Does anyone miss Alien Encounter, or is it just me?

Rpearson

New Member
Alien Encounter was probably not the most Disney-ish Attraction, but it gave the park a great well-rounded feel to appeal to youngsters and adults alike. It was Family in the sense that EVERY member of the family had something instead of just being the kids. It was actually very well thought out and demonstrated the power that Disney Imagineering had when they blended both a good story and great effects. I consider it a testament to the creative potential that the company is capable of.
 
I loved it myself, and it absolutely was 'Disneyesque' in execution, what with matching the Tomorrowland overhaul/theme of the time pretty seamlessly, and having some quite good music, some bits of comicalness with Chairman Clench and his underlings, and Tim Curry's marvelous voice work as S.I.R. It was very, very creepy though the first time through, as far as building anticipation of what would happen. I liked that myself, contrast being the spice of life and all: not everything has to be Small World.

It is a shame though that it was removed/vilified to an extent for being something different/more intense, when parents maybe didn't take all the posted warnings and hints seriously that led up to the final theater presentation. I miss it still, and Stitch as an attraction is just awful. At least we still get to see Skippy as a remnant of the original...
 

Theresonly1

Member
I remember the first time I rode it, we had just gotten to the park, July 4th week, saw a line and stood in it. :) Didn't even know what the line was until 1/2 way through it. It was fun but pretty intense, my friend and I both woke up sore from tensing up so much. Good Times. I agree that the scare factor wasn't as great the next time, but still think it was better than stitch. However my 7yo cousin doesn't like SGE at all!
 

dxwwf3

Well-Known Member
Don't know what attraction you speak of, but it sounds amazing! ;)

Seriously it's such a shame that the entrance to Tomorrowland used to be the place I wanted to spend the most time and go to first every trip. Now I just walk past SGE and MILF and spend no time there. It really is sad for such a fan of 94-95 New Tomorrowland.
 

Chrononymous

Well-Known Member
I really miss it too...even though I had only one chance to experience it.

I thought it was scary...but not too scary. Kind of like a general haunted house is scary, but you know it's all fake.
I do have issues with the design of the seats, but that's because I have fibromyalgia, and those harnesses can really hurt.(I found a way to minimize the pain since, by holding up the harness before it comes down completely on my shoulders.)

My favorite part of it was the preshow videos, and the preshow itself was really fun.
I found it interesting that I was the only one laughing through it, though. I always thought the jokes about XS tech were smart and clever, but no one around me was "getting it". Oh well...

Of all the things that have ever been in that space, this attraction is absolutely the top! (which I guess isn't saying much, since everything else there has been disappointingly lame)
 

StarWarsGirl

Well-Known Member
It closed when you were 7 years old?
What? I was 8. Some of us on this board are, well, young adults. My parents always made me try new rides at least once when I was old enough, but they never made me get on this one, as my mom states that she didn't like it and would not force me to get on it only for it to give me nightmares. Given how I feel about the Alien section of Great Movie Ride...
 

StarWarsGirl

Well-Known Member
I really miss it too...even though I had only one chance to experience it.
I thought it was scary...but not too scary. Kind of like a general haunted house is scary, but you know it's all fake.
I do have issues with the design of the seats, but that's because I have fibromyalgia, and those harnesses can really hurt.(I found a way to minimize the pain since, by holding up the harness before it comes down completely on my shoulders.)

They hurt even if you DON'T have fibermyalgia.
 

Jasonflz

Well-Known Member
Don't know what attraction you speak of, but it sounds amazing! ;)

Seriously it's such a shame that the entrance to Tomorrowland used to be the place I wanted to spend the most time and go to first every trip. Now I just walk past SGE and MILF and spend no time there. It really is sad for such a fan of 94-95 New Tomorrowland.
You stole the words from my mouth. While I have never experienced Alien Encounter I do remember how great TL used to be. TTA, Timekeeper, Metrophone, etc. added to the atmosphere which made this my favorite land. Nowadays it is all one big advertisement.

Judging from videos though, AE looked like one of the coolest rides at the park.
 

ZooStation

New Member
I really miss it. It was a real highlight for us when we had Grad Nite. I finally gave in and rode SGE for the first time last year and immediately began ranting about how Disney needs to stop catering to kids. Time to give 'em some nightmares. ;)
 

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter was better than Stitch's Great Escape! certainly - though they're essentially the same thing with different theming. But the Stitch makeover just killed it. Honestly, I prefer Mission to Mars.
 

Mr Starky

Active Member
I know it never really seemed Disney-like since it was pretty scary but it still seemed like a fun attraction to me.
My wife and I were there for our Honeymoon in June of 1995. We missed it's opening by just a few days and by the time we got back to WDW Nov 2005 it had already been shut down. So we never got to experience it. Bummer.
 

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