Disney Tower of Terror Closure Looms as September 28 Date Confirmed

A familiar Disney landmark is preparing for a spell of silence.

Tower of Terror has spent decades building a reputation as one of Disney’s signature thrill rides, combining elaborate hotel theming with sudden elevator drops. Since the first version debuted in Florida in 1994, the concept has spread to several Disney resorts around the world.

The original attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios draws directly from Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, placing guests inside the fictional Hollywood Tower Hotel before sending them through a supernatural encounter and a randomized drop sequence.

Disney later opened related attractions in California, Paris, and Japan, although their stories and ride systems are not all identical. The California version eventually closed permanently, while the remaining Tower of Terror attractions continue to operate in different forms.

Another version is now approaching a scheduled closure date, although this shutdown will be temporary.

September 28 Closure Date Approaches

Tokyo DisneySea’s Tower of Terror will close to guests on September 28, 2026.

The attraction is currently scheduled to reopen on November 6, meaning the closure is expected to last just over five weeks.

Unlike Disney California Adventure’s former Tower of Terror, there is no indication that the Tokyo attraction is being replaced or rethemed. Its relatively short closure window instead points to a standard refurbishment.

Tokyo Disney Resort regularly takes attractions offline for maintenance, with closures affecting rides across both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea throughout the year.

The resort is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company under license from The Walt Disney Company, making its operating structure different from Disney’s wholly owned U.S. theme parks.

Tokyo DisneySea’s Tower of Terror is also unusual within the wider attraction family.

Because The Twilight Zone branding is not used at the Japanese resort, Disney created an entirely original storyline for the ride.

Guests enter the Hotel Hightower, a grand New York property once owned by fictional explorer Harrison Hightower III.

According to the attraction’s story, Hightower collected artifacts from around the world before stealing a mysterious idol named Shiriki Utundu. He later disappeared inside the hotel on New Year’s Eve, leaving the building abandoned.

Guests now tour the hotel and learn about his disappearance before entering its elevators, where the supernatural elements of the story begin to take over.

That storyline separates Tokyo DisneySea’s attraction from the versions in Florida and Paris while preserving the looming hotel exterior and drop-tower format associated with Tower of Terror.

Tower of Terror Has Changed Before

The upcoming closure is temporary, but Tower of Terror has already undergone much bigger changes elsewhere.

Disney California Adventure permanently closed The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in January 2017 after more than 12 years of operation.

Disney transformed the building into Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT!, replacing the haunted hotel storyline with a Marvel attraction centered on the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Florida attraction remains open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where its ride experience differs from the other versions thanks to a section that moves vehicles horizontally through the building before the main drop sequence.

Disneyland Paris also continues to operate The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, although its attraction uses its own ride configuration and storytelling elements.

Tokyo DisneySea guests will still have several major rides available while Tower of Terror is closed.

Journey to the Center of the Earth remains one of the park’s biggest thrill attractions, taking guests beneath Mount Prometheus before a high-speed finale.

Soaring: Fantastic Flight offers another headline experience, while Fantasy Springs has added several newer attractions to the park.

The expansion includes Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey (the park’s take on Frozen Ever After, featuring some of Disney’s best animatronics ever) and Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival, alongside Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure and Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies.

Elsewhere in Tokyo DisneySea, guests can ride the likes of Raging Spirits, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage.

Tokyo Disneyland next door also offers attractions including Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and Pooh’s Hunny Hunt.

For Tower of Terror itself, however, September 28 is now the key date.

Guests visiting Tokyo DisneySea before then will still be able to enter Hotel Hightower and experience the attraction before its scheduled fall refurbishment begins.

If the current timetable holds, Tower of Terror will reopen on November 6, returning one of Tokyo DisneySea’s most recognizable rides to the park after a little more than a month away.

Have you ever experienced Tokyo Disney Resort’s version of Tower of Terror?