Iconic Walt Disney World Tower of Terror billboard demolished

There are a number of things marking the start of your Walt Disney World vacation. For some it’s the carpet in the Orlando International Airport. For most it’s the Walt Disney World arches featuring Mickey & Minnie as you enter the resort. For many it used to be their journey on Disney’s Magical Express before the service was retired. And now, another one of those iconic moments will no longer be, as the famous Twilight Zone Tower of Terror billboard on World Drive has been demolished and is a pile of rubble as of today.

When the iconic billboard was originally installed in the 1990s, it was fairly common for theme park billboards to be quite elaborate. It was almost like an unofficial competition between the different resorts as to who would have the greatest and grandest billboard advertising their attractions. The recently removed Twilight Zone Tower of Terror advertisement was one of the last remaining billboard samples of that time.

When the billboard was originally revealed to advertise the newest Disney-MGM Studios thrill ride, it not only featured three-dimensional elements, but also moving pieces. The elevator carriage shook back and forth giving a sneak peek of the sensation guests could expect on the ride. But this shaking motion was problematic.

For years this added feature worked to great effect. But, more often than not, it seemed to be immobile. That wasn’t too much of a problem considering you wouldn’t necessarily know that it was supposed to be moving. The most recent time when the motion worked was after a short lived fix in early 2021.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Disney has confirmed that the land will simply be replaced by landscaping and this in no way represents any changes coming to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction.