"Wicked" star Ariana Grande is begging Disney to not change The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Grande joined Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers on their "Las Culturistas" podcast. As they touched on their shared love of Figment and Disney in general, Rogers recalled a recent episode with Mariah Carey, who expressed her love for Disney's Tower of Terror ride. He prompted Grande to "speak on the Tower of Terror, speak on Disney."
"I want to speak on the Tower of Terror because I love and respect the Guardians of the Galaxy," Grande said. "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."
Grande is referencing the 2017 transformation of the Disney California Adventure version of Tower of Terror into Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout! The original Tower of Terror remains at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, where it opened in 1994. A version also exists at Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris.
"You're angsty about this," Rogers said to Grande. "It's an endangered species."
"It's not angst," Grande responded, "it's dire desperation. It's real desperation to protect and preserve what is the Tower of Terror."
Rogers said the ride should be a historical landmark and Grande enthusiastically agreed. She reiterated, "It's really important and great that there is the Guardians of the Galaxy ride in California. I think that's perfect." But she insisted "it's one of the most important things that [Tower of Terror] stay" at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
At the end of the podcast, Grande read a pre-written open letter to Walt Disney World, sharing some of her favorite memories of the parks as both a child and an adult. Grande grew up in Boca Raton, Florida and her family would frequently visit. She recalled finally being tall enough to ride The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which she called an "absolute masterpiece."
"Perhaps this message comes prematurely," Grande said, "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. 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 while asking that my own passionate and devoted fans sign the attached Change.org petition just in case."
Grande never created a real Change.org petition, noting she had previously written the letter but never posted it.
Hear Grande's full thoughts on the Tower of Terror in the podcast episode below.