Response
In this response I shall utilize attractions which are generally well regarded by Disney fans as of this writing to illustrate that, technically, SGE actually has much in common with these so-called classics
Philharmagic- an attraction which uses many of the same tactile effects seen in Stitch. Also poorly regarded when it first opened by many on this very board. Contrary to other reports, this attraction has NO plot. It uses Donald as a thread to hang together unrelated musical vignettes. Like Stitch, it has no ending- Mickey stops the insanity, rather easily and abrubtly, and we all laugh at Donald's butt. Th attraction makes so little sense that it resorts to "blowing up" the entire cast of The Lion King as a "transition".
The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh- this popular Fantasyland attraction also has absolutely no ending. Now grant you the attraction doesn't follow the insanity of the California version, but at least that version has a clear cut extended ending. Florida ends so anti-climatically that on many occasions i've heard people turn to members of their group and exclaim "That's it?". The ending is simply not well pulled off. We are given two barely animated figures and lots of static plywood. At the least the DL and TDL versions have the decency to give us a full tableaux as a final scene. Those of you who will argue that there was not enough space, I say to you of course there was! Why spend so long on Tigger bouncing? Why spend so long on the Woozles? Why didn;t they think out the ending to begin with?
Pirates of the Caribbean- To debunk a popular myth, you do NOT travel back in time in the WDW version of this attraction. "Time Travel" was not in the budget. As you load, you can see the pirate ship approaching the fortress on the right hand side. In the queue, you can hear the spanish soilders talking about the approaching ship. You then travel into a cave which is inexplicably linked to the spanish fortress. You then encounter skeletons and pirate ghosts which are never explained. They serve no purpose. In every other version of this ride, You are sent back in time by the cursed treasure. Here you appear to take a leisure tour through caves to waste time so the ship can make it to the fortress before you. The end makes even less sense. One minute you are with drunken rampaging pirates, but just beyond the wall you are safe and sound with no attempt at transition. Whatever happened to the fact that you are currently in a burning town? Answer- Disney magic made it go away. Never you mind about all that fire and such! Now we're happily unloading! Explain to me how that makes sense. Explain to me how it makes much more sense than Winnie the Pooh, Philharmagic, Maelstrom, or SGE.
As long as we are talking about Disney attractions, I believe we can only be fair by applying the same criteria to all attractions regardless of classic status. Truth be told, many of the attractions, much less reviled then Stitch, make just as much sense as it does. How about.......
ALIEN ENCOUNTER. It has the EXACT SAME ENDING as Stitch. The immediate threat is just gone in the most random way possible. In the case of AE, the creature simply explodes! How does he explode? Disney magic! And then Spinlock and Dr. Femus, who apprantly have forgotten the fact that Chairman Clench is still lost in oblivion somewhere, proceed to raise the restraints and ask you to leave.
In SGE, Stitch (big surprise) escapes the building. Shortly thereafter, Gantu and his little helpers, who have apparantly forgotten that there is an alien rampaging somwhere, proceed to raise the restraints and ask you to leave.....
:hammer:
