The Hollywood Tower Hotel’s purple lightning scar is bold again. New paint on the upper floors of the Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios brings back the color guests saw when the ride opened in 1994.
A vibrant purple has arrived on the exterior of the Tower of Terror. The new paint is an effort to restore the opening-day lightning-scarred look for the classic attraction
— BlogMickey.com (@Blog_Mickey) October 19, 2026
It was spotted from Sunset Boulevard on Monday, October 19. Over the years it had washed out to a pale, grayish purple. Now the dark purple is back above the hotel sign and around the top-floor windows, streaked with dark cracks.
Why The Hotel Is Scarred
In the ride’s backstory, lightning hit the Hollywood Tower Hotel during a storm on Halloween night in 1939. The purple streak is the scar it left.
Here’s how bold the purple was in 1994, including a shot of the Hotel sign going up.
A warm welcome back… to the Tower’s original look.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) October 19, 2026
Blog Mickey held the new paint up against Imagineering’s construction photos, and it’s a much closer match than the faded version guests have seen for years.
The Scar Is Now In Full View
On Friday, October 23, scaffolding came down from the upper facade, giving a clear look at the finished scar above the Hollywood Tower Hotel sign, as Blog Mickey shared.
Scaffolding is starting to come down at the Tower of Terror, giving us an unobstructed view of the vibrant restoration of a lightning strike scar. The purple paint restores the opening-day look for the classic attraction
— BlogMickey.com (@Blog_Mickey) October 23, 2026
Scaffolding Still Covers Most Of The Tower
The sides and lower floors are still under the scaffolding that started going up in July. Earlier this month, one side of the hotel came out from under it, showing fresh pink paint, hand-painted cracks and green verdigris on the shutters.
Tower of Terror has stayed open through the work. Sunset Boulevard has the best view, and more of the refreshed hotel should appear as the scaffolding comes down.
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