Today marks the first anniversary of this blog!
It's been a wild ride, from Guardians of the Galaxy rumors, to DCA's loss, to Star Wars projection shows, and Monsters After Dark. In the midst of this whirlwind, I've proudly managed (with the invaluable assistance of others) to produce a "walkthrough" of DCA's Tower, give an overview of Paris' version of the ride, review Mission Breakout and Monsters After Dark, and begin a "walkthrough" of the original Floridian Tower of Terror.
Of course, there's more to come in the next year and beyond! In addition to completing the Florida walkthrough, I plan on updating and expanding my coverage of DCA and Paris, with new information and resources that have come to light about those locations. I may also expand my writing into the thematic origins of aspects of the Tower of Terror, and even possible real-life design influences.
Thank you so much for the great first year, readers! Here's to many more!
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Friday, December 1, 2017
Alternate Tower Spotlight: The Florida Tower of Terror--The Lobby
Notably, the lobby doors were much less grand than their Californian and Parisian counterparts. The DCA and Paris Towers had wide stained-glass entryways with a striking art deco sun ray pattern over the top. Not so with Florida's: The doorway seemed narrower, and was made of dark metal and extremely frosted glass. The glass barely let any light in or out, similar to the lobby windows under the colonnade. Rather than the sun ray window, the Florida lobby's entryway had a very tall arch above the door, made out of extremely frosted glass blocks that extended almost the full height of the lobby.
Unlike the DCA and Paris versions, both the fastpass and standby queues only went through the lobby once; standby did not have switchbacks like DCA/Paris. In the days before fastpass, the line went slowly enough that this one pass through the lobby gave guests plenty of time to take in the artistry of the scene. However, thanks to the fastpass system rushing large groups through all at once, now guests only have a few seconds to glance at the scene before rushing through to a library waiting area. Presumably, the addition of standby switchbacks to the later Towers was to compensate for this issue, since they were built after the implementation of fastpass. Furthermore, due to not having the switchbacks, Florida's lobby felt much more spacious.
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| Approaching the doors, June 28, 2017 |
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| The window above the doors, June 28, 2017 |
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| Glass block entry window as seen from inside, July 2, 2017 |
The view, once inside, was incredibly striking. The lobby was packed with different details to reward the curious. Unfortunately, guests had very little time to actually explore the lobby.
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| Lobby entry view, June 28, 2017 |
One of the more noticeably unique features of the Florida lobby was its massive vaulted ceiling with intricate geometric patterns. This showed some Moroccan influence on the interior; one need not go further than Epcot's Moroccan Pavilion to see similar ceilings.
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| Moroccan pavilion ceilings, July 1, 2017 |
The layout of the scenes in the lobby was the same as in the other Twilight Zone Towers, but of course the details in them were unique to Florida's version. I'll tackle each scene going clockwise, starting from the right side by the door.
In addition to the ceiling, a fan of DCA or Paris might have spotted another immediately noticeable difference as they entered the lobby: the concierge desk scene. This was to the right as one entered the doors, and was most closely viewed from the fastpass side of the queue. It was situated between the fastpass queue and the right side library waiting area; the queue wasn't simply separated from the waiting area by a gate as it was in later Towers.
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| Concierge desk, June 28, 2017 |
This scene, as one might presume from its title, featured a small, intricately carved concierge desk with a chair. A lamp with a painted landscape scene sat on the desk and lit the area. Papers littered the desk, and a man's hat, cane, and suitcase sat on and under the desk. A strange, finely carved cabinet sat against the same wall as the door. On top of the cabinet were a set of small flags, flanked by statues of a samurai and a knight. To the left of the cabinet (when facing it) was the Florida hotel's version of the 13-diamond AAA plaque. Behind the desk stood the Anthony Fremont poster on an easel. This reference to the episode "It's a Good Life" was one of the easy-to-spot Twilight Zone references in this version of the attraction.
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| Plaque detail, July 3, 2017 |
Next to the scene, in front of a column, sat a dead potted plant. Such plants were placed in front of the columns throughout the lobby.
Meanwhile, on the left side of the door was the mahjong game scene. A set of chairs surrounded a mahjong game on a table, which sat abandoned in the middle of a match. This was unique to the Florida Tower; Paris and DCA replaced this with an abandoned card game instead. Supposedly, to create the effect of an abandoned mahjong game, Disney actually hired a group of professional players to start a game and then abandon it. A tea cart also sat next to the table. In addition to the tea set, the cart also held a pot of dead flowers and a folded-up old newspaper. I couldn't quite discern any specific relevant information on the newspaper.
