Ariana Grande calls to protect Disney World’s Tower of Terror ride from Marvel

As the Disney World attraction’s intro video explains, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a star in its own right — one that’s burned bright enough to inspire full protective action from pop superstar Ariana Grande.

The singer-songwriter and upcoming Wicked actress appeared on the most recent episode of Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers’ Las Culturistas podcast, where she issued a firm decree to Disney that they’d better not re-theme the Florida version of the guest-favorite ride to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy like the company did at the Disneyland resort in California.

After accepting an invitation to go to the Florida resort with Rogers, Grande launched into a defense of the merits of the Orlando version’s Twilight Zone theme, which she said deserves to be permanently enshrined at the Hollywood Studios park.

“I want to speak on the Tower of Terror because I love and respect the Guardians of the Galaxy, of course I do. I think it’s a beautiful thing, it’s great, it’s impressive, it’s amazing. I’m a big Baby Groot person. I don’t remember much about her, but I love her,” Grande said, referencing Disneyland’s overhaul of the classic drop tower attraction that saw Disney ditch the original ride’s vintage Hollywood aesthetic and reopen as Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! in 2017.

Grande clarified that “it’s not angst, it’s dire desperation” fueling her desire to keep the Florida ride the way it is — a sentiment Mariah Carey shared when she appeared on Las Culturistas in October.

“It’s real desperation to protect and preserve what is the Tower of Terror,” she stressed, moments before Yang recalled a moment that he and Rogers had to be evacuated from the ride after it broke down mid-cycle, leading the comedic duo to be escorted out of the attraction while they were both “stoned out of [their] gourd.”

Later, Grande read her open letter to Disney pleading for them to keep the Tower of Terror in its original iteration, which she called an “absolute masterpiece” in the document.

“Perhaps this message comes prematurely, but I would be remiss if I did not reach out with a potential matter of grave concern. In the wake of the most recent alterations that have befallen your historic park in California — yes, I’m referring to the calamitous loss/makeover of the Tower of Terror ride here — I humbly implore you to not follow suit,” she read. “Please allow the iconic and tremendous Tower of Terror to stand tall, permanently in the name of historical preservation, spooky honor, and good, old-fashioned fun. I hope that you’ll consider this humble plea from a passionate fan.”

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The original Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride recently celebrated its 30th anniversary in July, after opening in July 1994 at Hollywood Studios. Later versions eventually opened with similar Twilight Zone themes at Disneyland’s California Adventure park and France’s Walt Disney Studios park in 2004 and 2007, respectively, before Disneyland launched the overhauled version in 2017.

An additional version of the ride also currently operates at Tokyo DisneySea, though it does not carry the Twilight Zone theme, and is instead set inside the haunted Hotel Hightower and tells a story that shares narrative ties to other Disney rides around the world like the Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise.

Another installment of the ride’s drop system is expected to open in the future at Hong Kong Disneyland, with Disney unveiling concept art for the planned attraction — this time themed to Marvel’s Spider-Man character — at the D23 convention in August.

Listen to Grande discuss the Tower of Terror with Yang and Rogers in the podcast episode above.