Where exactly does the Stitch hate stem from?

[stelledelmare]

I've seen alot of hate on here for Stitch and I'm just now really wondering if when people say that, do they hate Stitch as a character in and of himself? Or do they hate him because of SGE? I for one love Stitch as a character. I think he's adorable (and that Lilo and Stitch is an underrated film) and I like his mischievous qualities. But while I like him, I don't care much for SGE. I feel they could've somehow made it a little more exciting without making it scary. Typically it's the type of attraction I'll do while trying to kill time only. But otherwise, I'm a Stitch fan.

So I'm wondering if people are just annoyed with Stitch himself or rather annoyed with the parks for putting so much emphasis on him, specifically SGE. Or is it a combination of both? If another character placement occurred instead of Stitch would everyone hate that character instead simply because of how they helped to replace AE? I mean it's not as though Stitch was created simply so that he could eventually be put into the attraction.

 

[Crockett]

Anyone who ever went on the original Alien Encounter attraction in TL has a deep rooted hatred of the Stitch name.

 

[invader]

I hate the attraction, not him.

 

[David S.]

Anyone who ever went on the original Alien Encounter attraction in TL has a deep rooted hatred of the Stitch name.

Well, not everyone. I like the attraction, and prefer Stitch to AE, because I enjoy the playful, mischevious spirit of Stitch, and AE was too dark for my tastes. But I do respect people's opinions who don't like Stitch

 

[NewfieFan]

I think it's b/c SGE replaced AE... and b/c the ride itself is also horrible. There was also this short lived stage show in TL with Stitch that was pretty bad. It had nothing to do with poor Stitch... it was just a bad show!

I like Stitch the character as well. He's a lovable character and why Disney doesn't focus on that aspect of him is beyond me!?! A lot of kids still like Stitch... my kids are only now watching the movies and they think he's great. I would love to see a kid-friendly Stitch attraction somewhere in the parks!

 

[Crockett]

Well, not everyone. I like the attraction, and prefer Stitch to AE, because I enjoy the playful, mischevious spirit of Stitch, and AE was too dark for my tastes. But I do respect people's opinions who don't like Stitch

^I'm with you on this. We always skipped AE when it was in operation. Like you mentioned, too dark & terrifying for smaller children, and definitely something too intense for MK. Disney execs made the right decision (imo) to tone the attraction down to MK's standards for families w/ children. But there are so many people who disapproved of this decision, and take their hatred of the newer Stitch version out on the character himself.

I personally do not mind Stitch. His movie wasn't my favorite by any means, but he is a fun character.

 

[unkadug]

It comes from deep inside your torso, somewhere around your solar plexus and works itself upward from there.

 

[Crockett]

I comes from deep inside your torso, somewhere around your solar plexus and works itself upward from there.

You comes from there??

Kinda sick.

 

[stelledelmare]

^I'm with you on this. We always skipped AE when it was in operation. Like you mentioned, too dark & terrifying for smaller children, and definitely something too intense for MK. Disney execs made the right decision (imo) to tone the attraction down to MK's standards for families w/ children. But there are so many people who disapproved of this decision, and take their hatred of the newer Stitch version out on the character himself.

I personally do not mind Stitch. His movie wasn't my favorite by any means, but he is a fun character.

I agree with this. It was definitely out of place in the MK atmosphere. I always felt the attraction was better suited to MGM/Hollywood Studios as it wasn't a playful sort of dark and scary like the Haunted Mansion. It was just plain scary.

 

[Communicore]

I'm a 626 fan, I think the hate stems from the fact that he got his own Cinderella Castle treatment!

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Stitch and is his movie are not the problem for me, as the movie and character were actually good. The stage show and "Great Escape" are disliked by me for their own seperate reasons (and AE is not related to one of them).

"Geat Escape" in it's basic concept is good, but the unfunny humour, gross chili dog smell (that doesn't leave you when you exit the attraction) and lack of continuity with the movie all make for a disapointing experience, especially when you consider the technology on display. A simple re-write could do wonders for it.

