Credit: Inside the MagicWhen you board The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Walt Disney World Resort, you expect it to be unlike any other elevator ride in your lifetime. But after the Disney’s Hollywood Studios attraction abruptly stopped working, several guests found themselves being slowly lowered to the ground–as if they were in a non-haunted elevator anywhere but the Most Magical Place on Earth!
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then Disney-MGM Studios) on July 22, 1994. The eerie drop-style ride was so successful that Walt Disney Imagineers later created versions for Disney California Adventure Park at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris Resort, and Tokyo DisneySea at Tokyo Disney Resort.
However, in 2017, Disneyland Resort reimagined its Twilight Zone Tower of Terror as Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! to fit into the new Avengers Campus area.
Like any Disney Park attraction, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror occasionally experiences technical issues. On July 20, TikTok user @t_kaayy shared a video after getting stuck on and later evacuating the Sunset Boulevard attraction:
@t_kaayy Got stuck and had to evacuate the tower of terror ride at Disney Hollywood studios #elevator #towerofterror #fyp #disney #disneyworld #hollywoodstudios #disneyhollywoodstudios
The video shows guests sitting in one of the elevator shafts as Disney cast members slowly lower the ride vehicle to an employee-only area. Families on board the attraction are surprised when the elevator descends lower than expected, and doors open to reveal a maintenance cast member ready to greet them.
“This is cool!” one Disney Park guest exclaimed.
“We are in a part we never see, aren’t we?” another asked.
The TikToker said that at this point, Disney cast members forced guests to stop filming the backstage area. The guest also said Disney cast members didn’t compensate riders with a Lightning Lane to return later.
It’s unclear what caused this malfunction on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, as Walt Disney World Resort rarely issues public statements on minor attraction issues. However, the ride eventually reopened and operated normally in the days following this incident.
Should Walt Disney World Resort retheme its Twilight Zone Tower of Terror like Disneyland Resort did? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments!