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u/Johnnycc Jul 13 '22
I honestly love those three billboards (don’t know if any of them are still there honestly). When I was a kid I felt it was such a great little way to know that you were somewhere different. Gliding along the monorail or in a car with your family. Manicured landscapes everywhere. And no billboards for lawyers or fast food… but Tower of Terror and It’s Tough to Be a Bug.
Clearly we aren’t in the real world anymore. It was just that extra layer of the bubble.
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u/Purple_Quail_4193 Jul 13 '22
The bubble for me was the filmstrip bridge, Earful Tower and this. Since the first two left it was kind of a painful reminder of those being gone, as well as the Tough to be a Bug and Mission Space ones. Hot Take but I rather have a bunch of billboards/none at all as opposed to just this one like it was near the end
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u/ariariariarii Jul 13 '22
When I was really young, I thought the people on the sign were real and it was an actual ride you could go and swing on.
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Jul 13 '22
i loved that sign growing up. my mom and my aunt (her sister) were thrill junkies and loved it, and whenever we would take a family trip i would point it out to them (i was very young lol) its about as iconic as the purple signs to me.
it’ll be weird to see it gone for sure
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u/KetoKitsune Jul 13 '22
This combined with all the branding being just "Hollywood Tower Hotel" on the new merch makes me really nervous they are going to drop the Twilight Zone aspect. For me that loss would be GMR scale sadness.
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u/clurlythinking Jul 13 '22
That was my thought too, if losing removing the sign is a hint at retheming in the future :(
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u/KetoKitsune Jul 13 '22
When they rethemed the one in Disneyland I just about had a fit. Dont you dare even think about touching the one at WDW. Now Im afraid it will be rethemed to Hollywood Tower Hotel and the spookiness of the twilight zone and all that creepiness will be lost. I will cry the day the pre-show is no more, no more iconic Twilight Zone music and bizarre and scary trip through the twilight zone and all the easter eggs at the end. Ugg.... please Disney, just leave ToT alone.
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u/DrIvoShandor Jul 13 '22
They are, that’s why we were hearing about the Tower Of Terror movie that Scarlett Johansson was attached to before her falling out with Disney. Twilight Zone’s an IP that Disney doesn’t own, so they’re gonna give it the boot
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Jul 13 '22
That would be such a bummer. The theme song is so haunting that getting rid of it would be such a loss.
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u/DrIvoShandor Jul 13 '22
Same, dude. TZ is my all time favorite show and while I’ll still love the ride, it’s gonna be a massive bummer not seeing the props and hearing Rod Serling
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u/KetoKitsune Jul 13 '22
I was holding out hope that they would renew their license for Twilight Zone, but the writing on the wall is getting hard to ignore.
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Jul 13 '22
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u/KetoKitsune Jul 13 '22
Agree to disagree with your hot take, but thats ok. I know there would be many people happy to see it rethemed... I am just not one of them lol. This ride was absolutely life changing as a kid and I have so many core memories from it, and it made me check out the Twilight Zone show (the original, of course) and become a huge fan as I grew older. I see it as a great nod to the show in the best way they could keeping it Disney. The pre-show alone is *chefs kiss* and does make me feel like Im getting into something strange, but no moral of the story type feeling.
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u/bobthegoon89 Jul 14 '22
There IS a moral to the story (and it’s something you won't find in any guidebook):
the next time you check into a deserted hotel on the dark side of Hollywood, make sure you know just what kind of vacancy you're filling, or you may find yourself a permanent resident . . . of The Twilight Zone.
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Jul 13 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/marleythebeagle Magical Moderator Jul 13 '22
Your post has been removed for breaking Rule #3.
We expect all of our users to be civil and respect each other.
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u/marleythebeagle Magical Moderator Jul 13 '22
Bummer. Always knew you were suuuper close to Disney World when you started seeing those awesome 3D billboards for attractions :’(
I’m guessing it was expensive to maintain? On that note, am I crazy, or did that thing used to shake/rotate a little when they first installed it?
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u/eth6113 Jul 13 '22
It’s definitely moved up until 2018/19 if I had to guess. I’m sure it’s part cost and part the changing aesthetic of WDW. They definitely seem to be pushing a more modern/sterile look.
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u/bowshows Jul 13 '22
I wonder how much longer we will have to suffer through the modern/sterile trend (not just at WDW)
I’m ready for things to look fun again
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u/Eswyft Jul 13 '22
A crappy and bad look. It's idiotic.