Beneath the next arch over from the mahjong scene, along the left side of the lobby, was a table with a bronze statue on it. Unlike DCA and Paris, this statue was of a horse and rider rather than a dragon, and it did not have lamps next to it.
Beyond the statue scene was the "lunch table" scene. This table seemed set up for some type of meal, but the lack of a tea tray next to it makes me hesitate to call it a "tea scene" like the DCA/Paris one (instead, obviously, WDW's tea tray is by the mahjong game). The queue setup of WDW's lobby made it very difficult to see, let alone photograph, this scene, and thus I can't really go into much further detail.
Beyond the lunch table was yet another table with a bronze statue. This one featured a person mountain climbing, while holding a rifle. The odd, back-corner placement of this art piece made photography difficult. The best view I have out of my own photos is this one, taken from across the room while waiting for one of the pre-show libraries:
However, this photo, taken from the now-defunct towerofterror.org, shows the statue clearly:
All of the preceding scenes along the left wall were set in front of the lobby windows that connected to the colonnade. Although these were real windows, they were so frosted that it made no difference. While later Towers made great use of natural light in the lobby, Florida's purposely frosted their windows so that day and night in the lobby were indistinguishable from each other. This not only made the building feel spookier and more decayed, it also helped disguise some fake windows that made it seem like the lobby went further into the building than in reality, which I shall discuss shortly.
All of the arched windows had red drapery. The embroidery on the drapery was unique to the Florida Tower, just as DCA and Paris had exclusive designs.
This brings us, of course, to the brilliant main show scene of the lobby: the fireplace and sitting area.
The scene consisted of a sitting area in front of a grand fireplace, with an owl statue surrounded by dried flowers in front.
It's impossible at this point for me to describe it without comparison to its counterparts in California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Paris.
One notable difference is that the WDW fireplace has twisted columns, while DCA/Paris went for a straight, squared off design. The fireplace grating featured a Gothic spiral design with a face above it, unlike the art deco sun rays of the other versions. The two light fixtures framing the fireplace were two giant candelabras rather than lamps. Two chairs sat in the arches on either side of the fireplace wall. Furthermore, the banner on the fireplace was once again unique, with this version sporting Florida's "dragons and crown" HTH crest rather than the later "shield" design.
The sitting area was comprised of two couches of a greenish print, rather than being a couch and chairs set like the other Towers. Both couches were covered in dust and cobwebs, and surrounded by old luggage. Drink cups and lamps sat on the end tables next to the couches. A coat and a newspaper were draped over the arms of the left side couch couch. The right side couch was apparently empty. The newspaper was the same one as in other versions of the lobby, but was rendered unreadable via a thick layer of dust. However, other clues in Florida's Tower gave a much clearer representation of the intended plot date. The couches sat upon a red area rug with a dark colored border.
As for the owl statue, it was the same statue as at California and Paris. However, the wooden stand on which the statue and flowers sat was of a different design.
For those wishing to visually compare this scene, here is DCA's:
And here is Paris':
Beyond the main sitting area was the check-in desk.
Sharp-eyed fans might immediately notice that Florida's desk featured a different, more intricate wood carving design on the front of the desk, rather than DCA's geometric diamond pattern. Florida's design had a rounded design with quarter circles in the corners and a shield-like design in the center. In general, this intricate-and-rounded versus sharply geometric design was a consistent difference between the two versions of the Twilight Zone Tower, with Florida's Gothic stylings featuring more intricate woodwork than DCA or Paris' art deco.
On the front counter of the desk was a sign reading:
Meanwhile, on the left side of the door was the mahjong game scene. A set of chairs surrounded a mahjong game on a table, which sat abandoned in the middle of a match. This was unique to the Florida Tower; Paris and DCA replaced this with an abandoned card game instead. Supposedly, to create the effect of an abandoned mahjong game, Disney actually hired a group of professional players to start a game and then abandon it. A tea cart also sat next to the table. In addition to the tea set, the cart also held a pot of dead flowers and a folded-up old newspaper. I couldn't quite discern any specific relevant information on the newspaper.
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| The mahjong scene, June 28, 2017 |
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| Lamp and ceiling details above the mahjong scene, July 3, 2017 |
Beneath the next arch over from the mahjong scene, along the left side of the lobby, was a table with a bronze statue on it. Unlike DCA and Paris, this statue was of a horse and rider rather than a dragon, and it did not have lamps next to it.
