Back when Michael Eisner became head of The Walt Disney Company, one of his major initiatives was to create new attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World that would be attractive to a teenage audience, a group that appeared underserved at the time. I’m pretty sure I was more scared the second time round! ... which is a theater-in-the-round experience featuring the escaped alien Stitch, ... Now, it seems that the ride may finally close for good. The initial concepts for Alien Encounter were rooted in an attraction based on the Alien franchise created by Ridley Scott, taking the form of a shooter dark ride named after and set on the Nostromo, where the Weyland-Yutani Corporation would send guests in to take on the Xenomorphs. It’s a shame it left! Got replaced in 2003 with a lame Lilo & Stitch, boo. If you ignore the signs and employees telling you the ride is that scary, it’s not the fault of the park or employees who tried to warn you. Television pseudo-documentrary created to promote the forthcoming "ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter" attraction located in the Tomorrowland section of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. And you wave good-bye. I think it was at Walt Disney? In today's entry into our new series of flops and failures, we dive into the in-depth story behind what's often called Disney worst attraction EVER. Anyway was it actually any good before Stitch? I was terrified, but I loved it! It was terrifying, but I just loved how gutsy of a move that was for Disney. Now the audience isn't subjected to violence in the dark so much as they are subjected to "adorable" shenanigans. For over 60 years, Walt Disney Imagineering has been in the business of creating thrills. affiliated with, authorized or endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with, The Walt Disney Like most rides with warnings, that Disney has. Ever. AllEars® Merchandise | It's implied that the alien eats several people before being recaptured. It should be said that a lot of people loved ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. animatronic who would demonstrate X-S’s tech’s teleportation technology by frying a hapless creature named Skippy. I read all the signage with warnings, as to how scary this attraction is. As many Disney fans know – particularly those who watched The Imagineering Story on Disney+ – Eisner had a singular goal when it came to Disney’s theme parks: make them hip to teenagers and young adults of the time. :confused: trademarks, service marks, and trade names are proprietary to Disney Enterprises, Inc. or, its Due to the reaction, the soft-openings were halted, and the attraction was delayed for months in an effort to retool. But if the other attractions, came and went with no problems. to appeal to a wider audience. Copyright ©1996-2021 AllEarsNet, LLC, All Rights Reserved. In 2002, the actor was arrested for possession of child pornography. In a word…Incredible! Your email address will not be published. This article captures human reporting of alien encounters, and the fact is that people did make these freaky reports. We also all rode it as Stitch and thought that was really boring. ), a futuristic interstellar corporation that is hosting an open house in Tomorrowland. Epcot Stan. Let us know in the comments below. Required fields are marked *, I rode in 1998 when I was 9, my sister was 11. How could the Imagineers have swung and missed so badly? That edict led to the creation of the Videopolis night club, the Captain EO 3D film, and the introduction of outside properties like Star Wars and Indiana Jones into the parks. I refused to go on it again for a couple of years, by which point I thought I’d grown up and marched back on in defiance. There were some legitimately scary bits, and as far as I know, Alien Encounter was the first and only time that Disney had to put a warning on a ride that it might be too frightening for small children. 'Fun' is a good one, perhaps even 'exciting' or 'thrilling,' but "utterly freaking terrifying" is generally not an emotion one associates with Disney World... outside of the prices, of course. Can anyone tell me what has happened to this attraction at the magic kingdom,i read it was closed for refurbishment about 18 months ago but have heard nothing since.is still due for reopen or is … I asked her every year thereafter, if we should go on it again. S.I.R the robot in the preshow was also creepy after hours as he would sometimes jerk an arm because of the electricity that went though his system. My cousin was such a trooper, she got through it, but I heard other people in there screaming and maybe crying and it added to the experience. We watched shows. 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I on the other hand, was blown away by the Binaural effects. So the ride has to be removed and adults with brains can’t ride it? And this time introduce my grandson to it. Five Harry Potter Details in Universal's Wizarding World that Only Book Fans Will Understand, Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid, Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, A Pirate's Adventure: Treasure of the Seven Seas, Move It! The popularity of the attraction started to dwindle and it was becoming very obsolete. Disney never explicitly stated why it shuttered ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, but it was clear they wanted Stitch’s Great Escape! While it was certainly unlike anything in Magic Kingdom, that was a good thing for many. I loved it. All of which, plus the name itself, was an attempt to let guests know just how scary the attraction was before they boarded. It was a circular theater space, but while the previous attraction had floor and ceiling screens in the center, this time there was a large glass tube. As a matter of fact, as time went on, we found the ride to be boring. Despite a cult following of fans that came to love the attraction, and the character of Skippy in particular, these issues led to the specter of closure hanging over Alien Encounter almost from the day it opened. Let’s find out. Would be glad to hear from any of you. Even then, the ride might have still survived, maybe with some changes. I was in the 3rd grade (roughly 1999) when my family participated in this ride. Alien seemed like the last thing that should be getting an experience at a Disney park. Over the years they’ve crafted everything from psychological thrillers like The Haunted Mansion that preyed on guests’ emotions to the out and out exhilaration of Space Mountain, to almost universal success. One so thrilling, arguably too thrilling, that it was forced to close in less than a decade. Disney Cruise Line Hiring for Positions on Its Private Island! I remember riding this in the late 90s and I was absolutely petrified. Contact Us. The roots of the Alien Encounter story reach back to the mid-1980s, when Michael Eisner and Frank Wells assumed leadership of the Walt Disney Company. ID showing age (10 or above) should have been required for small children to enter. with us. I went on it again and have been a fan of it ever since. There were signs everywhere saying small children should not ride. That being said I spent a lot of time trying to convince parents to not take their kids in the ride; most never listened and their kids came off in tears. The Stitch attraction, which was an overlay of the existing Alien Encounter system, proved to be wildly unpopular with many guests, often earning the dubious distinction of “Worst Ride at Walt Disney World.” Despite this, Stitch’s Great Escape has now outlived Alien Encounter by several years, though it’s been on a seasonal schedule since 2016, and rumors of its replacement with a. There are other reasons that likely contributed to the ride closing. 6 Quick Things You Need To Know. Despite the “creative dream team” in charge, Lucas and the Imagineers struggled to crack an original story for the attraction, all while construction in the Magic Kingdom was on-going. Why ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter Closed It should be said that a lot of people loved ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. Parents refused to listen and small children left the ride hysterical. However, out of whatever little count of such alien encounters are reported, some of the encounters are really hair-raising and would bring anyone to the edge of their seats. 11 Things You Didn’t Know About Disney’s Iconic Peter Pan’s Flight! I am in the camp of missing Alien Encounter. Is that perminent or what? It was a darkly humorous science-fiction experience that used binaural sound to achieve many of its effects. The film was deemed to scary, and not at all fitting with the Disney image. ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter (often abbreviated Alien Encounter) is a former Tomorrowland "theater-in-the-round" attraction within the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort. The most recent attraction to utilize that space is, “Stitch’s Great Escape!” one of the most hated (by Disney Bloggers) attractions in all of Disney’s parks, but that’s a different article, and a different debate for a different day. To be sure, a lot of the park's early attractions have been replaced by something new, but not everything that has been closed down is even close to that old. ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter closed on Oct. 12, 2003. From classics such as Peter Pan's Flight and Dumbo to new state of the art thrillers like Flight of Passage, Disney sure knows how to dazzle its guests. It’s the fault of adults who willingly take small children on a ride they were told repeatedly was not suitable and too scary for young children. 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Five Harry Potter Details in Universal’s Wizarding World that Only…, Marvel’s Avengers Ranked From Least To Most Powerful, Here’s the Current Status on Lamplight Lounge Reservations in…. Which I was greeted with a, Resounding NO. Directed by Andrew Thomas. Officials posted warning signs to ban children under 12 from experiencing it, but to no avail. If nothing else, an Alien attraction would mark the first time an R-rated film had been the basis for an experience in a Disney park, and many felt that was simply a step too far. Racing heartbeats. While it often feels like every piece of Magic Kingdom has been there since it opened in 1971, the park, like every Disney park, has gone through a number of changes. I understood why people flocked to this place. Plenty of kid friendly rides why not just keep that one blah. I liked and appreciated all the special effects (which is why I rode it several times), but thrilling/scary, not