Rumor Stitch's Great Escape Replacement— Don’t Hold Your Breath

[Matt_Black]

Pocahontas and Hunchback are not popular IPs. Neither is Stitch. They may still be popular amongst Disney fanboys but not the general public. I agree that the Stitch ride is the problem more than the IP, but a popular IP can keep an average ride around longer than it likely would have been.

If Stitch isn't popular, then why does it always start trending on Twitter when it's aired on Disney Channel?

And Pocahontas, I'd argue, if not overall popular, has certain moments that are ingrained in the popular consciousness, such as Colors of the Wind.

 

[Bairstow]

I would reread my post. I was saying that I prefer the preshow to actually be a "show" and not just an immersive queue. I made no comparison to the rides you mentioned or any rides. I was just stating my preference for the older Epcot rides like UoE and The Living Seas that has preshows that brought you into the experience.

I would agree that the queues you mention are some of the best queues at WDW.

Where would you draw the distinction, then, between "immersive" queues and queues which tell a story?

And why is one better than the other?

 

[PorterRedkey]

Where would you draw the distinction, then, between "immersive" queues and queues which tell a story?

My preference is for a preshow holding area, where the preshow must be viewed. Test Track, Haunted Mansion, UoE, ToT and Journey to the Center of the Earth do this. This is more immersive to me. I love the Everest queue, but I usually go past most it because it is such an efficient ride. Although there are some exceptions, like Indy at DL which does a great job of pulling you into the adventure with its elaborate queue.

 

[RoysCabin]

How many people have seen Song of the South?

Good point, but I'd argue a different situation: Splash is a full-on, no hold barred E ticket spectacle, lengthy enough and fleshed out enough that familiarity with the source material isn't really a requisite because you're likely to be spending enough time in the queue to glean who the characters are and enough time on the ride itself (it's not a 3-4 minute dark ride or what have you) to have a pretty straightforward narrative laid out for you, all culminating in a song, Zip a Dee Do Dah, that just about anybody walking into the park will be familiar with. Plus, even if you want to ignore literally every part of that, it's the only log flume ride in WDW, so folks will want to get on for that reason, too; the thrill ride aspect gives it another layer that people can latch onto without needing to establish a connection with the source material.

So yeah, even a lesser known IP can work, but I'll argue that not every one is going to get the type of big time treatment that Splash got that in some ways makes the IP itself feel secondary. Definitely an interesting thing to analyze and discuss.

 

[GoofGoof]

I don't think that's true. Plenty of Disney IP based rides have lasted for decades -- like PPF or SWSA (yes, torn down in MK, but continuing elsewhere) or Dumbo. There was an outcry when Mr. Toad was removed from MK and that's a movie that virtually no one has seen. And people have already mentioned the lasting power of Splash Mtn despite a significant lack of cultural awareness of the movie that it is based on.

An IP ride can last indefinitely just fine as long as the ride quality is good and people enjoy it. Having the IP it is based on be enduring would help, but would not be essential. A good ride based on Stitch could certainly last forever, but SGE just isn't that well regarded.

Again, you are talking about Disney classics with Peter Pan, Dumbo, Snow White, etc... We are talking about less popular modern IPs. Mr. Toad was removed and the outcry was only from park fanboys. Nobody in the general population cared that it was gone. People back in the day didn't say, "I can't wait to go to WDW to ride the Mr Toad ride". They do and will say that about major IPs like Star Wars and Harry Potter or classics like Peter Pan or Snow White.

Very few people will care if Stitch doesn't have a ride or if some day Universal removes Men in Black or Fast & Furious or Minions for the next big hit. I don't dispute that a ride like Splash Mountain that is great can last indefinitely despite an unpopular IP. The difference is the ride is a true e-ticket so it stands on its own.

Getting back to the original topic, if they shoehorn Wreck It Ralph into the Stitch attraction it's unlikely to be a true e-ticket or classic ride that will stand on its own. I said unlikely, not impossible and I'm not judging the ride before it even opens, just being real. It's not likely to be enough of a classic to stand on its own. If/when Ralph loses some popularity a few decades from now it will probably get switched for a new IP which was the only point I was making in the post that started this whole discussion tangent.

