Why is Stitch's Great Escape still there?

[BobConnor]

The ride everyone hates, that I am so glad I did not go on, I am asking why do you all suppose it is still there? There had to be plenty of complaints, but I have one theory as to why:

Corporations do not like to be told what to do by anyone, whether a guest, customers, the government, anyone. Disney "eats a lot of crow" when they make guests happy, even though they are supposed to be in the "happy people" business. Keeping Stiches Great Escape is their way of saying "we are a big company and no one tells us what to do and it is our business and if we want to keep something people hate we will" This is even though because it takes power and CMs to run Stitch, a blank space would be less money.

Since a lot of companies are like this (GM and Sears are examples) do you all think Disney is like that too?

 

[C&D]

What are you smoking? The above statements are full of conjecture and 'pretzel logic', and while you are certainly free to express them, I don't think your suppositions lead to the conclusion.

p.s. I don't like "Stitch" either (but I just walk by); no conspiracy to dictate corporate power here.

 

[BobConnor]

Well then, why do you suppose it is still there? All I did was try to come up with an answer. I actually should have made it a poll, but it was too late once I posted it. The poll might be:

A. They never got around to replacing or closing it.
B. Too cheap to replace it (but a blank space would still be less money and compared to SGE, less harm)
C. The conspiracy theory I say above.
D. There is no reason, nothing makes sense about the ride/show?

 

[copcarguyp71]

You should probably at least do it before forming an opinion. I think too many people jump on the bandwagon for the sake of riding the wave of dislike. We did it for the first time last trip, not a great attraction but really no worse or any larger a waste of space than the Tiki Birds, MILF or Alladin. The animatronics were actually pretty darn good I thought. I am not a fan and thought the previous Timekeeper iteration was better but given the choice of empty space or open I would rather see it open than becoming another Wonders of Life pavilion or the any one of a number of empty spaces throughout the parks that TDO likes to pretend we do not notice.

 

[marni1971]

It does pull in consistently low results in guest polls, but it's filling a hole.

An overhaul or (another) retheme would be nice but I don't think its top of the list. Internally there's still a lot of hate and conflict over the whole AE/SGE fiasco.

 

[matt9112]

While I may ignore the second half of your post (forgive me) the likely answer is cost....that ride is tailored to its location after all it's a major overlay onto the old alien encounter, add to this that it has a decent capacity it s overall life costs are probably very low when compared to many other attractions....and if you did want to replace it you need to work with the space provided. A show or the like of some kind is likely the only candidate . And with that decided what would you put there?

 

[hull327]

Alien Encounter was much, much better although it was just about the same attraction. There seemed to be a lot more suspense and the breathing on your neck was funny. I agree that Stitch is due for a replacement altogether but there's no way I think it's there just so Disney can say, "We can do what we want regardless of what you think..."

 

[graphite1326]

I don't care for it either. However, a lot of people do and when I go by there is always people waiting in line. Until the amount of people going in dips to a cosistent low level they may change it. BUT, look at Journey into Imagination at EPCOT. Noone goes there and it's still open. So don't look for a change anytime soon.

 

[pumpkin7]

Aww, I think the animatronic Stitch is cute! Though the first time I went through this attraction, the shoulder things really hurt my shoulders, and last time, I was on the back of Stitch so couldn't actually see much of what was going on. Hurrah!

 

[midwest_mice]

I am guessing it's still there because the Stitch character still remains popular among WDW execs. They do have him in the Welcome show still too.

 

[BobConnor]

You should probably at least do it before forming an opinion. I think too many people jump on the bandwagon for the sake of riding the wave of dislike. We did it for the first time last trip, not a great attraction but really no worse or any larger a waste of space than the Tiki Birds, MILF or Alladin. The animatronics were actually pretty darn good I thought. I am not a fan and thought the previous Timekeeper iteration was better but given the choice of empty space or open I would rather see it open than becoming another Wonders of Life pavilion or the any one of a number of empty spaces throughout the parks that TDO likes to pretend we do not notice.

I know I did want to see what it was like but heard too many bad reviews. It seems that everyone who tries it, hates it. Actually, like me, I think some people board the attraction just to see how bad can it possibly be? Oh, we did skip Tiki birds too because they might be boring but you don't hear how bad they are compared to SGE. Isn't there some way to make SGE less gross and uncomfortable? I believe you Martin, why make an attraction that hurts and smells bad, something happened there. Alladin is kind of like another version of Dumbo so it does take guests away from that ride.

