HydroGuy
A Pirate's Life For Me
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This article was posted to the Orange County Register www.ocregister.com today. I cannot support vandalism but I do agree Disney blew it big time when they closed Tower of Terror. It was a perfectly themed ride.
Tower of Error: Disney Fans Vandalize New Guardians of the Galaxy Ride
Anaheim, California – If one needs further evidence of the fervent nature of Disney fans, look no further than what happened Thursday night at Disney California Adventure park at the Disneyland Resort. Apparently a small group of fans angry about Disney’s decision to close the popular Tower of Terror ride hid themselves in the park before it closed for the night. The fans managed to sneak cans of spray paint past Disneyland security earlier in the day and after dark they hopped over a fence and broke into the building where the ride had been located to carry out their mischievous plan.
Last year Disney opened themselves to significant criticism when they announced the Tower of Terror ride would be closed and reopened with a new theme based on the Marvel inspired Guardians of the Galaxy. This is planned to be the first ride at an American Disney theme park based on the Marvel franchise Disney acquired in 2009. The Tower of Terror ride was centered around the Twilight Zone television series from the 1960’s and was considered to be one of the best themed rides at the resort. Disney’s decision to close Tower of Terror was highly controversial (for example, see Disneyland’s Tower of Terror Is Closing. This Is a National Tragedy.).
Many Disney fans do not relate to the Marvel franchise, and the group that broke into the ride was clearly among them. The group spray painted messages throughout the interior of the building. A construction contractor who requested to remain anonymous said that among the messages he had seen painted were ones that said “Guardians of the Galaxy sucks!” and “May elevators terrorize you!”.
More seriously for Disney, the vandals damaged the “audio animatronic” figures of Rocket (a talking racoon) and Groot (a tree-like being) that had been added to the ride. As a result, it is expected the debut of the new ride will be delayed several months to repair these fragile machines. It appears the vandals stayed the entire night in the park and mixed in with the Friday morning crowd and made their escape.
Interviews with visitors exiting the park on Friday showed disapproval for the act of vandalism but support of the vandals’ message. “Disney should never have closed the Tower of Terror”, said guests O. Rodsirling and Ellie Vator.
One Guardians fan did voice his support for the changed ride. “This new ride is going to rock the Universe”, said Starr L. Ord.
Last year Disney opened themselves to significant criticism when they announced the Tower of Terror ride would be closed and reopened with a new theme based on the Marvel inspired Guardians of the Galaxy. This is planned to be the first ride at an American Disney theme park based on the Marvel franchise Disney acquired in 2009. The Tower of Terror ride was centered around the Twilight Zone television series from the 1960’s and was considered to be one of the best themed rides at the resort. Disney’s decision to close Tower of Terror was highly controversial (for example, see Disneyland’s Tower of Terror Is Closing. This Is a National Tragedy.).
Many Disney fans do not relate to the Marvel franchise, and the group that broke into the ride was clearly among them. The group spray painted messages throughout the interior of the building. A construction contractor who requested to remain anonymous said that among the messages he had seen painted were ones that said “Guardians of the Galaxy sucks!” and “May elevators terrorize you!”.
More seriously for Disney, the vandals damaged the “audio animatronic” figures of Rocket (a talking racoon) and Groot (a tree-like being) that had been added to the ride. As a result, it is expected the debut of the new ride will be delayed several months to repair these fragile machines. It appears the vandals stayed the entire night in the park and mixed in with the Friday morning crowd and made their escape.
Interviews with visitors exiting the park on Friday showed disapproval for the act of vandalism but support of the vandals’ message. “Disney should never have closed the Tower of Terror”, said guests O. Rodsirling and Ellie Vator.
One Guardians fan did voice his support for the changed ride. “This new ride is going to rock the Universe”, said Starr L. Ord.
April 1, 2017
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