But I think that there's a bit of reverse feedback here: a lot of times the IP remains popular because there are rides based on it which reinforce the place in the cultural consciousness. Snow White, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, etc. are likely much stronger IPs today because of long standing beloved rides that exist in Disney parks.

Millions of people visit Disney theme parks every year and so folks get a reinforcement of how those IPs are culturally important on the basis of the enduring rides.

This is true, but those are also Classic Disney rides (mostly DL originals) based on classic Disney movies. Nostalgia plays a large part in their popularity (the movies and the rides). I agree that Disney has done a great job with keeping those classics alive with the parks and marketing the nostalgia. I'm just skeptical that they will be able to do the same thing with IPs like Avatar or Wreck-it Ralph or even Guardians of the Galaxy. The nostalgia factor just won't be there so if the ride can't stand up on its own (like Stitch now) it will eventually be replaced.

 

[GoofGoof]

If Stitch isn't popular, then why does it always start trending on Twitter when it's aired on Disney Channel?

And Pocahontas, I'd argue, if not overall popular, has certain moments that are ingrained in the popular consciousness, such as Colors of the Wind.

Stitch has fans, but is not in the category of a blockbuster IP. There aren't that many IPs that are. A blockbuster IP can hold people's interest even if the ride itself is average or poor. Put Star Wars characters into Stitch's Great Escape and you would need fast pass for it***

***That was a philosophical example used to make a point. If there are any Disney people reading this, please don't actually put Star Wars characters in that ride.

 

[Magenta Panther]

I've just rented Wreck-It-Ralph again...and it really is a fun little movie, isn't it? Wonderful world-building. Great animation and terrific character design. And I must say....until he turned out to be Turbo, my fave character in the film is King Candy (love his Ed Wynn voice). I think it'd be awesome if he could somehow return in the sequel. Maybe he actually existed as a character in the game, but Turbo took over his persona. Or something. Anyway, it'd be so cool if he could come back and be an indulgent father to Vanellope.

Maybe some of you guys haven't seen this, but genius animator Eric Goldberg did a King Candy animation test for Wreck-It-Ralph:

 

[MotherOfBirds]

The Song of the South works for SM as an IP because it cuts out a good 70% of the movie (a.k.a. the non-adventures of an extremely boring child and some uncomfortable period stuff). The animated sequences are the only part anyone cares about, and those have been making occasional appearances in sing-along videos and other such things for a few decades. It also helps that it's based on preexisting stories that many southerners, myself included, grew up hearing.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Lilo and Stitch is the most popular of the early 2000s movies and the only one that was a mainstream success. People hate Stitch's Great Escape because it's just a really crappy attraction for the character and one that doesn't really hit upon why people like the film.

 

[Magic Feather]

I think that will be personal preference.

To elaborate, the Uni Screenz haters who aren't hyped up on Pixie Dust will dislike it. Pixie Dusters will love it (Duh). Most families will find it to be an improvement and like it. Purists who love the "Impressive Queue>PreShow>Main Attraction" like myself will not be the biggest fan. The bottom line is that other then guest flow and (hopefully) the exterior, You would barely be able to tell that the space previously had Stitch, unlike the last redid of that space.

Again, you are talking about Disney classics with Peter Pan, Dumbo, Snow White, etc... We are talking about less popular modern IPs. Mr. Toad was removed and the outcry was only from park fanboys. Nobody in the general population cared that it was gone. People back in the day didn't say, "I can't wait to go to WDW to ride the Mr Toad ride". They do and will say that about major IPs like Star Wars and Harry Potter or classics like Peter Pan or Snow White.

Very few people will care if Stitch doesn't have a ride or if some day Universal removes Men in Black or Fast & Furious or Minions for the next big hit. I don't dispute that a ride like Splash Mountain that is great can last indefinitely despite an unpopular IP. The difference is the ride is a true e-ticket so it stands on its own.

Getting back to the original topic, if they shoehorn Wreck It Ralph into the Stitch attraction it's unlikely to be a true e-ticket or classic ride that will stand on its own. I said unlikely, not impossible and I'm not judging the ride before it even opens, just being real. It's not likely to be enough of a classic to stand on its own. If/when Ralph loses some popularity a few decades from now it will probably get switched for a new IP which was the only point I was making in the post that started this whole discussion tangent.

