Tower of Terror Backstage Photos

November 21, 2013 by

tot_backside_tallThe Tower of Terror’s backside is a rare sight for most park guests, as Disney likes to keep the “magic” under wraps and only let people go “backstage” as a part of special events and tours.

Recognizing the size of the attraction, Disney seems to deliberately place Tower of Terrors at the very edge of a park’s property so that expansion beyond or behind it is unlikely if not outright impossible.  Even in spacious Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Disney hid the backside of the tower behind a wall of trees.

Enjoy these backstage photos – a rare glimpse into some “behind the scenes” magic (where “magic” means highways, back doors, and even a small BBQ chillin’ backstage) 

Hollywood Studios

Getting a clear view of the Tower’s backside in Hollywood Studio requires a bit of creativity.  The first photo in this ower of Terror backstage photos gallery was taken by Jack Spence while standing on a balcony at the Dolphin resort.

Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror backstage back side by Jspence

This back side view of the Tower of Terror in Hollywood Studios reveals the “unfinished” looking backside of small pointy roof structure normally seen in front of the tower.  Photo credit: Jack Spence at allears.net

Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror backstage photo

View of the Tower of Terror’s left and back side, likely from within Hollywood Studios or its parking lot. Photo credit: Phantom Troublemaker at Needless Things

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Backside of the Florida Tower of Terror as seen at the intersection of Lake Buena Vista Drive and Cypress (cast member road).

The Tower (circled in the map below) stands with its back to Buena Vista Drive and, just beyond it, the Swan & Dolphin Resort.

Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror backstage map aerial

The Tower is circled – look to the north and northeast for opportunities to see it from the back.

Disney California Adventure

The rather forbidding-looking backside of the DCA Tower of Terror is open to guests only during special events such as marathon races.

DCA Tower of Terror backstage area

Don’t miss the little BBQ hiding backstage. Photo credit: disneyeveryday.com

DCA Tower of Terror backstage area

The DCA Tower of Terror backs up Disney Way and S. Harbor Blvd.  Its backside can also be viewed from the I-5 highway to the east.  Photo credit: Google Maps

Tokyo DisneySea

The Tokyo DisneySea Tower of Terror backs up to the Disney Resort Line and a multi-lane park entrance road.

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A ground-level view of the Tokyo DisneySea Tower of Terror’s backside.

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Tokyo DisneySea Tower of Terror backstage area is much smaller than the other Towers’ and pressed right up against a few park roads. Photo credit: Google Maps

Disneyland, Paris

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The Tower of Terror’s backside in Paris. Photo credit: DLP.info

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Tower of Terror Aerial Photos

October 23, 2013 by

Aerial photos offer a rare and unusual glimpse of the Disney’s parks and attractions.  This is a collection of my favorite Tower of Terror aerial photos. Obviously, these are not my photos. 🙂   If they are yours, please contact me for credit or removal.

Hollywood Studios, Florida

A couple of these aerial photos are quite old, especially the first two in this sequence which appear to predate digital photography. These photos are quite possibly from the attraction’s early years (the Florida Tower of Terror opened in 1994).

tower of terror aerial photos hollywood studios florida WDW

I think this shot is great because it shows a rather plain portion of the Tower that wasn’t meant to be seen by guests. Since the addition of Rockin’ Roller Coaster, it’s sometimes possible to see this plain wall part from the line queue to that ride, although the view-blocking trees grow taller every year, it seems. 🙂

tower of terror aerial photos hollywood studios HS WDW front

Below is a rare left-side view of the tower, showing off all the attention to detail that Disney put into this beautiful structure.  Most guests will never see 90% of this – and the details are pretty hard to see and appreciate from within the park, where you can only really stand at the base of the building.

tower of terror aerial photos MGM Hollywood Studios side view

Photo credit: wdwinfo.com

tower of terror aerial photos google maps hollywood studios mgm front side

Photo credit: Google Maps

Disney California Adventure

Google Maps has some great aerial views of the Tower of Terror in Anaheim, showing off the back and the front of the structure. The Tower is all party in the front, business in the back.

I think it’s cool to see all the “normal building” stuff on top of the roof and behind the building. Some people might think this spoils “the magic”, but I’ve always loved peeking behind the curtain. In some of these shots, you can see parades getting ready to go “on stage”, as well as cars, trucks, and utility buildings that no doubt contribute to the smooth operations of the park.

The mysterious conga line of blue boxes in its back lot (which I’ve been told just contain parade costumes).

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Photo credit: Google Maps

Rotate the view on Google maps to see the front, along with a clearer view of the roof and backstage area.

Photo credit:Google Maps

Photo credit: Google Maps

Walt Disney Studios Park, Paris

I’ve never been to Paris, but their Tower is a near identical twin to the California Tower of Terror…. except for the roof tops.  The roof tops in the Paris version are red. Most park guests will never know this, but now you do!

Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo

One more set of aerials: this series depicts the Tokyo DisneySea Tower of Terror. Remember, this Tower doesn’t use the Twilight Zone branding, so Disney pursued an entirely different look and feel for it! This Tower is very similar to the DCA and Paris Towers in terms of layout and structure, so you’ll probably notice that this version has basically the same “bones” as the two yellow towers.

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Aerial Tower of Terror photo by Google Maps

The brickwork is considerably less elaborate on the back side, and the backstage area is much more compacted than the luxuriously large landscapes that fill in behind the Florida and California towers. 😉

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Another Google Maps aerial.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of the Towers from above!

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