really. It was very un-Disney, but a ride I looked forward to riding. The high-energy ride takes you through several carnival-like games with the characters of Toy Story one of them includes tossing rings at the Little Green Aliens at Buzz Lightyear’s Flying Tossers. He rode it more than once; no way hosea for me! Which is why Disney NEEDS to open up a thrill park. I loved it and it was a great attraction to get to work at! Why was it removed? Could This Change Cut Down on the Longest Wait Time in Disney’s Animal Kingdom? I was so wrong. This eventually led to major hits like Star Tours and Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland. Being as concerned with public perception as Disney usually is, this likely played into things. As with most Disney ideas of the '80s and '90s that were either brilliant or insane, it starts with Michael Eisner. In closing. I read them. Second, the Alien series were rated R. This contradicted a rule-of-thumb that Disney attractions are supposed to be based on either G … To feel the alien breathing on you. Parents were seen carrying hysterically sobbing 4-5 year old children out after the ride. I rode this as a test group, and while I gave it rave reviews, I can say there were several who weren’t so keen on it. Throughout the day my mom, dad, sister, and I interracted with characters. It’s a shame, as I thought it was a hilarious choice for MK. CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian. ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter began life much differently however, with the original designs for the attraction calling for an experience based on the Alien series of films, and would be titled Nostromo, after the ship from Alien. Armchair Imagineer. After a humorous pre-show, guests were shepherded into the theater, where it was revealed that X-S Tech was using the guests as “human guinea pigs” to expose them to an alien they’d captured. While it was certainly unlike anything in … Other attractions leave, you wonder why and miss them. The main portion of the encounter was reworked as well, with the demonstration now centered around X-S Tech’s teleportation technology accidentally beaming the creature in to the room with the guests. MousekeDance It! It's basically a very grown up version of what would eventually become Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. The roots of the Alien Encounter story reach back to the mid-1980s, when Michael Eisner and Frank Wells assumed leadership of the Walt Disney Company. I still remember my opening line “good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center. However, my husband and his guy friend laughed through the whole thing. I could argue this into the ground. Disney may have gotten a lot of that kind of feedback on the attraction, which may explain why it was shut down and retooled into the current "Stitch's Great Escape! opened on … We were there with small kids and the kids did not have any problems. I am dissappointed that they changed it. Some attractions, leave. The glass from the transported shattering. Then, the alien appears to break the glass, the power is cut and then the guests are subjected to a series of sensations, via touch, sound and even scent, that imply the alien is moving around the dark space wreaking havoc and looking for food. Future Club 33 Member. The Imagineers eventually soft-opened the attraction in December 1994 with a slightly complex story centered around X-S-Tech (get it? As guests sit locked in their seats, the room plunges into darkness and they begin to be terrorized by the alien. However, it's hard to argue that there weren't also those who thought it was completely out of place. The original concept for the Alien attraction was a sort of action/adventure dark ride called Nostromo that would put guests in an armored vehicle with guns, and they would shoot at the Xenomorph as they moved through the ride. Eventually it was decided that using the Alien license was the wrong way to go. The creature would menace the guests for a bit, before turning on the X-S scientists, disabling their weapons, and releasing the restraints allowing guests to escape. 3) ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter in the Magic Kingdom. Without the instantly recognizable intellectual property of the Xenomorph, the team had trouble coming up with a terrifying creature that could take advantage of the binaural sound elements that were already being designed. With their complaints falling on deaf ears within the company, they went to legendary filmmaker George Lucas, whose relationship with Disney was at its zenith, having produced Star Tours and the then-upcoming Indiana Jones Adventure attraction. Worst. Walt Disney World once had an attraction inspired by the movie Alien. One attraction that Disney World fans still talk about would only be 25 years old today if were still around, which is fairly young in the grand scheme of things. That was the greatest ride. Say it ain't so Joe! How Much Can You Do in EPCOT Before It Opens? ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter was a science fiction experience that opened in 1995 and eventually closed in 2003. 50 Details You've Never Noticed at Walt Disney World, AllEars TV: Disney World's Best Rides Use This Simple Trick, The OTHER Spot You Can Drink Around the World While in Disney World.