The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter

[dxwwf3]

Agreed. If I'm not mistaken, didn't most of Lilo and Stitch take place in Hawaii? Perfect fit for Adventureland, plus it would have also been able to feature Lilo.

It's too late now, but yes I think that almost everyone will agree that a LILO and Stitch attraction would have worked better in Adventureland. Now Lilo will probably never be in a Disney World attraction. But oh well.

 

[dxwwf3]

I was lucky enough to get over there on its last day. The park was open until 11 that night, and it definitely should've been, because it was Columbus Day weekend and it was packed. First attraction I rode when I got there was AE. Last attraction I rode was AE. I had planned on staying until 11 to be one of the last people to get on it, but a huge thunderstorm that pretty much "flooded" Tomorrowland forced those plans to be canceled. I'll always remember that day though......

Needless to say I probably would have given up 5 years worth of WDW visits just to be there on that day. Consider yourself very lucky :wave:

 

[flyersmv]

well since ive heard so many ppl say it really wasnt so good i guess disney didnt make a bad decison taking it out

 

[kevmagkingdom]

Okay, I don't want Stitch fans to bash me for saying this but I am going to give my opinion.

Alien Encounter might not have been for everyone, but if it wasn't for you, just avoid it. It was a simple thing, but NO!!! they go and replace it with Stitch.

Now correct me if I'm wrong. Stitch could go in the former Tomorrowland Skyway station INSTEAD of replacing Alien Encounter which didn't deserve to go.

I am completely against Stitch. I think it will be a nice show but it's NOT a good idea, the Magic Kingdom should not capitalize on movie characters. Plus it won't fit tomorrowland, because it isn't futuristic. Sure Stitch is an Alien but it still is not tomorrowland material.

Just my thoughts.

 

[HauntedSquirrel]

I loved Alien Encounter. I think it was one of the best attractions at WDW. It proved that disney isn't just for kids, but for adults as well in my opinon. I hate how they took it out to put in a stitch attraction, and i have a feeling that there is going to be a lot of angry adults when it first comes out. I mean, come on, it's a dark ride in which stitch runs a muck before he gets to hawaii and calms down. I can just predict the children crying now. "Mommy, i thought stitch was good!" and stuff like that. lol

And actually, i think that tomorrowland is the best place for the stitch attraction. It is suppose to take place before the trial in which stitch is introduced in the movie. Before he even gets to hawaii too, so it will take place all in space, which is better suited for tomorrowland like i said earlier.

But i definately think that they could have picked a better location to put it into. Like the tomorrowland skyway station or where 20000 leagues used to be. I think that disney was just trying to be cheap and probably thought that Alien Encounter was a low rated attraction with guests and decided to kick the alien out and replace it with stitch.

i'd have to say that my favorite memory with Alien Encounter, though, is when both rooms on the ride broke down. The first two preshows worked well, but we were held back by a cast member before heading to the actually attraction. I got to hang out with my friends, chat, meet new people, and see skippy's performance multiple times. lol. A lot of people left as well so there were just a few of us left and they eventually got one room fixed, i think that the mister was broken in it though, the seats almost seemed to be sopping wet and i feared about electrocution. lol.

I even remember my first time on the ride, i knew about the effects before hand so most didn't catch me by surprise. I say most because definately the worker's blood and the exploding alien guts at the end definately caught me off gaurd. I loved it still tho. I remember one time at the end i had my mouth open and some 'alien gut juice' landed in my mouth, i was cracking up for the rest of the night. Ah, good memories. I just hope that stitch doesn't suck too much.

 

[DisneyLuver91]

Alien Encounter... definatly not the best thing Disney's ever come up with. Well, it was better than Sounds Dangerous.

Hope Stitch is better. Can'te get much worse IMO.

Nearly 13 years later.... Oh my god, I couldn't resist

 

[CastleBound]

Nearly 13 years later.... Oh my god, I couldn't resist

Pretty funny to look back on stuff like this. Hopefully we'll get something more cohesive in this land sometime in the future...

 

[ItsOn]

I thought AE was scary as a kid! I remember hearing people around the park talk about how state of the art it was for it's time and anxiously anticipated riding it! I Remember being very nervous and scared waiting in queue. I bailed out at the last minute and my father and brother rode it while I sat and waited with my mom. I was a scaredy cat as a kid. I didn't even ride the haunted mansion the first 3 or 4 trips do WDW.

My brother and father would come off the rides I was too scared to go on and say "It's not scary at all! You have to come on!"

When they got off AE I remember my younger brother looking VERY terrified. I waited until the last day of our trip and went on it reluctantly, had a blast, was very scared, but glad I can say I rode it!

Sad to hear its gone and replaced with Stitch. Stitch sucks.