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| Looking down the left side of the lobby, June 28, 2017 |
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| Clear view of the table and statue, July 2, 2017 |
Beyond the statue scene was the "lunch table" scene. This table seemed set up for some type of meal, but the lack of a tea tray next to it makes me hesitate to call it a "tea scene" like the DCA/Paris one (instead, obviously, WDW's tea tray is by the mahjong game). The queue setup of WDW's lobby made it very difficult to see, let alone photograph, this scene, and thus I can't really go into much further detail.
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| The clearest view I have of the scene, July 2, 2017 |
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| You can see the lunch table scene at the left of this photo, partially hidden by the column and plant. June 28, 2017 |
Beyond the lunch table was yet another table with a bronze statue. This one featured a person mountain climbing, while holding a rifle. The odd, back-corner placement of this art piece made photography difficult. The best view I have out of my own photos is this one, taken from across the room while waiting for one of the pre-show libraries:
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| July 2, 2017 |
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| Retrieved from here |
All of the preceding scenes along the left wall were set in front of the lobby windows that connected to the colonnade. Although these were real windows, they were so frosted that it made no difference. While later Towers made great use of natural light in the lobby, Florida's purposely frosted their windows so that day and night in the lobby were indistinguishable from each other. This not only made the building feel spookier and more decayed, it also helped disguise some fake windows that made it seem like the lobby went further into the building than in reality, which I shall discuss shortly.
All of the arched windows had red drapery. The embroidery on the drapery was unique to the Florida Tower, just as DCA and Paris had exclusive designs.
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| July 2, 2017 |
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| Compare these designs to the photo above. Paris photo by Pyrokenesis, DCA by Mrbellcaptain |
This brings us, of course, to the brilliant main show scene of the lobby: the fireplace and sitting area.
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| July 2, 2017 |
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| July 2, 2017 |
The scene consisted of a sitting area in front of a grand fireplace, with an owl statue surrounded by dried flowers in front.
It's impossible at this point for me to describe it without comparison to its counterparts in California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Paris.
One notable difference is that the WDW fireplace has twisted columns, while DCA/Paris went for a straight, squared off design. The fireplace grating featured a Gothic spiral design with a face above it, unlike the art deco sun rays of the other versions. The two light fixtures framing the fireplace were two giant candelabras rather than lamps. Two chairs sat in the arches on either side of the fireplace wall. Furthermore, the banner on the fireplace was once again unique, with this version sporting Florida's "dragons and crown" HTH crest rather than the later "shield" design.
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| A view showing the fireplace grating and face detail. July 2, 2017 |
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| Lobby banner detail, July 3, 2017 |
The sitting area was comprised of two couches of a greenish print, rather than being a couch and chairs set like the other Towers. Both couches were covered in dust and cobwebs, and surrounded by old luggage. Drink cups and lamps sat on the end tables next to the couches. A coat and a newspaper were draped over the arms of the left side couch couch. The right side couch was apparently empty. The newspaper was the same one as in other versions of the lobby, but was rendered unreadable via a thick layer of dust. However, other clues in Florida's Tower gave a much clearer representation of the intended plot date. The couches sat upon a red area rug with a dark colored border.
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| A look at the newspaper before it was so thickly dust-coated, via the now-defunct towerofterror.org. You can tell it's Florida's couch via the fabric design. LINK |
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| Left couch detail, July 2, 2017. Photo taken from one of the pre-show waiting areas. |
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| The main rug, July 3, 2017 |
For those wishing to visually compare this scene, here is DCA's:
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| See HERE for more detail |
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| See HERE for more detail |
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| July 2, 2017 |
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| A look behind the desk, June 28, 2017. Taken from the right side of the desk, where the standby line waits to be diverted to one of the pre-show waiting areas. |
On the front counter of the desk was a sign reading:
Guest Registration
Cashier
Information
I don't know what font this sign was in, but it wasn't the Banhof Regular used at DCA and Paris. In fact, that very art deco font, which was everywhere at DCA and Paris, was completely absent from the Florida Tower.
The desk also had a large book laid out on the front of it-- the guest registration book. There was also a bell next to the sign, as well as some pens for signing the guest book. At each end of the front of the desk was a lamp with the HTH logo on the lampshade. Interestingly, the version of the logo on the lamps was the "shield" design later adopted as the HTH logos for the DCA and Paris Towers, rather than Florida's "dragon crest" design.
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| Official Disney photo showing details on the front of the desk. |
The left side of the desk had a bowl-like object (an ashtray?) and a small Greek-style statue of a woman and a cherub. On the inside of the left wing of the desk was a filing system filled with envelopes, presumably mail for the hotel guests. In front of the mail was a small weight balance scale. There was also a pen-holder type cup on the left side of the desk, but it isn't visible in my photos. On the inside front of the desk was some other kind of bowl or ashtray and a dropped pen, once again not visible in my photos. On the right side of the desk was a man's hat and coat, along with a newspaper with a room key sitting on top.
Along the back wall behind the desk were the access door, a clock, the room key cabinet, and a mailbox. The access door had a carved pattern that matched the pattern on the front of the desk, and likewise differed from the DCA and Paris designs. The clock was, naturally, set to 8:05, like the rest of the visible clocks in the attraction. The cabinet was a similar, but not identical design to the one found in later Towers; the DCA version had a geometric design on it in addition to the scrolls at the top. Interestingly, Florida's key cabinet displayed a random assortment of numbered keys; it did not emphasize room numbers featuring "13" like the Californian version.
The post box appeared to be a fairly standard US mailbox. Under it, however, was some sort of tray, filled with coins. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a coin tray or if guests just liked putting spare change there. Older photos I've found show that there was once an old rotary phone on the desk next to this coin tray, but as you can tell from my photo, it was gone when I visited in 2017.
In the middle of the arch between the check-in desk and the concierge desk scenes was a carved wooden podium where a bellhop cast member stood. The podium, which was carved with a simple square design on the front, had a green and bronze lamp on top. On the fastpass side were two more fastpass readers, identical to the ones outside, where guests had to scan their wristband or tickets. The cast member would ask the number of guests in the party, and then direct them to one of two waiting areas.
Behind the podium was an important, but unfortunately hard to photograph scene: the crashed lobby elevators.
The scene featured the hotel's two main elevators, now completely inoperable. The wall was severely cracked, with chunks of plaster coming off. The stone borders around the doors were likewise cracked, and the metal doors were bent wildly out of shape. In front of each was an "out of order" sign... although all of the other details already clearly stated these elevators weren't moving anytime soon. The indicators on the dials pointed towards "basement".
In between the two elevators was a lighted directory sign, with letters on the directory listings missing or askew. The font for the word "Directory" was Farquharson. There used to be an Easter Egg featuring the missing letters in the directory; when the Tower opened, if one looked at the fallen letters at the bottom of the directory case, they would spell out "EVIL TOWER UR DOOMED". It is unclear when this Easter Egg was removed, but it certainly wasn't there by 2017.
Guests passed the crashed elevators on the way to one of two waiting areas, which I will henceforth refer to as the King's waiting area (right side) and Queen's waiting area (left side). This isn't just a holdover from my DCA walkthrough, either. On the wall of each waiting area was a window (real but extremely frosted on the King's side, false on the Queen's side) with a table and a large bronze bust in front of it. On the king's side, the statue depicted a male figure in luxurious clothing, while the queen's side featured a woman in clothing of the same style. Interestingly, the figures were both dressed in outfits that looked vaguely Middle Eastern.
First, the King's waiting area.
This was basically just a vaguely square waiting area to the right of the crashed elevator scene. In the front were the intricately carved library doors, marked as such by a plaque above them. To the right (as one faced the library) was the window to the front of the building, covered with drapery. In front of the window stood a table with the bust of a man. At the back of the waiting area, guests could view the back side of the concierge desk scene.
To reach the Queen's waiting area, guests had to walk down a small hallway formed by the back wall of the check-in desk and the crashed elevators.
Much like the other Towers, even this small area was filled with detail. On the back wall of the check-in desk was a lighted display cabinet, a small ledge with a rotary phone, and a carved door.
The lighted display cabinet, which was placed rather high on the wall (its upper edge was level with the top of the door), contained a statue of a woman in an ancient Greek-style dress, some empty perfume bottles, and some handbags with a set of ladies' gloves draped over them. On top of the cabinet were two candlesticks and another Roman-style statue.
The ledge with the rotary phone was very easy to miss; you can barely see it in my July 3 photo highlighting the crashed elevator scene. I wonder if this was the rotary phone that used to be on the side of the check-in desk.
Lastly, there was the door to the check-in desk itself. It featured a carved wood design that matched the check-in desk. However, unlike its Californian counterpart, it did not feature "22" or any other number.
Finally, guests arrived at the Queen's waiting area.
To match the King's waiting area, there was also a window with drapery behind the statue--in this case, a fake one. The heavy tinting on the other lobby windows made the false window less obvious. Interestingly, this window also had implications for the intended scale of the lobby. This window implied that Florida's lobby was meant to span the entire length of the building, being able to have windows on both ends. This also explained how both libraries could have windows to the outside. Meanwhile, DCA and Paris' lack of false windows on this side implied that their lobbies didn't go all the way through, thus turning their Queen's side library windows into discontinuities.
