The Fifth Dimension in Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror

Image: mattcc716, Flickr (license)

The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror is misleading. To those who don’t read attraction spoilers, it is clearly obvious that the ride will include a few drops and dives. But, the manner in which it delivers those drops and dives cannot be described as anything but a bait and switch — in the most brilliant way.

Halfway through the ride, with tension at its highest, the elevator doors open to reveal a maintenance shaft — which, quickly, becomes overrun with pinpricks of light representing stars. It is eerie and otherworldly, and it sets the tone for one of the great shocks in attraction history: the elevator you sit in lurching forward, moving out into the maintenance corridor seemingly through mystic force.

If you aren’t expecting it, this moment is unforgettable. It is the moment in which the ride transcends logic and truly enters the Twilight Zone. 

The Finale of Fantasmic

What does a trip to Walt Disney World actually feel like? How do you describe the emotions you experience as you ride all of the rides and see all of the shows? Is there any way to convey the indescribable feelings of a trip to the Vacation Kingdom?

It’s hard, yes. But, if you wanted to give someone a shorthand, you could do no better than showing them the finale sequence of Disney’s most masterful stage show: Fantasmic.

With Mickey Mouse fresh off a victory over the evil forces of darkness in the Disney universe, the big cheese conjures Tinker Bell to the stage. She, in turn, uses her magic to bring all of the Disney heroes out in Steamboat Willie’s famed watercraft — with Mickey Mouse steering the ship.

As the music swells, and the boat finishes its journey around the stage, Mickey Mouse appears again high atop the mountain that makes up the stage’s backdrop. He summons climactic fireworks before disappearing once again, apparating down to the front of the stage to deliver a lasting and brilliant challenge to the crowd: “Some imagination, huh?”

That feeling — the magic of Mickey’s teleportation, the fireworks, the musical crescendo — is as close to a microcosm of the Disney Parks experience as you can find. It’s a scene every Disney fan remembers, and one which makes you feel like a kid again. And, isn’t that the whole point anyway?