 

[Princess_AmyK]

So I may be remembering this attraction more fondly than it was, but I loved it!
When I was young I remember my brother riding it and my Mom telling me that I would have to wait back with her while my Dad rode with my brother. When my brother came out, he was saying it was awesome! but a girl following behind him was crying!! She was so scared! I remember thinking my brother was so brave. As a younger sister who was always trying to keep up with my brother, I was excited to ride it one day. When I finally did, I thought it was great! i only ever rode it a couple times but loved it each time and was disappointed when I learned they had changed it.

Not a fan of Stitch... I wish they would have held on to the one more scary and grown up ride in MK. I know it is a kids park, but what does one scary ride hurt? They had warning outside the ride. If your child is young or easily frightened, just don't let them ride it. Everything doesn't have to be for everyone.

 

[RobotWolf]

I didn't realize it until after they installed Stitch. But the preshow has always been my favorite part of any attraction in that location.

 

[invadersam]

I wonder if they got the inspiration for TOM (the host of the Toonami block on Cartoon Network) from SIR. Both look similar.

I had use to love toonami in 2004 to 2006 and I still do but not as much as adult swim
I had a fan funeral for the ride a few years ago and went to a park

 

[champdisney]

- Back in the day when Disney cared enough to prepare us for our "Alien Encounter".

​

 

[John park hopper]

Great video, AE great attraction still miss it

 

[Awesome Possum]

It was the first ride I ever rode at Disney World. I loved it and miss it. RIP Skippy.

 

[Dunston]

I've been searching the internet, and have returned fruitless, so I come here. Are there any color photos of the animatronic from the ride? I've always wanted to see it as it would appear in person.

Edit:
I found this picture on a youtube video but have no idea of its source.

 

[Dunston]

I've been searching the internet, and have returned fruitless, so I come here. Are there any color photos of the animatronic from the ride? I've always wanted to see it as it would appear in person.

Edit:
I found this picture on a youtube video but have no idea of its source.

View attachment 284687

I don't like to double post, but this forum and this thread are rather slow. I found the original picture from the Defunctland video, which might be one of the only color photos of the animatronic.

Additionally, I found this picture, which I believe to be used to create the mold for the animatronic's head.

Along with these two rare pictures, there some videos found on YouTube, which offer good glimpses of varying clarity of the big guy:






These YouTube videos are publicly accessible and fairly well-known, as are the following pictures of on-ride media and toys. I'm putting them here with the videos because it seems like a good idea to have it all in one place on the forum.

The alien in a monitor about to eat a Cast Member

A plastic articulated toy of the Alien. There were also toys in this scale of Skippy before and after teleportation, and SIR.

A shelf full of latex wire-frame toys of the alien. I can smell that Halloween mask latex smell just by looking at it... There were also toys of the Countdown to Extinction/Dinosaur similar to this one.

This is just about all I could find. Special thanks to @FigmentJedi for their great Disney Universes blog.
I'm wondering if there is anything else out there. I'm sure there are filmed animation tests like those that exist for the Yeti, Hopper and the Lava Monster. I saw the full John Cutry animation demo reel ONCE before it was taken off of YouTube--now I can only find the video of A Mode Yeti. If anybody has a link to a backup of this, I would love if you shared it.
I'm sure there are pictures taken by guests during the ride with flash (they tell us not to, but somebody always does).
If anybody has more pictures or videos, please share

Edit: How could I forget @marni1971 's tribute?

 

[WDWTank]

Nearly 13 years later.... Oh my god, I couldn't resist

I wish I could’ve been on Alien Encounter

 

[Anders Limpar]

I experienced this ride at some point between December 3rd, 1994 and December 10th, 1994. I don't remember what day of our week long trip it was. A cast member was positioned around the bridge to enter Tomorrowland and asked us if we wanted to experience a brand new attraction. You couldn't just walk up to the queue and there was nothing advertising that it was in soft opening. There were a number of what must have been Imagineers experiencing the attraction with us. The ride was never open again later that week any time we were at MK.

I know they did more soft openings later in December but we must have be one of the first soft openings imagineering did for AE. It seems crazy to me that they retooled the ride and it's official opening was midway into 1995 considering I had experienced it 6 months earlier. I think it's the only ride I have experienced a soft opening on.

 

[powderehss]

@Loopzoop444 ... WHERE DID YOU FIND THE CAST MEMBERS AND MOLD PICS...
I must know!

M-maybe... maybe there's more... I can find... Just maybe... maybe...
That alien has such a great design and it's a shame you never really got to see it... It's like Predator had an unholy baby with Maleficent and one of the Buena Vista gators that chill in River Country...!

p.s. im pourin one out for morpheus

 

[zeebs758]

This is my favorite attraction of all time! I went when I was 10 years old in 1998 and it scared the hell out of me. I recently started a podcast and the name is based on the attraction. Man, I miss this attraction.