Why it's there: Earful Tower

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Thursday, August 16, 2007
Matt Hochberg

One of the first symbols of the Studios, the Earful Tower remains a prominent building in the Studios and one of the oldest in the Studios. What many don't know, is that the Earful Tower is not an original creation for the Studios, but actually a reference Disney history.

The Earful Tower is based on water towers commonly found on Hollywood studio backlots of the first half of the 1900s, originally a safety measure to douse any fires on the film sets. Later, water towers traditionally marked the entrance of Hollywood cinema studios during the 1930´s and 1940´s. Specifically, the Earful Tower is based on the water tower from Walt Disney's Burbank Studios in 1939. Walt Disney Productions outgrew their Los Angeles studio and, in 1939, purchased 51 acres on Buena Vista Street between Alameda Avenue and Riverside Drive. The completion of the Disney studios late that year reinforced Burbank's position as the world's motion picture producing center. Unlike the original in Burbank, the Earful Tower contains no water and is purely for show.

The Earful Tower added Mickey Mouse ears to the original design and stands 13 stories tall and each ear weighs over 5000 pounds. In addition to the Disney-MGM Studios, a similiar Earful Tower can be found at the Walt Disney Studios park in Disneyland Paris, sometimes referred to ast the Earffel Tower.