Earffel Tower

The Earffel Tower[2] is a faux water tower located at Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris in Seine-et-Marne, and formerly at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando.[3] Adorned with a set of Mickey Mouse ears, it is inspired by the real water tower located at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.[4] A pun on the Eiffel Tower, it is based on water towers commonly found on Hollywood studio backlots of the first half of the 1900s, which were originally a safety measure to douse fires on highly flammable wooden film sets. However, the Earffel Tower has never contained water.[4]

Earffel Tower
Hollywood Studios' Earffel Tower and Topiary tribute in 2008
Disney's Hollywood Studios
AreaStudio Backlot
Coordinates28°21′24″N 81°33′46″W
StatusRemoved
Opening dateMay 1, 1989
Closing dateApril 29, 2016[1]
Replaced bySlinky Dog Dash
Walt Disney Studios Park
AreaFront Lot
Coordinates48.8732°N 2.776°E / 48.8732; 2.776
StatusOperating
Opening dateMarch 16, 2002
Ride statistics
Attraction typeWater tower
DesignerWalt Disney Imagineering
Height40 m (130 ft)
Height (Paris)50 m (163 ft)

The first, 130-foot tower was located in the Studio Backlot Tour area of Disney's Hollywood Studios,[3] known as Disney-MGM Studios when the park opened in 1989. It was the park's original icon, with The Great Movie Ride—a life-size replica of Grauman's Chinese Theatre—serving as the visual centerpiece. Both were displaced from icon status by the Sorcerer's Hat, which stood in the park's central hub from 2001 until its removal in 2015.[5] The Earffel Tower was removed itself on April 29, 2016, to facilitate the construction of Toy Story Land.[6] Since then, the Hollywood Tower Hotel has been the representative icon in marketing, with the Chinese Theatre (which now houses Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway) restored as the centerpiece.

The second, 163-foot tower at Walt Disney Studios Park debuted in 2002 and has served as the park's icon ever since.

See also

References
  1. Bevil, Dewayne (April 29, 2016). "Disney: Earffel Tower removed at Hollywood Studios". OrlandoSentinel.com.
  2. Rasmussen, Nate (December 8, 2011). "Vintage Walt Disney World: Holidays at the Earffel Tower at Disney's Hollywood Studios". The Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  3. Bevil, Dewayne (April 29, 2016). "Disney: Earffel Tower removed at Hollywood Studios". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  4. Pedicini, Sandra (January 15, 2016). "Earffel Tower coming down, attractions closing at Disney's Hollywood Studios". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  5. Pedicini, Sandra; Bevil, Dewayne (October 25, 2014). "Disney's Hollywood Studios removing sorcerer's hat". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  6. McCabe, Adam (April 29, 2016). "R.I.P. "The Earffel Tower" at Disney's Hollywood Studios, 1989-2016". Inside The Magic. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
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