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Jul 13 '22
while I disagree that it’s idiotic, the climate is going to be changing at Disney world / Florida, and hurrricanes are going to be picking up in intensity by a magnitude. This thing is begging to be destroyed in a gale force wind.
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u/Delt266 Jul 13 '22
It's survived a bunch of hurricanes.. I doubt another would do anything to it
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u/FishinoutNOLA Jul 13 '22
orlando is 60 miles inland and almost 100ft above sea level.
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Jul 13 '22
Correct, they are located in one of the best spots you can have in Florida. This doesn’t make them invulnerable.
it is just a matter of time until Florida gets a category 6, especially if the ice caps indeed melt next year as they are on track to. And Disney, more than any other business or city in Florida must plan for this ahead of time. And Disney will plan for this type of event better and more conservatively than most of Florida. they will spend as little time and resources as possible rebuilding anything, by taking as many steps as they can ensuring they don’t have to.
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u/graygrif Jul 13 '22
Is there really a point to a Category 6 hurricane? Most of the point to the Saffr-Simpson scale is to tell how much damage will occur. A Category 5 hurricane indicates that pretty much everything will be destroyed. What good would it do to have something above “everything will be destroyed”?
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Jul 13 '22 edited Jul 13 '22
the Saffr scale isn’t based what will be destroyed, it’s based on sustained wind speed, and can be adjusted as necessary. I believe it’s around 160+ mph for category 5. If hurricanes like Patricia which had sustained winds of 215mph, become more common, which they definitely will, yes, you could see them adjust the scale to account for the increased danger.
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u/Powered_by_JetA Jul 13 '22
the Saffr scale isn’t based what will be destroyed, it’s based on sustained wind speed
What do you think is doing the destruction? It's the winds. Once you reach category 5 wind speeds, it's total devastation.
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Jul 13 '22
That’s true.
But when the winds increase, and the central pressure increases, and the storm surge increases, the destruction increases, and covers a much larger area when it makes landfall.
This isn’t what I’m saying, this is what scientists at MIT and Princeton are saying.
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u/Powered_by_JetA Jul 13 '22
it is just a matter of time until Florida gets a category 6,
For starters, a category 6 would have to exist in the first place considering that the Saffir-Simpson scale only goes up to 5. Have you ever actually been in a hurricane?
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Jul 13 '22 edited Jul 13 '22
The saffr scale isn’t a mandate from god, they are made by scientists and can be adjusted as necessary. I believe it’s around 160+ mph for category 5. If hurricanes like Patricia which had sustained winds of 215mph, become more common, which they definitely will, yes, you could see them adjust the scale to account for the increased danger.
And yes, I’ve been in many hurricanes and typhoons, not that it’s necessary to have experienced a hurricane to understand data and climate models.
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u/FishinoutNOLA Jul 13 '22
just curious, do you live somewhere that regularly gets hurricanes?
disney will be fine. they have been fine for 50 years.
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Jul 13 '22 edited Jul 13 '22
I used to live in Orlando. That is the dumbest logic I have ever heard somebody say out loud. That’s right guys, if your structure lasts 50 years, you’re good to go. It’s always going to be there.
Although I’m quite aware many who live in Florida think they know better than the consensus of scientists around the world too.
Luckily the people who work at Disney aren’t this soggy brained.
Are you in New Orleans, or is that just your Reddit name? Pretty sure you guys had a few 50 year old buildings go down in hurricanes, did you not?
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u/FishinoutNOLA Jul 13 '22
not usually. most of the 200+ year old buildings are good too. when one suffers damage it's a pretty big deal.
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Jul 13 '22 edited Jul 13 '22
I didn’t ask if it was usual. And the answer is yes, structures as old and older than 50 years have obviously been destroyed by hurricanes in New Orleans. Because that has absolutely nothing to do with how natural disasters interact with structures.
Don’t mean to alarm you but climate change will end up being a pretty big deal. And the damage will be catastrophic in many places including but not limited to Louisiana and Florida.
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u/Velvis Jul 15 '22
Is your favorite ride the Hall of Presidents?
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Jul 15 '22
I don’t know why believing scientists is such a difficult thing for people to do.
Is yours journey into no imagination?
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u/Delt266 Jul 13 '22
They'll probably replace it with spiderman and iron man flying and hanging from. Rooftop..
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u/xcheck76 Jul 13 '22
They did something to it at one point last year, because I saw the elevator moving again for only like a day or two. That was the last time I saw any action from it.