 

[Goofywilliam]

I know I am apart of the minority here but I have a small place in my heart for stitch and this ride. I always try to make an effort to ride it when I am at the magic kingdom. However, I do hold my breath during the corndog part and manipulate the shoulder rests so they don't lay all the way down on my shoulders. Overall I think the animatronics and special effects make this ride somewhat enjoyable.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Think about this...If the movie was never even made and this was an "original" attraction and Stitch was a park exclusive character would guests see it differently?

 

[Goofyernmost]

Personally, I take very little advice from someone that has passed judgment based on what everyone else (they think) has said. Many people like the show. The preshow is really good and the full show outside description is so overboard with hyperbole that it is ridiculous. Even the level of "scariness" that is voiced about Alien Encounter was just so much bull. Little kids, maybe...but how an adult with a functioning brain can think it was scary is beyond my ability to understand.

It has been a fad, of late, to ridicule SGE. Even I have done it, in a joking manner, and I like the show. I'm pretty sure that this carries over to the survey situations. No one wants to be considered uncool so they vomit forth a whole bunch of negative to make themselves feel better about themselves. Let's face it, there are very few things that can fit in that building. A building and layout that goes all the way back to when WDW opened and was then the Flight to the Moon or Mars... don't remember which one. The chili burp makes one nauseous, really? How mature!

Anyway, I wouldn't recommend that you experience it for yourself because your mind is already made up and you will just react the way you think others do, but, it is a good show. The main reason that Stitch was put in there was because so many parents are apparently unable to read warning signs and brought their young, young children in and they were scared. Stitch was very popular at the time, especially with young kids so they knew that they could carry forward the alien theme with no trouble. One would be hard pressed to find much of anything that will fit in there at this point. I do agree that the stanchions are unnecessary, especially the hold downs, but so much of the show is incorporated in them that they are necessary.

I also think that during that era there seemed to be a huge push to make Stitch a superstar of Disney. It seemed that they had pushed Mickey out of his place and tried to replace him with Stitch. That did indeed make some of us upset, myself included, but then all the big push died down because, let's face it, Stitch is not Mickey and never will be. That tainted some peoples opinions.

I'm sorry if this seems a bit harsh, but, I am a believer in making up my own mind about things. Until I've seen something up close and personal, I have no opinion and the opinion of others means nothing to me. That has presented a problem when friends ask my advice about what to see and what not to see. I cannot tell what anyone else will like or not like. My advice is always to see everything, don't skip a thing if this is your first trip. You will then know what fits your tastes and enjoyment levels. Besides lately asking Disney if they would close an attraction is like asking Dillinger if he would like the keys to the bank. There is enough closed down there now, no more please.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

I'm in the minority here but I actually like SGE. Most likely because I love stitch, but I do enjoy the animatronics and I've never rode stitch without seeing people laughing once the ride is over.

 

[NearTheEars]

I wish someone would poll some children about this attraction. The 3 or 4 times I've experienced it, the kids around us loved it. And they let out a hearty and giggly "ewwwwww" when the smell kicks in.

I will admit that unless we really need to kill time, we do skip SGE. But I certainly don't hate it.

No offense OP, but as some have said, those are bold assumptions to make without ever experiencing the attraction.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Think about this...If the movie was never even made and this was an "original" attraction and Stitch was a park exclusive character would guests see it differently?

It'd still be a watered down ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. It'd only gain some slight story coherence because the "Stitch" name would not be used before being given by Lilo.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

It'd still be a watered down ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. It'd only gain some slight story coherence because the "Stitch" name would not be used before being given by Lilo.

Ahhh Hahaha BUT!! What if the First Incarnation was never done! And Stitch was first. Muwahahaha!!

 

[Hot Lava]

I was tooling around on the touring plans app on the 31st, marveling at all the wait times. 4 hours for Soarin!

But Stich only had an 8 minute wait. There was a discussion in the chat section of the app about why they don't replace stich if, on the busiest day, there is still only an 8 minute wait.

 

[GoochDSA]

I don't care for Stitch. I don't really like the character and I don't care for the movie at all. I don't like how Disney tried to force Stitch down all of our throats. However, I don't hate SGE. I don't know, maybe I am trying to hold on to AE through SGE in some way. Do we run to go see it? No. Do we avoid it? No. Do we do it every trip? No. Do we tell others to skip it? No.