So here it is: the final day. The DCA Tower of Terror is closing for good. The one thing that still crosses my mind whenever I think about it is how bizarre the whole situation is. It doesn’t do justice to either one of Disney’s top rides or their top movie franchises, and even the marketing department doesn’t seem overly enthused about the change. All I can think is that the Tower of Terror and GOTG deserved better.
I’ll probably write a better version of this when I write a post covering the entire GOTG debacle, but in the meantime I thought it’d be fitting to post this today.
Guardians of the Galaxy (GOTG) is a thoroughly enjoyable movie that certainly could make a good ride, but nothing about it seems to go along with the Tower of Terror. As of yet, the movies lacked significant art deco buildings or any particular action sequences that would suggest a drop ride. The aesthetics, plot, etc. don’t really overlap at all. Picking Tower for a re-skin, instead of a space coaster like Space Mountain, or a flight simulator like Star Tours or Soarin’, made the whole thing seem like an April fool’s joke.
Also, the fact that Disney is introducing a major franchise with a quick re-theme rather than a proper original ride just doesn't seem right. Star Wars got Star Tours, and is now getting its own elaborate original land. Meanwhile Marvel gets introduced with a quick re-theme that also takes out a beloved A-list ride? Marvel is definitely getting the short end of the stick when it comes to Disney theme parks, it seems. I’m a Marvel fan myself, so seeing both Tower and Guardians get shorted is rather unpleasant.
In terms of improving DCA, the GOTG changeover is a step sideways at best, and not a step forward. There will still be the exact same number of rides at DCA as before, so guest capacity won’t be improved (at least until the rumored full Marvel Land is built) and DCA won’t have any more entertainment options than it currently possesses. There may be a short term surge in popularity from people wanting to see the re-done ride, but Disney is not truly adding anything to DCA.
The lack of confidence with which Disney seems to be introducing the GOTG Tower has me wary as well. Their description of the setting as a “fortress warehouse power plant” sounds hodgepodge and indecisive. They could have gone with the simpler “Evil Lair” or “Collector’s Lair” and the plan would sound better. After all, an evil lair can encompass a fortress, warehouse, and power plant while not sounding like the developers just had no idea what to call the structure. I find it odd that Disney’s marketing department didn’t consider this.
The recent small reveal of the building’s new paint job only pushed the redo further into the “cheap re-theme” category. It literally looks like the Tower painted orange—they didn’t even bother to remove the little art deco flourishes from the corners or anything!
The whole thing seems almost nonsensical enough to have come from the Twilight Zone!
Like I said, I’ll gather my thoughts better for a full rundown of the GOTG Tower at some later date. In the meantime, though, R.I.P. DCA Tower of Terror.
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