Walt Disney World quietly filed fresh paperwork for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this week, and fans are already side-eyeing what it might mean for the park’s most notorious elevator ride.
Yesterday, Walt Disney World Resort’s Facility Asset Management submitted a construction permit for the attraction, naming MLC Theming as the outside contractor. The filing appears in Orange County records and is listed under the resort’s asset-management arm, but it does not line up with any scheduled ride closure on Disney’s official calendar, suggesting the work may be mostly cosmetic rather than a ride system overhaul. The Tower remains the last U.S. installation of the attraction after Disneyland Resort rethemed its California version in 2017.
According to Inside the Magic, the notice was filed with the office of the Orange County Comptroller on Tuesday morning and describes the scope as “General Construction” at an address on Theater of the Stars Drive. The permit itself is viewable in county records, and Orange County permit records show the notice was registered under Walt Disney World Resort’s Facility Asset Management.
MLC Theming’s public profile emphasizes scenic painting, aging of structures, facade fabrication, and carved rock work, specialties that usually point to cosmetic, theatrical, and guest-facing updates rather than changes to ride mechanics. MLC Theming has been credited on multiple past projects around the resort, so they are no strangers to touching up Disney showpieces.
For now, Disney’s own attraction page for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror lists the ride as open and shows no scheduled refurbishment, a practical sign that this permit may not translate into immediate guest downtime. Disney has not issued a public statement about this specific filing.
The Tower's Place In U.S. Parks
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios is now the last remaining U.S. version of the attraction. Disneyland Resort’s California Adventure installation was converted into Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! in 2017, a change covered in detail by The Los Angeles Times. Similar but differently themed Towers continue to operate overseas, including installations at Tokyo DisneySea and Disneyland Paris, per park listings.
How This Fits With Other Hollywood Studios Projects
The permit arrives while Hollywood Studios is already juggling several high-profile changes. Muppets Courtyard closed in 2025 to make way for a Monsters, Inc. land, and Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster is due to be reimagined as a Muppets-themed coaster in 2026, projects that have already altered Sunset Boulevard’s skyline. Disney Dining and the Disney Food Blog have followed those developments closely.
If the Tower work does require downtime at some point, guests should expect Disney to post closures through its official channels before construction begins. For now, the newly filed permit is the clearest public signal about what is next for the Hollywood Studios icon, since county documents often reveal vendor names and scopes before parks post guest notices. We will be monitoring Orange County filings and Disney’s schedules for any updates that would affect guests planning visits to Hollywood Studios.
