ToT Structure Question

[Cmdr_Crimson]

ToT at Disneysea's storyline is phenominal even without the whole Twilight Zone Franchise...Ever since I started looking at pictures of the attraction it makes me really want to go and try it even tho it is the DCA version..

There site http://www.tot1899.com/english/ Has a huge story all about the disapearance of Harrison Hightower and the Mystery of the Hotel.. I have never been so amazed how this turned out from beginning to end..

There's also a backstory to the ride itself about the reporter and the woman from the preservation society that was made it's in japanese but there are subtitles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hddvr7ih-aY

This is the preshow that explaines what happend that fateful night Hightower Dissapeared...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HICUJppgR1M

And Finnally The story doesn't even end you can see that the curse is still continues on the outside of the attraction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9IdWzG0QvY

 

[TigerLily_CM]

it was not a cost thing. Japan has never had "The Twilight Zone" therefore people would have no idea what it is. instead they just made up their own story based in New York. If you have ever seen tat tower you'll know that cost was not an issue. The amount of story in the building is beyond amazing.

Google some pictures, its impressive.

I thought I'd look into this a little so I went to my favorite site for the towers... www.TowerofTerror.org and this is what it says there...

Tokyo DisneySea is one of the greatest Disney themeparks ever built and as if it couldn't get any better Disney decided to give it its own Tower of Terror. "The Twilight Zone" is well known in Japan. Tokyo Disney Sea is not directly owned by Disney. It is owned by the Oriental Land Company, which controls both Tokyo Disney Sea and Tokyo Disneyland. In order to license their tower as "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," Oriental Land Company would have to pay license fees to BOTH Disney and CBS per the CBS/Disney agreements, and then a second time to CBS per a CBS/Oriental Land Company agreement.

http://www.towerofterror.org/images/tokyo/tokyoidol.jpg Business negotiations broke down, and the Oriental Land Company decided not to go with the Twilight Zone theme, thereby saving tens of millions of dollars in license fees over the next ten years. Some would argue that Japan has already dumped near 100 million dollars into constructing their Tower, so why not just pay the fees? Because the fees could wind up costing OLC half a billion dollars over the next decade, and with Tokyo Disney Sea's attendance records not as high as execs at OLC and Disney had hoped, they need to save money where they can get it.
However Japan has different beliefs and customs related to ghosts and supernatural than America associate so a new storyline and meaning had to be produced in order to suit the needs of the Asian market. And since there was no Hollywood section in Tokyo Disneysea, the entire story changed and it was placed in the next best thing instead of Hollywood; New York

I also always find it hard to believe that cost is an issue for Disney but ... maybe :shrug:

 

[Elonwy]

"The Twilight Zone" is well known in Japan Tokyo Disney Sea is not directly owned by Disney. It is owned by the Oriental Land Company, which controls both Tokyo Disney Sea and Tokyo Disneyland. In order to license their tower as "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," Oriental Land Company would have to pay license fees to BOTH Disney and CBS per the CBS/Disney agreements, and then a second time to CBS per a CBS/Oriental Land Company agreement.

http://www.towerofterror.org/images/tokyo/tokyoidol.jpg Business negotiations broke down, and the Oriental Land Company decided not to go with the Twilight Zone theme, thereby saving tens of millions of dollars in license fees over the next ten years. Some would argue that Japan has already dumped near 100 million dollars into constructing their Tower, so why not just pay the fees? Because the fees could wind up costing OLC half a billion dollars over the next decade, and with Tokyo Disney Sea's attendance records not as high as execs at OLC and Disney had hoped, they need to save money where they can get it.
However Japan has different beliefs and customs related to ghosts and supernatural than America associate so a new storyline and meaning had to be produced in order to suit the needs of the Asian market. And since there was no Hollywood section in Tokyo Disneysea, the entire story changed and it was placed in the next best thing instead of Hollywood; New York[/I]

I also always find it hard to believe that cost is an issue for Disney but ... maybe :shrug:

sounds like the same info I found but I hadn't been to that site before. Looks like a doombuggy type site for the Tower...I'll have to check it out

 

[totben]

the licensing fees thing is not true. while Disney Parks pays CBS for the license to use "The Twilight Zone" brand, it would not have hurt the that much to use it again.
Japan had a Twilight Zone show for a very few amount of seasons called "Mystery Zone" (source IMDB)
Since they couldn't use the "Mystery Zone Tower of Terror" (just sounds awkward) They cooked up their own story to make it unique.

Their story is phenomenal either way.

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

The DCA and Paris versions....while we're on the subject...just look fake to me, and i've seen the DCA one in person. the exterior just doesn't seem to look that real and the color choices seem wrong.

Am I the only one?

Definitely not. The exterior seems off at DCA, the queue leaves much to be desired compared to DHS (the best queue in WDW, IMO), and the mirror effect doesn't impress me (although that's subjective...I just prefer the 5th dimension). Overall, I was seriously disappointed in DCA's ToT.

