Earffel Tower

Earffel Tower

Earffel Tower at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios)
Disney's Hollywood Studios
AreaStreets of America
Coordinates28°21′24″N 81°33′46″W / 28.35667°N 81.56278°W / 28.35667; -81.56278
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 1, 1989
Closing dateApril 2, 2016 [1]
Walt Disney Studios Park
Coordinates48°52′24″N 2°46′34″E / 48.8732°N 2.776°E / 48.8732; 2.776
StatusOperating
Opening dateMarch 16, 2002
General statistics
Attraction type Water tower
Designer Walt Disney Imagineering
Height 40 m (130 ft)
Height (Paris) 50 m (163 ft)

The Earffel Tower[2] are faux water towers located at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida and Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris in Seine-et-Marne. A pun on the Eiffel Tower, they are based on water towers often 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; the Earffel Towers, however, do not contain water.[3] They resemble the water tower located at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California,[3] except that they have prominent Mickey Mouse ears and only four legs; the Burbank tower has no ears and six legs.

The Earffel Tower, constructed in 1989, is the first of the two water towers, and was the original icon of Disney's Hollywood Studios (then-known as Disney-MGM Studios), along with the Chinese Theatre facade of The Great Movie Ride. The Sorcerer's Hat, which was completed on September 28, 2001, served as the park's official icon until its removal in 2015.[4] The Earffel Tower is located in the park's backlot area, and could be observed by guests riding the Studio Backlot Tour. After the attraction's closing in 2014, the Earffel Tower is no longer viewable outside of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. In January 2016, Disney confirmed that the tower in Florida would be removed in early 2016.[3]

The Earffel Tower is also the icon for Walt Disney Studios Park, standing 163 ft (50 m) tall and including lighting along the outline of its ears at night.

References

  1. "More closures planned, including Earffel Tower, for Disney’s Hollywood Studios due to Star Wars, Toy Story construction". Inside the Magic.
  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. 1 2 3 Pedicini, Sandra (January 15, 2016). "Earffel Tower coming down, attractions closing at Disney's Hollywood Studios". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  4. Sandra Pedicini; Dewayne Bevil (October 25, 2014). "Disney's Hollywood Studios removing sorcerer's hat". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 25, 2014.


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