How about a show that's a sequel to the movie, where changed Stitch gets teleported by accident and has to find his way home? Maybe then the escape would be more exciting as we'd actaully might care for what happens to him. I also loved the idea posted on this site years ago about making SGE a spoof of AE (like the Stitch teaser trailers) where instead of the monster showing up...it's just Stitch.

 

[Chriscampbell]

I personally really like stitch and I am 18 however the one thing I don't get is, he seems to be recognized every where now and seems to be appearing on everything like he is one of the favourites,yet the merchandising of him is terrible. You would think they would try and get as much merchandise out of peoples love of him as they can, I for one wouldn't be against them maybe making a t-shirt or two something different than only the soft toy . My personal opinion anyways.

 

[stelledelmare]

Stitch and is his movie are not the problem for me, as the movie and character were actually good. The stage show and "Great Escape" are disliked by me for their own seperate reasons (and AE is not related to one of them).

"Geat Escape" in it's basic concept is good, but the unfunny humour, gross chili dog smell (that doesn't leave you when you exit the attraction) and lack of continuity with the movie all make for a disapointing experience, especially when you consider the technology on display. A simple re-write could do wonders for it.

How about a show that's a sequel to the movie, where changed Stitch gets teleported by accident and has to find his way home? Maybe then the escape would be more exciting as we'd actaully might care for what happens to him. I also loved the idea posted on this site years ago about making SGE a spoof of AE (like the Stitch teaser trailers) where instead of the monster showing up...it's just Stitch.

I think you've got a good point here. The whole attraction could just be so much more exciting if they could change some things around. It doesn't feel very much of an "escape" right now if that makes sense.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

It doesn't feel very much of an "escape" right now if that makes sense.

I get what you're saying. All Stitch does really is spit, goof around and leave. Not really "Great" IMO.

 

[yankspy]

I would say that the attraction replacement played a part but I think it was also the fact that they shoved Stitch down our throat. They tried making him as popular as Donald or Goofy and he just does not have that kind of appeal for many. He is not a bad character they just saturated the place with him.

 

[ChristianG]

I walk out of the attraction ready to throw up. I hate the chilli burp in your face. While stitch remains in my top 5 favorite Disney characters, this ride just doesn't do him justice.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

I like the character.

I think my (and a lot of other peoples') annoyance with him comes from his over-exposure. Disney was desperate to create a new "classic" character, and they thought Stitch was it.

So, they force fed Stitch down guests' throats, starting with the bone-headed decision to have Stitch TP the castle and cover it with "STITCH IS KING" graphiti. Who wants to take a photo in front of the most photographed icon in the world when it looks like this?:

Then he started appearing in all of the promotional materials, right alongside the Fab 5. Disney was trying to make him part of "the gang" when there wasn't that kind of love for him (yet). They put him literally everywhere- he was featured on Disney Dollars, replaced Mickey on the wake up call (and literally screams at you now), was featured on the park tickets, etc.

Then he got his own attraction, which replaced a beloved attraction among most fans.

Again, none of this is the fault of the character Stitch. I actually enjoy him, and aside from the Chipmunks, he's probably my favorite character to meet and greet, because he's unpredictable, especially when he doesn't have a long line waiting to see him. It's just...there was too much Stitch.

 

[Greenkai3000]

Stitch

I personally don't hate Stitch. I think he's an adorable character. Having said that it ticked me off that they decided to replace the cool monster from Alien Encounter with him, instead of giving him a brand new ride...a new concept. Now why didn't they think of having 2 versions of the same ride...one with Stitch for kids, and one with the original alien for us who enjoyed that ride a lot. You know, kind of what they did with Mission Space? :shrug:

 

[ChristianG]

Actually, the castle was TP'd the night before SGE opened. So they didn't just randomly do it.
But it did look awful.

 

[Rob562]

Nick A nailed it on the head (though he left out the annoying additions to the monorail spiels....) It was MAJOR over-exposure on Disney's part.
I was there during the ill-fated, short-lived stage show in Tomorrowland (for which they built the huge stage specifically to mount the show), and we stopped for all of 2 minutes before we walked away.

I liked Lilo & Stitch, though I never saw the sequel (or sequels if there were more than one).

-Rob