I wish I could go to Tokyo...the videos of ToT there look amazing!

 

[hokielutz]

I agree but not just about the artistic simplicity but the actual damaged area doesn't look real to me, as much as the DHS version...just looks all painted without much depth (on the outer areas)

I agree with you. the DHS version looks a lot more realistic in terms of a damaged and a many years abandoned hotel structure.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

You know, I've seen and read about the storyline for ToT at TDS, and I'm really not that impressed about it. The cursed idol thing seems so...generic. I mean, how many times have we heard the storyline of an idol or treasure is found, someone doesn't listen that there is a curse associated with it, and as a result, they die? I think the adaptation of the Twilight Zone franchise into a theme park ride is much more innovative then the exhausted cursed idol idea. :shrug:

Oh, and Chris, I agree with you about the damaged area not having any depth on the DCA version.

 

[PhilharMagician]

^ Yep, the top level of the other 3 Towers houses 3 motors, very wide units that sit side by side.

Disneyfan2000, Eisner wanted a cheaper version for Paris. DCA needed help and was given funding to `borrow` the design and it was built first. I recall one of the main issues with the Orlando version (apart from 6 shafts versus 3) is in the 5th D level. The Tracking system for the AGV is a wire in the floor, a park map or similar falling under a vehicle screws the signal and forces an E Stop due to the extreme safety measures in the attraction. Instead of solving it with infra red or similar (hello Honey Hunt) Eisner wanted it eliminated.

Isn't WDW's ToT the only one where the elevator moves from load shaft the the 5th D to the drop shaft. DCA needed help, but this was still cut from their design.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Isn't WDW's ToT the only one where the elevator moves from load shaft the the 5th D to the drop shaft. DCA needed help, but this was still cut from their design.

Yes, it is. Budget cuts kept it from being replicated elsewhere. It might not be as elaborate on the outside, but the DHS ToT is, dare I say, the best in overall scope out of all the towers.

 

[ChrisFL]

I've also heard that the elevator moving forward in the 5th dimension was for some reason difficult to maintain and it breaks down frequently or loses the signal of the ride vehicle (it works on a trackless guidance system similar to UofE at Epcot)

 

[totben]

I've also heard that the elevator moving forward in the 5th dimension was for some reason difficult to maintain and it breaks down frequently or loses the signal of the ride vehicle (it works on a trackless guidance system similar to UofE at Epcot)

Actually the vehicle system is much more (dare i say, The Same) as Great Movie Ride. Only difference being that GMR operators control the speed of the vehicle. The tricky part in designing ToT was the move the vehicles to different levels and still have them follow the wire correctly.

 

[DisneyEverest]

I love TDS version too, it looks amazing.

 

[bruiser659]

It holds the cable motors and cooling fans,it shows this in the blueprints.

 

[deWild]

I believe that it is to make the building itself, appear as a "T", for obvious reasons.

I never thought about that until you mentioned this. You're right though, it does look a giant "T".

 

[ChrisFL]

Actually the vehicle system is much more (dare i say, The Same) as Great Movie Ride. Only difference being that GMR operators control the speed of the vehicle. The tricky part in designing ToT was the move the vehicles to different levels and still have them follow the wire correctly.

But the GMR is a simplified version of UofE to begin with

 

[marni1971]

Actually the vehicle system is much more (dare i say, The Same) as Great Movie Ride. Only difference being that GMR operators control the speed of the vehicle. The tricky part in designing ToT was the move the vehicles to different levels and still have them follow the wire correctly.

I`d have said more like the UoE; both are autonomous guided vehicles.

 

[totben]

I`d have said more like the UoE; both are autonomous guided vehicles.

I for some reason thought UoE was tracked. My bad. lol. im not much of an epcot guy.

 

[MagliteL13]

Actually the 3 newer towers DCA, DLP, TDS have a higher capacity due to a shorter ride cycle, alternating- vertical loading (double decker boiler room) and 3 drop systems.

They may have higher capacity... but we all know that capacity isn't everything. And we certainly have the better bellhops... no bias there :lookaroun

 

[tirian]

I'm with you on that. :wave:

I wouldn't call it fake; I just think they look too simple. TDS, while nice, is just too elaborate for my taste; its just too much IMHO.

I agree with your TDS sentiment. In fact, as gorgeous as TDS is, I find several parts of it to be over-themed. (Please don't run after me with torches and pitchforks!) :fork: (Off-Topic: Ditto for the new Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. I'd rather have the Grand Floridian's understated elegance than TDH's overwrought "Victorianism"; at one point, too much pixie dust is tacky.)

The DCA and DSP versions of ToT are much too simple, if not just plain cheap.

I for some reason thought UoE was tracked. My bad. lol. im not much of an epcot guy.

Not tracked, but guided on a wire.

 

[ChrisFL]

I agree with your TDS sentiment. In fact, as gorgeous as TDS is, I find several parts of it to be over-themed. (Please don't run after me with torches and pitchforks!)

I'm sharpening my pitchfork now...:goodnevil