Disney’s ‘Tower of Terror’ attraction to close

The Tower of Terror — one of the most popular
attractions at Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim — will be remade
into a “Guardians of the Galaxy” ride, officials announced this weekend
during San Diego’s Comic-Con.

Based on the legendary 1960s television show “The Twilight Zone,” the
Tower of Terror is a free-fall elevator ride that opened in 2004 and was based
on a similar attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. It currently
combines elements of the TV show with a structure designed to look like a 1930s
hotel, based on the real-life Hollywood Tower apartments on Franklin Avenue.

The iconic building will be turned into a new attraction called
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! set to open in summer 2017. It
will serve as an anchor for a “broader universe of superheroes that will grow
over time” at California Adventure, according to a statement issued by Marvel
Studios and posted on Disney’s official parks blog.

The new attraction will feature a free-fall sensation and various visual
and audio effects.

Walt Disney Co. bought Marvel Entertainment Inc. in 2009 for $4 billion
and has been integrating Marvel characters into its Anaheim theme parks.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” was one of the biggest box-office hits of
2014. The first sequel, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” is scheduled to hit
movie screens in 2017.

Reactions on social media about the transformation were mixed.

On Twitter, Lauryn Garrett wrote, “Getting rid of Tower of Terror? Why
don’t they just rip my heart out and stomp all over it while they’re at it.”
Others started using the hashtag #SaveTheTower. A petition to preserve the
original ride was gaining traction on the website Change.org, with more than
18,000 supporters as of this evening.

Some on the Twittersphere welcomed the change. Tweeter Jared Mendez
wrote, “Not really sad to hear about Tower of Terror… That ride got old.”

Many people simply said they wanted one more chance to ride it before
it’s gone.