The back of the Queen's waiting area gave guests another view into the main lobby show scene, with views of the check-in desk and seating area. On the right was a door, which apparently really opened into some sort of backstage area.
Eventually, after waiting for a few minutes, guests heard the following announcement:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, in just a few moments the library doors in front of you will be opening. Please stand back from the doors. Thank you."
Despite following a similar script to DCA's pre-library spiel, Florida's had a different announcer. The voice, though still ghostly, sounded distinctly deeper. Here is a link to a live recording, captured via WayBack Machine from the now-defunct towerofterror.org.
At this point, the library doors opened, and guests continued onward into the pre-show.
In the middle of the arch between the check-in desk and the concierge desk scenes was a carved wooden podium where a bellhop cast member stood. The podium, which was carved with a simple square design on the front, had a green and bronze lamp on top. On the fastpass side were two more fastpass readers, identical to the ones outside, where guests had to scan their wristband or tickets. The cast member would ask the number of guests in the party, and then direct them to one of two waiting areas.
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| Cast member standing at the podium, July 2, 2017 |
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| Detail of the podium lamp, June 28, 2017 |
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| Photo showing the front of the podium, undated. From wdwtourguide.com here |
Behind the podium was an important, but unfortunately hard to photograph scene: the crashed lobby elevators.
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| July 3, 2017 |
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| Detail of the left crashed elevator, and its "out of order" sign. July 3, 2017 |
In between the two elevators was a lighted directory sign, with letters on the directory listings missing or askew. The font for the word "Directory" was Farquharson. There used to be an Easter Egg featuring the missing letters in the directory; when the Tower opened, if one looked at the fallen letters at the bottom of the directory case, they would spell out "EVIL TOWER UR DOOMED". It is unclear when this Easter Egg was removed, but it certainly wasn't there by 2017.
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| July 3, 2017 |
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| No Easter Eggs in the bottom of the Directory. July 3, 2017 |
First, the King's waiting area.
This was basically just a vaguely square waiting area to the right of the crashed elevator scene. In the front were the intricately carved library doors, marked as such by a plaque above them. To the right (as one faced the library) was the window to the front of the building, covered with drapery. In front of the window stood a table with the bust of a man. At the back of the waiting area, guests could view the back side of the concierge desk scene.
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| Overall view of the waiting area, June 28, 2017 |
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| "King" statue, June 28, 2017. Note the real window behind him. |
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| The top of the drapery and a look at the ceiling, June 28, 2017 |
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| Ceiling and chandelier, June 28, 2017 |
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| The crashed elevators as seen from the back of the King's waiting area, June 28, 2017 |
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| The concierge desk as seen from the King's waiting area, June 28, 2017 |
Much like the other Towers, even this small area was filled with detail. On the back wall of the check-in desk was a lighted display cabinet, a small ledge with a rotary phone, and a carved door.
The lighted display cabinet, which was placed rather high on the wall (its upper edge was level with the top of the door), contained a statue of a woman in an ancient Greek-style dress, some empty perfume bottles, and some handbags with a set of ladies' gloves draped over them. On top of the cabinet were two candlesticks and another Roman-style statue.
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| June 28, 2017 |
The ledge with the rotary phone was very easy to miss; you can barely see it in my July 3 photo highlighting the crashed elevator scene. I wonder if this was the rotary phone that used to be on the side of the check-in desk.
Lastly, there was the door to the check-in desk itself. It featured a carved wood design that matched the check-in desk. However, unlike its Californian counterpart, it did not feature "22" or any other number.
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| June 28, 2017 |
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| Entering the Queen's waiting area, June 28, 2017 |
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| The "Queen's" statue. June 28, 2017 |
The back of the Queen's waiting area gave guests another view into the main lobby show scene, with views of the check-in desk and seating area. On the right was a door, which apparently really opened into some sort of backstage area.
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| A look at the fireplace from the back of the Queen's waiting area. That door I just mentioned is just out of frame to the right; you can see the edge of the door frame. June 28, 2017 |
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| A look at the check-in desk from the Queen's waiting area. July 2, 2017 |
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| The library doors. The doors were the same for either library, but this photo is of the doors on the Queen's side. July 2, 2017 |
"Ladies and Gentlemen, in just a few moments the library doors in front of you will be opening. Please stand back from the doors. Thank you."
Despite following a similar script to DCA's pre-library spiel, Florida's had a different announcer. The voice, though still ghostly, sounded distinctly deeper. Here is a link to a live recording, captured via WayBack Machine from the now-defunct towerofterror.org.
At this point, the library doors opened, and guests continued onward into the pre-show.
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