Company has said the sizeable site remains a potential location for future development, although plans are still being considered and it has not revealed what, if anything, will replace the attraction.
Major work is also underway across the resort at neighboring Tokyo Disneyland. Tomorrowland is being overhauled ahead of 2027, with a rebuilt Space Mountain — now named Space Mountain Earthrise — a new surrounding plaza, and the Wreck It Ralph-themed Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue replacing Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters.
Have you ever experienced Tokyo Disney Resort’s version of the Tower of Terror?
