Villains Rule The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler
The start of the 2012 Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler. (Photo: Preston Mack/runDisney)
Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha! The Disney villains, ghouls and goblins have their night out at The Twilight Zone Tower or Terror 10-Miler Weekend at Walt Disney World in Florida from Friday, October 4 through Saturday, October 5.
The race is an ode to Disney villains and things that go bump in the night.
First up is the Disney Happy Haunted 5K Trail Run at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Saturday morning.
Then 10,000 people will run under the cloak of darkness at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler at 10 p.m. on Saturday night.
After the race, the Disney Villains Hollywood Bash keeps Disney’s Hollywood Studios open until 4 a.m. for runners and their guests. If it’s anything like the Epcot after party at Disney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon, which I ran in 2011 and am running again in November, it’s sure to be epic.
I feel like people come up with especially great costumes at this particular runDisney race. And you know I love a good Disney running costume. Like these Twilight Zone Tower of Terror bellhops in 2012.
Bellhop runners at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler. (Photo: runDisney)
And this corpse bride and groom at the 2012 Happy Haunted 5K Trail Run.
Mickey, watch out! They might be undead! (Photo: runDisney)
And then there are the villains themselves. I love that Disney gives them their own race. I still remember seeing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the theater as a child and being terrified. I’d already read the book—or, rather, had it read to me—a thousand times. I knew what was coming. But the horror, oh, the horror! The Evil Queen sends shudders down my spine.
Snow White’s Evil Queen and her minions. (Photo: runDisney)
The Disney universe is full of great villains and ghouls, like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow‘s Headless Horseman, the three ghosts of Mickey’s Christmas Carol, The Nightmare Before Christmas and, of course, all the residents of the Haunted Mansion.
But my favorite Disney ghosts are these guys:
The Lonesome Ghosts
Remember the Lonesome Ghosts? As a kid, I had the cartoon on my Fisher Price Movie Viewer along with Cinderella, Snow White, and lots of other Disney movies.
Fisher Price Movie Viewer Theater
Oh, the days before VCRs, DVDs, DVRs, On Demand, and that little thing called the Internet. Yes, I actually remember eight-tracks. This was kind of like an eight-track player for kiddie movies, except it played Super-8 film cartridges with cartoon shorts and clips from longer movies. But, I digress, lost in the Disney nostalgia of my childhood.
Good luck to everyone running this weekend! Let’s hope you’re able to out-run the Disney villains. Because you can check-in to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror… but you can never check out. Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Who is your favorite Disney villain or ghost?
Disney sometimes provides me with complimentary race entry, hotel, park tickets, and some meals for runDisney events, like the upcoming Wine & Dine Half Marathon. But as always, all opinions are purely my own. I really do believe in being honest about my experiences and Disney is no exception. For more information read my Disclosure Policy.
About Karla Bruning
Karla Bruning is a regular contributor to SHAPE.com, the host of NYRR's On The Run web + TV show, and a race announcer at events like the TCS New York City Marathon. She used to report for Newsweek but spent her free time squeezing in workouts. Now she freelances as a running reporter. She's run 7 marathons, 20 halves, 6 triathlons, sings in an '80s cover band, spoils her dog + travels compulsively.
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My favorite villain has always been Capt. Hook. I watched all the Halloween specials on the Disney Channel, and they included Lonesome Ghosts.
Lesley recently posted..First Run in the Sparkle Skirt
I love the re-imagining of Hook on Once Upon A Time.
Karla Bruning recently posted..Villains Rule The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler
Probably Iago! Jafar is just … so … TWISTED … but Iago provides comic relief.
Sadye recently posted..My second-best recent running accomplishment
Oh wait, I forgot Prince John!
Sadye recently posted..My second-best recent running accomplishment
I haven’t watched Robin Hood in ages. Overdue for that one.
Karla Bruning recently posted..Villains Rule The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler
Oh my god, I had a similar Lonesome Ghosts movie, except mine was this handheld thingy, kind of like a movie camera. I loved that thing!
I’m doing the Disney Wine & Dine and I cannot wait.
I watched those movies for hours on end, playing them over and over and over. my sister and I would project them onto a wall. Super excited for Wine & Dine too!
Karla Bruning recently posted..Villains Rule The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler
I definitely had one of those viewer things in hand held form too…although I think my only Disney one was a Winnie the Pooh thing. I would definitely love to do the Tower of Terror, but I don’t know if I can ever swing 2 trips to WDW in a month and I don’t know if I’m ready to give up Wine and Dine for a year.
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