This is true, but those are also Classic Disney rides (mostly DL originals) based on classic Disney movies. Nostalgia plays a large part in their popularity (the movies and the rides). I agree that Disney has done a great job with keeping those classics alive with the parks and marketing the nostalgia. I'm just skeptical that they will be able to do the same thing with IPs like Avatar or Wreck-it Ralph or even Guardians of the Galaxy. The nostalgia factor just won't be there so if the ride can't stand up on its own (like Stitch now) it will eventually be replaced.

Now the beauty of this ride is that (other than the queue) This could be EASILY swapped for any other IP, in the same way Hanna Barbera was swapped twice. (NOTE: This does not mean that it is the exact same ride system)

 

[Bairstow]

Just to remind everyone, Stitch is still phenomenonlly popular in Asia, and for a couple years was the biggest merch-moving character stateside. I sometimes wonder if US Disney fans' opinion of the IP was only soured because of the terrible Magic kingdom attraction.

 

[Bocabear]

Just to remind everyone, Stitch is still phenomenonlly popular in Asia, and for a couple years was the biggest merch-moving character stateside. I sometimes wonder if US Disney fans' opinion of the IP was only soured because of the terrible Magic kingdom attraction.

then by all means we should ship Stitch's Great Escape immediately to Shanghai or Hong Kong...

 

[lazyboy97o]

Pixar should only make sequels and spinoffs.

 

[RobidaFlats]

Just to remind everyone, Stitch is still phenomenonlly popular in Asia, and for a couple years was the biggest merch-moving character stateside. I sometimes wonder if US Disney fans' opinion of the IP was only soured because of the terrible Magic kingdom attraction.

I will admit to having personally had my view of the film tarnished by the attraction. After having stayed away from the MK offering for a long time, I went back and re-watched the movie and it was better than I had remembered.

It's certainly no cinematic masterpiece, but it's significantly better than any of its contemporary Disney films.*

*Yes, I realize that the bar was set pretty low.

 

[Bairstow]

then by all means we should ship Stitch's Great Escape immediately to Shanghai or Hong Kong...

They both already have Turtle Talk-style "Stitch Encounter" attractions.

You can bet that the main Stitch figures will get used for something, somewhere. Those things are actually pretty wizard.

... now that I think about it, I wonder what the potential could be to hook one of those things up to a control pad and retrofit one or both "Stitch Encounter" shows to utilize a live figure.

 

[Andrew C]

They both already have Turtle Talk-style "Stitch Encounter" attractions.

You can bet that the main Stitch figures will get used for something, somewhere. Those things are actually pretty wizard.

... now that I think about it, I wonder what the potential could be to hook one of those things up to a control pad and retrofit one or both "Stitch Encounter" shows to utilize a live figure.

I enjoyed the Stitch turtle-talk style attraction in DLP for what it was...although the guy who was voicing him did not really do a great impression.

 

[Bairstow]

I enjoyed the Stitch turtle-talk style attraction in DLP for what it was...although the guy who was voicing him did not really do a great impression.

Maybe it was a good match for the French actor?

What I don't get about that attraction is that Stitch, as he exist in the movie, barely speaks a human language at all. Chatting with him should be as awkward as chatting with E.T.

 

[FigmentJedi]

They both already have Turtle Talk-style "Stitch Encounter" attractions.

You can bet that the main Stitch figures will get used for something, somewhere. Those things are actually pretty wizard.

... now that I think about it, I wonder what the potential could be to hook one of those things up to a control pad and retrofit one or both "Stitch Encounter" shows to utilize a live figure.

Or perhaps have Stitch Encounter replace Monsters Inc Laugh Floor and just move figures across the street.

 

[Bocabear]

Or perhaps have Stitch Encounter replace Monsters Inc Laugh Floor and just move figures across the street.

nono....I think removing Stitch is the aim here... But by all means, use the stitch figures elsewhere... (Peoplemover Sets)

 

[FigmentJedi]

nono....I think removing Stitch is the aim here... But by all means, use the stitch figures elsewhere... (Peoplemover Sets)

Stitch is still a viable character for use in an attraction, just not Stitch's Great Escape. Additionally, you'd only need one digital/robot puppeteer instead of the three digital puppeteers for Monsters.