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Early Bird Gets the Mouse

Expo attendees check out special ‘Disney at Dawn’ behind-the-scenes tour Monday morning at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

“The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios lives up to its name as it basks in a pre-dawn glow Monday morning during IAAPA Attractions Expo’s “Disney at Dawn” tour of the park. Inset: The Hollywood Tower Hotel in full sunrise.

Attendees got an up-close-and-personal look at the dragon animatronic that stars in the “Fantasmic!” show at the Studios.

Tour participants walk the “Fantasmic!” stage in the early hours of Monday morning.

Attendees get a peek inside the driver’s cabin aboard the steamboat in “Fantasmic!”

As part of the tour, attendees had a backstage look at the Studios’ iconic “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster,” including the launch system and maintenance bay.

A plethora of Disney Cast Members guided tour guests throughout the morning.

Here attendees stand in the exit area for “Tower of Terror.” They were taken all over the attraction, getting a chance to see the elevator motors on the 13th floor and peek out a window through the “D” on the tower’s sign.

After splitting into various groups for the tour, attendees gathered together for a special presentation from Walt Disney World executives.

Attendees heard presentations on each Walt Disney World theme park from those attractions’ leaders. From left: Jim MacPhee, senior vice president, Walt Disney World Parks; Phil Holmes, vice president, Magic Kingdom; Dan Cockerell, vice president, Disney’s Hollywood Studios; Michael Colglazier, vice president, Disney’s Animal Kingdom; Erin Young, vice president, Epcot.