(The Disneycember logo is shown, before showing clips from Tower of Terror. Georges Bizet's "Habanera" from Carmen plays in the background throughout)
Doug (vo): Tower of Terror is another one of those movies that, for some reason, I would start, really be interested, and then something would always come along to take me away from it before I could finish it, whether it was work or just didn't have time or whatever. Sometimes, it was just a matter of finding a really good copy of it. I guess it's kind of rare. Well, this year, I finally got a chance to sit down, watch the whole thing, and, I don't know if this is gonna be an unpopular opinion or not, but I personally think this is the best movie based on a Disney ride. Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy Pirates and Jungle Cruise, but those movies had to change so much, you almost can't even recognize them as the ride. In fact, they had to add elements from the movie to the ride just so you can make the connection. With Tower of Terror, everything comes from the source material, you pick up on it right away. The characters, the scenario, the visuals, even the ride, the friggin ride itself, is in the movie! It never really dawned on me how strange it is that none of the other movie adaptations actually had the attraction in it. True, it was probably a budgetary reason, but it's great to see.
Story[]
Doug (vo): If you're familiar with the ride, you already know half the story. In the golden days of Hollywood land, the Hollywood Hotel is throwing a great big party. But when lightning strikes the elevator, the party guests suddenly disappear and nobody knows what happened to them. Years later, a junk news reporter, played by Steve Guttenburg, and his niece, played by Kirsten Dunst, are having a lot of fun creating fake stories that you see in stuff like the Enquire, you know, about aliens and ghosts and so forth. Eager to get his foot back in a real story, though, he's told about the Hollywood Hotel by a woman who was there when she was just a child. She tells him that she knows what happens to the people in the elevator, and when he goes to check out the place himself, a lot of supernatural stuff starts to occur. Slowly but surely, him and the niece see the ghosts and they try to figure how to help them out...if they indeed want to be helped out and they're not some sort of evil entity.
Review[]
Doug (vo): I guess from there, I shouldn't go into too much more detail, as there are some twists and surprises that, yeah, I did figure out pretty early, but I don't think kids would figure it out. I think for younger viewers, it would be a legit shock, and I will admit, I didn't figure out all the details of the twists, so it did legit surprise me as the film kept going on. But even if you do catch on, there is so much charm, atmosphere, and clever storytelling that really makes it a lot of fun to watch. There's one or two moments in this that are legit a little creepy, and if it's creepy to an adult, it's gonna be scary to kids, but still in a family-friendly way. Which means yes, the film can be a little corny and one or two details don't quite add up, but everyone has such a passion and curiosity for what's going on that you get sucked into it pretty easily.
(Footage focusing on the opening sequence is shown)
Doug (vo): The opening alone just hooks you in, the way the music plays and the camera moves and the editing is done. It builds up this really good, fun, creative energy. I don't know, maybe because I always love the spooky rides at Disney, you know, like Haunted Mansion or the old scary Snow White ride and, of course, Tower of Terror. I love seeing Disney do something that is dark, but is still something both kids and families can watch and enjoy, especially when this is, surprisingly, maybe the most mature out of any of these Disney ride movies. A lot of it isn't sword fights or swinging on vines or saving kidnapped kids from an evil demon or anything.
(Footage focusing on the climax of the film is shown)
Doug (vo): The climax is characters learning to trust and forgive each other. While, yes, there is a physical risk there, too, it wouldn't mean anything if you weren't invested in these characters and their troubles, and you really are. Everyone in this surprisingly has an arc, a goal, a problem to overcome. And they're usually addressed by just talking them out, which, yeah, in any other movie, would be really boring, but they do a good job fleshing these people out. They didn't even need to add The Twilight Zone element, which I'm sure was, like, a copyright thing, maybe, I don't know, but it's not really needed, it stands fine on its own.
(Footage focusing briefly on the romances and other scenes is shown)
Doug (vo): If I had any nitpicky problems with the film, I would say the romance isn't that great. There's technically two going on, and I almost forgot they were even a thing in the movie. And there is one bit of staging that drives me nuts. Kirsten Dunst is trying to stop this elevator from going, and one of the ghosts slips out and she slips in. It is so unnatural and makes no sense.
Final thought[]
Doug (vo): But, wow, if that's my biggest hangup, this movie is really doing something right. I'm finding more and more that whenever these Disney TV movies tried to do something that has a little bit more of a spooky edge, I usually like them a lot more. I don't know if the makers really wanted to do something mean and dark, but couldn't, so they tried to put extra effort into the story and characters and what they can get away with. But when I think of Mr. Boogedy and Under Wraps and naturally this, I find myself really having a good time. Is it a phenomenal movie? No. Is it, like, a special effects extravaganza? Clearly not. But for what it is, a Disney TV movie based on one of their rides that's supposed to actually be about the ride and the story behind it, it not only succeeds, it does so in a more adult way than I think the other Disney ride movies that I think are supposed to be more adult. I'd much rather watch these charming ghosts just talk about their past problems than Jack Sparrow stab another zombie or whatever. And again, this is coming from a place that likes the Pirate movies fine, but there's something to be said when you don't have as big a budget, you have to think a little more clever and make your characters a little more likeable and take more from the source material and add more twists and turns. I'm really glad I finally got a chance to sit down and watch this all the way through. I doubt it's gonna be many other people's favorite Disney ride movie, but this is just the stuff I get a little bit more into, haunted houses, ghosts, troubled pasts, people working through those pasts with interesting conversations, as well as interesting visuals, and a running time that doesn't overstay its welcome. This isn't even an hour-and-a-half long, and it gets its job done great. So, if you're a fan of the ride or just like spooky stuff that can also be family-friendly, this is surprisingly a good one to check out.
(A scene showing the Hollywood Tower hotel is shown)