Why is Stitch's Great Escape still there?

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Which brings up the question: I can think of several ways to make a Stitch show more entertaining or at the very least, less obnoxious. If I can, why don't the imagineers modify the show? I know I will probably get criticized for some ideas I have but at the very least, could Disney not remove the restraints, not have the odor and maybe light some of the scenes?
Or put a new Stitch attraction in a purpose built environment and give Tomorrowland back some of its more mature, edgy offerings...

Never gonna happen I know.
 

tl77

Well-Known Member
I am not sure about it. On multiple trips I have asked different cast members where the the original Alien is and the mass agreement is that the alien is still in storage at Walt Disney World and CM and still go and see it. I don't know how true that is but, and I take things with a grain of Salt many times, but I thought I would share.

The mechanics of the two figures are so similar I assume they must be based on the same blue prints, but what you were told is probably true. I know some times they recycle figures though, like the DL version of Splash Mountain is full of figures from the old America Sings attraction, but the WDW version of Splash is all new figures made using the blue prints and molds for those same America Sings figures. The Journey to the Center of the Earth creature is probably a new AA figure based on the Alien Encounter one
 

tl77

Well-Known Member
I doubt it. The lava monster is an A100. The AE creatures we minimaltronics on turntables.

They do look similar though.

I'm thinking more in terms of the anatomy/physics/engineering of the creature's body, large jaw, and multiple arms, the way it moves and supports it's own weight, all seem real similar
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
The scale is completely different too.
Do they even refer to something as big as the lava monster or the Yeti as an A100?
The Lavas movements are all traditional AA / Compliant I believe. The Yeti as we know has a huge piston for the armature.
 

quirkle

Well-Known Member
We went on this vacation. I admit that the alien encounter one terrified me. My 7 year old daughter got off of SGe and said- that's it? Really? Was that scary? It was a waste of time. She tells everyone not to bother since it is horrible. Lol.

She likes stitch but she likes the laugh floor better.
 

mergatroid

Well-Known Member
I don't hate Stitch at all. If there's a walk on queue we'll happily go on it. Don't think it's great but I don't see why there's so much hatred for it either? And yes I remember Mission to mars and Alien Encounter and whilst they were more enjoyable, I don't think Stitch is terrible.
 

BobConnor

Active Member
Original Poster
I don't hate Stitch at all. If there's a walk on queue we'll happily go on it. Don't think it's great but I don't see why there's so much hatred for it either? And yes I remember Mission to mars and Alien Encounter and whilst they were more enjoyable, I don't think Stitch is terrible.

From what I can tell, it is painful and it smells bad and it scares little kids. It sounds like ... a root canal!
 
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AEfx

Well-Known Member
It's nowhere near as bad as people say it is (when it was in previews it was a mess but once they straightened it out the attraction is much more enjoyable), and Disney can't afford to close anything that guests experience since they aren't adding much of anything new these days. The only place it's the seventh level of h-e-c-k are Disney message boards because it's an easy target. I'd rather it be there than a big empty space that isn't used, or worse, another pin shop or DVC location, which is all it would be if they closed SGE.
 

NearTheEars

Well-Known Member
We went on this vacation. I admit that the alien encounter one terrified me. My 7 year old daughter got off of SGe and said- that's it? Really? Was that scary? It was a waste of time. She tells everyone not to bother since it is horrible. Lol.

She likes stitch but she likes the laugh floor better.

MILF is great! Not a must, but it always makes me laugh and offers a nice break in the summer.
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
When a lame ride replaces a good ride, hate happens.
Memories are so short. AE was OK, but it wasn't more then a lot of noise, fog and darkness. With the exception of thinking that you might get killed by the alien in AE instead of burped on by Stitch, they are basically the same ride. AE was more controversial in the "scary" sense, but not necessarily better in my opinion.
 

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
Memories are so short. AE was OK, but it wasn't more then a lot of noise, fog and darkness. With the exception of thinking that you might get killed by the alien in AE instead of burped on by Stitch, they are basically the same ride. AE was more controversial in the "scary" sense, but not necessarily better in my opinion.

You're forgetting several top-notch AAs and superb voice acting, especially from Tim Curry.
More importantly, you're underplaying how important the tone of the ride is. The entire attraction design of Alien Encounter/Stitch is geared to be a terrifying one- locking everyone down in restraints in a dark room pointed inwards is supposed to generate a feeling of fear, and it was quite effective at this (even more so in some of the earlier incarnations). Stitch, on the other hand, is seemingly meant to be a comedy show, but with the restraint system and unavoidable noises and smells just turns into a giant machine meant to aggravate people. That's the chief problem with Stitch- the attraction hardware is disastrously ill-suited for the tone and subject matter of the show.
 

dxwwf3

Well-Known Member
All I'll say is that it will be a great day once it finally closes it's doors for good. It's an embarrassment to the park and it's a real shame that it's lasted this long.
 

CheshireCat12

Well-Known Member
Why do characters need to be represented? That sort of thinking is why Stitch got shoved into a watered down attraction in the first place.

Because they are part of what brings people to Disney as a brand- the beloved characters of our favorite movies in a more tangible and accessible way... but yes, also for the merchandising I'm sure
I like to see my favorite characters represented in the parks, it makes the visit fun!
 

Matt_Black

Well-Known Member
Because they are part of what brings people to Disney as a brand- the beloved characters of our favorite movies in a more tangible and accessible way... but yes, also for the merchandising I'm sure
I like to see my favorite characters represented in the parks, it makes the visit fun!

Indeed- if I just cared about rides, there are numerous places closer to home that are cheaper too. (Living in the greater Philadelphia area, we've got at least 3 that are pretty close- Hershey Park, Dorney Park, and 6 Flags Great Adventure).

I go to WDW because, in part, I love a lot of the characters. Lilo & Stitch was a brilliant, hilarious, touching film and SHOULD be represented in the parks in some fashion. Part of my problem with SGE is that it focuses on the WMD aspect of his origin, and that misses a lot of the character he wound up becoming in the movie.
 

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