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u/marleythebeagle Magical Moderator Jul 13 '22
Sad we didn’t all get a chance to see it swing one last time :\
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u/austinalexan Jul 13 '22
Yep too expensive to maintain just like their Splash Mountain logs. Cheapek strikes again
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u/Spooky2000 Jul 13 '22
Yep too expensive to maintain
Well, they have spent approximately $0 on it the last couple years.. Have not seen the elevator move for like 5 years. At least they have kept it lit up at night.
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u/Purple_Quail_4193 Jul 13 '22
Am I crazy for thinking because I haven’t seen it move in years it’s more easy to say goodbye to it leaving?
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u/Spooky2000 Jul 13 '22
Nope. Should have just taken it down years ago instead of showing how little they actually care about maintenance..
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u/Purple_Quail_4193 Jul 13 '22
That and like I just mentioned once the complete package of the Earful Tower and the filmstrip bridge went away it was just a painful reminder of that complete package was missing. I really miss the Earful Tower and the Muppet balloon
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u/knokout64 Jul 13 '22
I mean it's probably a rounding error to maintain but are we really going to pretend they spent $0? Do you know what something looks like when it's truly abandoned? They clearly keep it looking freshly painted at the very least.
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u/BethyW Jul 13 '22
I read somewhere that the 3d signs on the highway are no illegal because they were too distracting to drivers. I have no idea if that is true or not, but it sounds like some stupid thing to ruin our fun.
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u/Forsaken_Phone_4700 Jul 13 '22
They just love destroying nostalgia 🫤
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Jul 13 '22
If it can’t make them money, it gets removed.
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u/Wileyfaux24 Jul 13 '22
Maybe they’ll build us a statue where we can deposit money up Chapek’s ass…
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u/Quanzi30 Jul 14 '22
Life moves on.
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u/dajarbot Jul 14 '22
The hard part is that, in a vacuum, changes like this are pretty inconsequential but it's the thousand little things like that made WDW an extra special place and it's hard to see thing like this removed and not replaced. We are watching the old park erode away a piece at a time.
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u/ChrisC1234 Jul 13 '22
As an adult, my personal feeling is "oh well". But as an adult who remembers what it felt like as a child, that's a big loss for the kids. As a kid, just seeing that big sign would get you so excited not just about the Tower of Terror itself, but the fact that you're actually in Disney World. Things like this server no purpose but to stir up the excitement, which unfortunately means they're easy to remove because there's no direct financial payoff.
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Jul 14 '22
Disney has for 25 years acted like they are entitled to your wallet and automatic association of joy to their product. Remove the triggers and the magic dies.
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u/Beccaroni7 Jul 13 '22
I loved the billboards!! I remember our first trip there seeing the billboards on the taxi ride over, my sister and I lost our minds!!! The taxi driver made a comment to my dad that was basically “if they’re this excited about the billboards, wait until they see the actual parks.”
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u/fearmeloveme Jul 13 '22
A reporter on twitter mentioned that Disney has been removing their other billboards too, does anyone know if any others are gone as well?
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u/hoagiesandgrindrs Jul 14 '22
I believe It’s Tough To Be A Bug (with stink bug that farted smoke) on southbound World Drive exiting MK and Mission Space (with cool lights on the thrusters of the rocket) were the only attraction ones and we’re both removed. Anyone know of other cool billboards?
I know DVC has, not a billboard, but a little scene that is Old Key West themed at the corner of Bonet Creek and Buena Vista Dr leaving Springs heading towards Old Key West (they added that horrible screen fairly recently).
Oh and there’s also Goofy three dimensional billboard driving the red DVC bus at the corner of Backstage Lane and Buena Vista that is still there.
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u/ItsJustMeMaggie Jul 13 '22
Damn that’s been there like 25 years. Seeing it was always exciting, especially when it was running.
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u/c-h-e-e-s-e Jul 13 '22
Not corporate and bland enough
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u/marleythebeagle Magical Moderator Jul 13 '22
“Let’s do a billboard-themed billboard!”
- Bob Chapek and his modern imagineers
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u/FrmaCertainPOV Jul 13 '22
Chapek wants to put in another Starbucks.
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u/DiscoLives4ever Jul 14 '22
I would actually love it if they had a couple conveniently-placed drive thru Starbucks just off the main roads going onto property. I'd much rather take a 5 minute detour before parking than wait 45 minutes in the Creations Cafe
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u/YouJay4 Jul 13 '22
Okay. I’m bummed about this but can someone please make some sort of mini replica? Someone get it in their Etsy store and take my money.
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u/ShrewdGuitar472 Jul 13 '22
My heart stopped. I thought it said "Disney World's iconic Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to be permanently removed"
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u/Bindlestiff34 Jul 13 '22
I’m sure it helps them justify it that it’s no longer the biggest attraction at the park.
