Guests who visit Walt Disney World love to spend time in the four theme parks enjoying amazing attractions that bring them on all sorts of adventures. One of the most thrilling attractions in Walt Disney World can be found on the end of Sunset Boulevard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, drawing guests in with the ominous sound of screams. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is housed inside the Hollywood Tower Hotel and is so large that it can be seen from many different vantages around the park. The attraction invites guests into the hotel where five people mysteriously disappeared many years ago. Guests who are brave enough to enter soon find themselves sitting in an abandoned service elevator headed directly to The Twilight Zone. While The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is popular with many guests thanks to its big thrills, it also has an amazing level of detail that brings the story to life. Amongst all of those details are some wonderful facts that guests will absolutely love learning about. Here are the top ten mind blowing facts about The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in Walt Disney World’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
10. Camouflage
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of the tallest buildings in Walt Disney World and can easily be seen from many places both in and out of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Since the park is situated so close to Epcot, the attraction can also be glimpsed from a specific location near The Odyssey Restaurant in Epcot’s Future World across World Showcase Lagoon behind the Morocco Pavilion. Once Imagineers knew that the building would be noticeable from that vantage point in Epcot, they themed The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to blend in with the Moroccan Pavilion by using a similar color scheme and architecture. Many guests who look across World Showcase Lagoon past the Morocco Pavilion might never realize that the building in the distance is actually The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror!
9. Broken Glasses
Once guests are inside the Hollywood Tower Hotel, they are immediately surrounded by many details and props which help to bring the location to life. Guests who look around will notice that many items seem to have been left behind by guests who were in a hurry many years ago. Found on a table in the lobby is a pair of broken glasses which pay homage to The Twilight Zone episode Time Enough at Last in which Henry Bemis never had enough time to read his beloved books. Finding himself the sole survivor of an apocalyptic catastrophe, he finally has time enough at last before breaking his glasses effectively leaving himself blind.
8. 13 Diamond Award
Also found in the lobby of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is an ominous award proudly displayed on the wall. The award plaque was given by AAA and is the prestigious 13 Diamond Award. While this may seem like a great award for The Hollywood Tower Hotel to have received, the actual award only goes up to five diamonds, making this one much more ominous!
7. Rod Serling’s Double
After walking through the abandoned lobby, guests finally learn what happened on that fateful night years ago in the library. There they are shown a short film that plays much like the classic introductions to episodes of The Twilight Zone. The library’s film features Rod Serling who hosted the classic television series, however Serling passed away many years before the attraction was built. Imagineers utilized previously existing footage of Serling and used a voice actor and strategic cutaways to make the film play seamlessly.
6. Digital Removal
Fans of The Twilight Zone television series will also notice a familiar prop of Serling’s missing in the video shown in the library. Serling was frequently seen smoking a cigarette, however Imagineers digitally removed the health hazard so as to not set a poor example for guests.
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5. Boiler Room Hidden Mickey
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is home to plenty of Hidden Mickeys for guests to find ranging from easy to extremely difficult to spot. A particularly hard Hidden Mickey can be found in the boiler room of the attraction where guests board their service elevators and depart for The Twilight Zone. About halfway through the boiler room, the queue splits into two different paths for guests to choose. Just past the split on the left hand brick wall is a water stain that forms a classic Hidden Mickey.
4. Cadwallader
Once seated inside the service elevators, guests can spot an inspection certificate that indicates that the elevator was serviced at some point in the past. The certificate is signed by a Mr. Cadwallader and features the number 10259. This pays reference to the date October 2, 1959 which is when the very first episode of The Twilight Zone premiered and the character Mr. Cadwallader from the episode Escape Clause. Cadwallader was the devil himself which is pretty ominous for the guests who are riding in the elevator he serviced!
3. Plush Hidden Mickey
Guests are in for a thrilling and eerie experience once their service elevators start moving and they finally get an in person glimpse at the five ghostly figures who disappeared in one of the hotel’s hallways. Guests who look closely at the little girl will notice that she is holding a very special doll that can also be spotted in the film shown in the library. The little girl is holding a vintage plush Mickey doll from the 1930s.
2. Lights Hidden Mickey
One of the most difficult to find Hidden Mickeys in all of Walt Disney World can be found on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Just before guests enter into the elevator shaft, they see a set of lights in front of them come together in the middle of the pathway. When the lights converge in the middle, they very quickly form a classic Hidden Mickey which can take several rides for guests to spot!
1. Dummy
After surviving the thrilling rising and plummeting on the elevator, guests return to the basement of the hotel where they find themselves amongst many props and items that appear to be in storage. Among those items is a prop from an episode of The Twilight Zone that is sure to creep many guests out. The dummy is named Caesar from the episode Caesar and Me and he had a mind of his own and was able to cause all sorts of chaos with his owner Jonathon West.
