Ashley Eckstein And James Arnold Taylor Return To Headline Star Wars Weekends In 2012!
Good news Star Wars fans, it would seem that clone wars voice actors Ashley Eckstein and James Arnold Taylor (Ashoka Tano and Obi-Wan Kenobi) have both agreed to headline Star Wars weekends again in 2012! Although I will be in Disney again in May this year I will not be attending any of the Star Wars weekends but I will say that with these two big names headlining the events once again, it is well worth attending!
Also…. who wouldn’t want to go an see the lovely Ashley Eckstein?
Attractions In Detail- The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror
The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror is known to Disney fans all over the world as many different things. Some call it the above, others call it the Tower of Terror and many others simply call it the TOT. But where did this awesome attraction come from and what about it has made it arguably the most successful attraction at Hollywood Studios?
The Plot
The ride itself is based around the storylines seen in the Twilight Zone television series and according to Disney sources the imagineers for the ride watched every single episode of the television series at least twice before the attraction was complete. (This is partly why fans will see references to the series jotted throughout the attraction).
The hotel has been closed since 1939 when a freak lightening accident transported an elevator full of people straight into the Twilight Zone which in turn caused an entire wing of the building to disappear! You will notice by looking at the front of the building exactly where the “lightening” hit as there are big, black burn marks on the front.
The History Of TOT
The attraction first opened in July of 94 and is the second tallest attraction in Walt Disney World standing at 199 feet. (Expedition Everest is 199.5!). In order to mix the fear in this attraction up a bit Disney added a random drop factor into the programming a few years ago. This means that instead of guests just dropping the 13 stories they would usually do they might drop 3 then 5 then go up that 8 and drop all 13! This addition to the attraction gave the slogan “never the same fear twice”!
The ride system itself is also a very interesting one as it was specifically made for Disney. The ability for an elevator to move in and out of a vertical shaft is the technology that Disney are particularly proud of and it sounds like something that has come straight from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Tower of Terror Cast Members
Another interesting fact about the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is the fact that the bellhop costume that cast members wears costs over $1,000 per costume! This actually makes it the most expensive costume on any attraction in WDW!
An End To The TOT?
With the Tower of Terror still putting the fear and laughter into many WDW guests over 17 years since the launch of the attraction and with Disney constantly making sure the right updates are made to keep the ride fresh it doesn’t look like the scariest ride in Hollywood Studios is going to be closing down any time soon and, well, that’s fantastic!
Are there any other great facts you want me to include about the Tower of Terror in Walt Disney World Florida, let me know in the comments and I will add them in!