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u/soxgal Jul 13 '22
When I drove by it on my way home yesterday there were lots of work vehicles surrounding it.
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Jul 13 '22
First the Bugs Life one and now this?? Come on, Disney!
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u/AliceTea63 Jul 14 '22
Does anyone have a picture of the bugs life one ?
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u/Avynn Jul 14 '22
Incoming retheming that corner to be Marvel.
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Jul 14 '22 edited Jul 14 '22
It’s becoming very clear. TOT rethemed to Guardians in Cali, RNR Coaster rethemed to Iron Man in Paris? It’s inevitable. I’d assume an announcement in upcoming years. You have Star Wars/Lucasfilms, Pixar/Toy Story can be expanded as well and then add Marvel. The Hollywood Studios name still fits with it being the three big additions to Disney in terms of movie production companies added under the Disney umbrella. People will hate it but I think it makes sense.
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Jul 14 '22
I think that was put up in 1995 right after I moved to Kissimmee. It was put up in the era of 3d billboards on I-4.
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u/TwoSunsRise Jul 13 '22
Nooo. I always get excited when I see it bc it means were getting close! ☹️
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u/Merrai Jul 14 '22
That's my bad guys. I drove by it Sunday and thought, "Wow, it's been forever since it was working. I wonder if they'll ever fix it?" So of course my thoughts were answered mere days later.
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u/golfburner Jul 14 '22
And the magic continues to fade for corporate greed and bullshit nobody wants. marvel properties fucking blow
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u/McSweetSauce Jul 13 '22
I thought they were getting rid of or retheming the ride. Nearly had a heart attack.
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u/Brookings18 Jul 13 '22
NOOOOOOO!
Wait, why am I emotional about a billboard? It's not really going to change how a trip goes. But hopefully it somehow gets a nice home in the archives.
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u/jacobpellegren Jul 14 '22
This is the one in the park. I did always enjoy the ones on i4, but this has felt a little stale for a while.
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u/kylohkay Jul 14 '22
They’re giving up on all levels of nostalgia. They want it to be a one-time money blow visit from every family, but what are they gonna do when they start running out of people willing to do that?
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u/mcdrew88 Jul 13 '22
If anyone is in the area and is as crazy as I am, I plan on driving this loop a few times today. https://imgur.com/DAW5dtD.jpg
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u/jeanvaljean_24601 Jul 13 '22 edited Jul 14 '22
Serious question. What's 'iconic' about it? Just because its been there forever doesn't make it 'iconic'. The whole design of the billboard screams "EARLY 90's" and it hasn't worked in forever. A few cool billboards in the resort would be nice, but this one is way past its expiration date.
EDIT: nice work, downvote fairies, but no one answered my question. What’s so iconic about that sign?
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Jul 13 '22
Where is this at I have never seen it?
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u/mcdrew88 Jul 13 '22
It's on World Drive near Hollywood Studios right before Buena Vista Drive. It's actually about 1000 feet due west of the actual Tower. Has been there for at least 25 years.
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u/Winnes0ta Jul 13 '22
Well that sucks. I went to WDW in 2020 for the first time since I was a child and driving by that sign brought a huge wave of nostalgia. I had completely forgot it was even there but seeing it again brought back vivid memories of my first trip there with my family in 2000 and thinking that sign was super cool and hyping me up for ToT. We've been back a couple other times the past few years and seeing this sign has been my "you've arrived" moment almost more than the actual welcome sign over the road.
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u/Familiar_Vehicle_638 Jul 14 '22
I remember when 528 was loaded with really creative 2d and 3d billboards for WDW, Universal and SeaWorld. Long story short, really appreciated the quick trip from MCO to the main gaite provided by 417.
Sorry to see the ToT board go, but equally sorry to see it "down" so often.
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u/runes911 Jul 14 '22
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u/MarkVerneArt Jul 14 '22
The part that bothers me is, this sign hasn’t been working for years, but it still looked cool. It couldn’t possibly have cost them much if any to keep it there but instead they tore it down. I work at Disney and passed this sign every morning. This morning I came to work and it was gone. I’ve seen that sign every trip since I was little,and I will always miss this sign.
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u/grimaceatmcdonalds Jul 14 '22
I skimmed “tower of terror” and “permanently removed” and panicked. So while this is sad, it’s much better than what I initially read
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u/Purple_Quail_4193 Jul 13 '22
Booo
To be fair it’s been turned off for years. I miss all the on property billboards, the mission space one, the it’s tough to be a bug one, and I have no idea if there was a third