Jim Hill
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Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

So what was going on here? Actually, Disney CEO Michael Eisner was having yet another one of his brainstorms. Ever since the inception of the Tower of Terror project (Back before the thrill ride had its overlay of Twilight Zone elements, back when the attraction was actually supposed to be more funny than frightening. Would you believe that one of the original titles for this Disney/MGM project was Hotel Mel? Why Mel? Because the ride was supposed to feature silly but scary sequences that had been dreamed up by "Young Frankenstein" director Mel Brooks. No kidding here, folks. Strange but true ... ), Michael had been toying with the idea of letting guests stay inside the horror themed hotel.

The way Eisner envisioned it, WDI could build 30 or more guest rooms inside the Tower of Terror show building. Where exactly? Right alongside the attraction's central elevator shaft. These rooms would then be tricked up with some mildly startling illusions (IE: Ghostly faces that would appear in their bathroom mirror, etc.). WDW visitors would then pay top dollar (something along the lines of $1000 - $1500 a night) to stay in this most exclusive of Disney resort hotels.

Unfortunately, the low number of hotel rooms that could conceivably folded into the plans for Disney/MGM's Tower of Terror ride didn't make the project seem financially feasible. Plus the Imagineers were never able to find workable solutions to even the most basic guest access / guest safety issues that were inherent in Michael's intriguing proposal. So plans for a group of guest accessible horror themed hotel rooms for WDW were reluctantly abandoned back in the early 1990s.

Flash forward now to the late 1990s -- when Disney/MGM's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride looks like a logical addition for Disney's California Adventure theme park. On a whim, the Imagineers decide to revisit Eisner's original idea (IE: combining the TOT attraction with guest accessible hotel space) and -- this time around -- a workable solution to the guest access / guest safety issues is allegedly discovered.

The way the DCA version of the Tower of Terror hotel / attraction combo supposedly solved the guest access problem goes something like this: In the Timon section of the old Disneyland parking lot, the Imagineers wanted to build this sprawling complex that would have looked like a grand old Hollywood hotel that had gone to seed. The section of this proposed hotel complex that was closest to the corner of Harbor & Katella was where the bulk of the resort's guest rooms, restaurants, shops, etc. would have been located.

The section of the Timon parking lot that was closest to DCA's Hollywood Pictures Backlot would have been home to the abandoned wing of the hotel, where something terrible happened many years ago. (You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what WDI wanted to do here. Just like in Florida, there would have been the lightening scarred tower, where guests would be invited to ride the service elevator up to the top of this long empty portion of the resort ...)

This particular layout scheme solved a lot of the problems that had been inherent in the original WDW version of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror hotel / ride combo plan. Guest access, safety issues, etc. More importantly, this time around, Disney wouldn't just be limited to building 30 or more horror themed guest rooms in the hotel portion of the complex. Which finally made the project seem fiscally feasible.

Eisner was supposedly thrilled that his Tower of Terror hotel idea could finally become a reality. With his blessing, WDI went forward with mapping out some tentatively plans for this proposed new Disneyland Resort hotel / attraction combo complex ... Only to have their plans tripped up by DCA's dismal attendance levels during its few months of operations. Any and all ambitious plans for the Disneyland Resort are now officially on hold 'til Mouse House managers get California Adventure back on track.

So just how close did this plan actually come to being a reality? Well, it's worth noting that -- during all the years that WDI continually reworked its site plan for the California Adventure theme park -- the Imagineers NEVER proposed any rides, shows and attractions for the Timon Parking lot space. Right from the get-go, this area was designated for DCA "Future Expansion." When pressed for details about this particular parcel, all the Imagineers would say is that this area is "being set aside for something very special."

Something very special like Disney's first ever hotel / ride combo? Perhaps ...

Of course, given the projected cost of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror hotel / ride complex, it's easy to understand why Disney held off on construction of this particular piece of the newly expanded Disneyland Resort 'til DCA's Phase II. Which meant that -- if all had gone according to plan -- California Adventure visitors would have probably been able to "drop in" at this most unusual hotel starting in 2004 / 2005.

(Alas, all has not gone according to plan with California Adventure. Disney executives -- who have supposedly turned skittish in the wake of DCA's low attendance levels during the park's first few months of operation -- have now allegedly backed away from the ambitious Twilight Zone Tower of Terror hotel / ride combo plan. The latest news about Disneyland's old Timon parking area is that this parcel is now reportedly being considered for an Anaheim version of WDW's All Star Resort hotel.

And as for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ... Would you believe that there has been serious discussions at WDI about putting this oversized thrill ride in behind DCA's Pacific Wharf area? As to how this towering Disney/MGM attraction would be rethemed so that it would make an easy fit with all those faux-cannery buildings ... I have no idea.)

Anyway ... That's why Disney/MGM's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was never seriously considered as a possible replacement for the faltering Superstar Limo attraction.

Which brings us to ...