A doll, brochure, and magazine in the DCA Tower of Terror Lobby were all telling a story, but no one has ever fully understood their significance... until now.

Drop in with us as we check into California Adventure's lost Hollywood Tower Hotel to decipher the history, secrets, and stories hidden within its elegant (yet terrifying) design.

In this episode, we check into the lobby of the DCA and DLP versions of the Tower of Terror and take in all the details of these two highly detailed set designs. Along the way, we explore the signs of the golden age of Hollywood, discuss some lost relics of 1930s culture, and take a few rabbit trails here and there into other fascinating places in Disney history.

Kirk explains the creepy doll on the couch, Kate does a deep dive into Disney’s Oz connections, and we both compare and contrast this lobby with the original in Florida, and how the Imagineers reimagined this attraction on a budget.

What is the REAL reason the DCA version of the Hollywood Tower Hotel used to feel so creepy when you stepped inside?

Drop in with us on this episode of Distory with Kate & Kirk as we check into California Adventure's lost Hollywood Tower Hotel to decipher the history, secrets, and stories hidden within its design.

In this episode, we check into the DCA and DLP versions of the Tower of Terror, wandering the gardens in the exterior queue before stepping into the lobby to see what we can find. Along the way, we play some cards, drink some tea, and explore the nuances of the differences between this version and the one we spent 23 episodes exploring in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Kate uses an Imagineering show info guide to give us a tour of this iconic lobby, Kirk teaches us some new card games, and we both take a side trip to one of the most famous hotels in America to learn how the Imagineers used fear in the collective unconscious to shape their set design.

Why did Disney’s Tower of Terror change its design when it moved locations? And who was Buddy the Bellhop?

Drop in with us on this episode of Distory with Kate & Kirk as we check into California Adventure's lost Hollywood Tower Hotel to decipher the history, secrets, and stories hidden within its design.In this episode, we travel to Disneyland Resort to visit the California Adventure version of the Tower of Terror for the first time, covering the concept, design, changes in mechanics, and backstory of this version of the attraction. Because the Disneyland Paris version is almost identical to the one in California, we add that Tower into the mix as well on this international Disney treasure hunt.

Along the way, we share some rare Imagineering documents, discuss some never-created attractions, and explore the differences between this version and the one in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Kate discusses some connections to Walt’s history found in the Tower, Kirk translates some German, and we both get a little confused by the Tower’s commercial mascot from 2004 that doesn’t quite fit the storytelling of the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

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Many thanks to Disney historian Joshua at E82 | The Epcot Legacy for contributing resources for this episode!

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