Earffel Tower
The Earffel Tower[2] is a faux water tower located at Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris in Seine-et-Marne. The original version previously existed 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, they were inspired by the real water tower located at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.[4]
| Earffel Tower | |
|---|---|
 Earffel Tower and Topiary tribute, 2008 | |
| Disney's Hollywood Studios | |
| Area | Studio Backlot |
| Coordinates | 28°21′24″N 81°33′46″W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | May 1, 1989 |
| Closing date | April 29, 2016[1] |
| Replaced by | Toy Story Land |
| Walt Disney Studios Park | |
| Area | Front Lot |
| Coordinates | 48.8732°N 2.776°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | March 16, 2002 |
| General statistics | |
| Attraction type | Water tower |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Height | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Height (Paris) | 50 m (163 ft) |
A pun on the Eiffel Tower, they are 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; the Earffel Towers, however, do not contain water.[4]
The original 130-foot Earffel Tower at Disney's Hollywood Studios, was the first of the two towers and was located in the Studio Backlot Tour backstage area of the park.[3] It was the original icon of the park (then-known as Disney-MGM Studios), from 1989 until 2001, along with the Chinese Theatre facade of The Great Movie Ride. The Sorcerer's Hat then served as the park's official icon until its removal in 2015.[5] The tower was removed on April 29, 2016, to facilitate the construction of the park's Toy Story Land.[6]
The second, 163-foot tower at Walt Disney Studios Park debuted in 2002 and has served as the park's icon since then.
Today, the location of the Earffel Tower at Hollywood Studios is occupied by Slinky Dog Dash.
The icon has been frequently misspelled as “Earful Tower”.
See also
References
- Bevil, Dewayne (April 29, 2016). "Disney: Earffel Tower removed at Hollywood Studios". OrlandoSentinel.com.
- 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.
- Bevil, Dewayne (April 29, 2016). "Disney: Earffel Tower removed at Hollywood Studios". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- Pedicini, Sandra (January 15, 2016). "Earffel Tower coming down, attractions closing at Disney's Hollywood Studios". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- Sandra Pedicini; Dewayne Bevil (October 25, 2014). "Disney's Hollywood Studios removing sorcerer's hat". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
- McCabe, Adam. "R.I.P. "The Earffel Tower" at Disney's Hollywood Studios, 1989-2016". Inside The Magic. Retrieved April 29, 2016.