Hey there, this is going to sound stupid but even though I've never been on ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter (it closed before I was born), I've been doing research for the past three years and I figured I could put all of the things I've learned about the effects in one post since it's kind of spread out across the internet. I'm deciding to do this now because, to be honest, it's the end of an era with Stitch's Great Escape closing, and whether you liked that ride or not it was all we had left of AE.
Effect #1- Glass Break.
Contrary to popular belief the teleportation tube does not somehow get replaced by another tube. There is one long tube, half of which is "broken". The tube slides up, with the unbroken half going into the ceiling (disney ceilings are a lot higher than they appear from the outside) and the broken half appearing to the audience. There is a black ring seperating the two halves, and in night vision videos you can actually see it rising as the unbroken half goes into the ceiling. It's especially visible in this video, which I highly recommend watching through because it lets you see a couple things Imagineering does NOT want you to (including how the alien disappears, with it being lowered into the floor).
Effect #2- Skippy.
Skippy is easily explainable but there are many false rumors about how he is pulled off. Two very popular takes on his teleportation effect are:
-Skippy flattens.
-Skippy turns around with a mirror on his back.
Neither of these is the case. Skippy is too complex an animatronic to be able to flatten himself (see this picture from backdoordisney) and a mirror, would, obviously, reflect back towards the people in the room. Skippy lowers into the bottom of the tube. This has been confirmed by cast members.
The only thing I'm still unsure about is the possibility of a circular mirror in the BOTTOM of the tube, which could potentially block any leftover parts of Skippy that could be sticking out a bit (mainly antenna or his eyes). It works in the reverse with fried Skippy, with him rising up from beneath.
Effect #3- Flashlight.
This has been long debated- When the X-S Tech maintenance member walks above on the catwalk, is it a cast member with a flashlight, or a robotic arm waving a light around? Short answer: It's a cast member. As stated by a cast member on these forums, the position was sought after by employees because it mainly consisted of sitting around and waiting for a signal.
Effect #4- Breathing down your neck.
Despite this being pretty self explanatory I felt the need to put this in here. Two words: Alien ASMR. Binaural audio is pumped through special speakers in the chairs, along with thwipping air tubes to simulate licking.
Any other effects I've forgotten can be added at a later date. If any cast members/imagineers/insiders have any info on any of these effects or others, maybe even other rides' effects then please let me know. I'm just an idiotic teen that obsesses over a ride that doesn't even exist anymore.
Effect #1- Glass Break.
Contrary to popular belief the teleportation tube does not somehow get replaced by another tube. There is one long tube, half of which is "broken". The tube slides up, with the unbroken half going into the ceiling (disney ceilings are a lot higher than they appear from the outside) and the broken half appearing to the audience. There is a black ring seperating the two halves, and in night vision videos you can actually see it rising as the unbroken half goes into the ceiling. It's especially visible in this video, which I highly recommend watching through because it lets you see a couple things Imagineering does NOT want you to (including how the alien disappears, with it being lowered into the floor).
Effect #2- Skippy.
Skippy is easily explainable but there are many false rumors about how he is pulled off. Two very popular takes on his teleportation effect are:
-Skippy flattens.
-Skippy turns around with a mirror on his back.
Neither of these is the case. Skippy is too complex an animatronic to be able to flatten himself (see this picture from backdoordisney) and a mirror, would, obviously, reflect back towards the people in the room. Skippy lowers into the bottom of the tube. This has been confirmed by cast members.
The only thing I'm still unsure about is the possibility of a circular mirror in the BOTTOM of the tube, which could potentially block any leftover parts of Skippy that could be sticking out a bit (mainly antenna or his eyes). It works in the reverse with fried Skippy, with him rising up from beneath.
Effect #3- Flashlight.
This has been long debated- When the X-S Tech maintenance member walks above on the catwalk, is it a cast member with a flashlight, or a robotic arm waving a light around? Short answer: It's a cast member. As stated by a cast member on these forums, the position was sought after by employees because it mainly consisted of sitting around and waiting for a signal.
Effect #4- Breathing down your neck.
Despite this being pretty self explanatory I felt the need to put this in here. Two words: Alien ASMR. Binaural audio is pumped through special speakers in the chairs, along with thwipping air tubes to simulate licking.
Any other effects I've forgotten can be added at a later date. If any cast members/imagineers/insiders have any info on any of these effects or others, maybe even other rides' effects then please let me know. I'm just an idiotic teen that obsesses over a ride that doesn't even exist anymore.
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