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What can replace Stitch?

Walt Disney World: Ideas?

From Jay Glenn
Posted August 1, 2010 at 6:37 AM
Okay let's face it, the majority who visit MK HATES Stitch's Great Escape. However, there's a problem here. What can exactly replace Stitch? With it's theatre in the round setting what type of "sensory experince" can go here. Or is it possible to destroy both theatres and make a omnivor type ride? Yes I know a lot of you will say bring back Alien Encounter but let's think of something new here.


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Nick Markham
Posted August 1, 2010 at 7:01 AM
Two ideas:

Idea #1- To be a little bit more cost-wise for Disney, how about a Wall-E Encounter of the same style.

Idea#2- Due to the fact they already have Toy Story Mania in DHS, tear down both Stitch and Buzz and build something new inside! (Still thinking of what kind of an atraction one could build there)

From Manny Barron
Posted August 1, 2010 at 12:19 PM
Yeah Stitch has got to go. An omni-mover would be good, anything will probably be better than Stitch.

From Formula 40
Posted August 1, 2010 at 1:17 PM
Bring back alien encounter.

From Nick Markham
Posted August 1, 2010 at 3:55 PM
^He said we are supposed to come up with a new idea. I would rather see Disney move forward than backwards as great as Alien Encounter may have been.

From Anthony Murphy
Posted August 1, 2010 at 7:48 PM
An Alien Encounter Attraction would be nice!

Or Adventures thru Inner Space, a new version with some ideas from Body Wars

From Formula 40
Posted August 1, 2010 at 8:59 PM
Fine. Alien Encounter Part II

From Katie White
Posted August 1, 2010 at 10:20 PM
I don't remember Alien Encounter but I do dislike Stitch. I'm not sure what could go there but I don't want to get rid of Buzz. It's one of the few rides left at MK that I still like.

From Rob P
Posted August 2, 2010 at 2:08 AM
I think an updated ExtraTerrorRestrial would be good. Almost everybody agrees ( how could they not ? ) that this was far better than Stitch's Great Escape.
I don't see it as being a regressive move at all : if it had new elements added to it.
Remember that things are always better if they're done to XS.

From Will Chilcote
Posted August 2, 2010 at 11:10 PM
As some others have said bring back Alien Encounter. The attraction was one of the best that Disney ever had.

From David Graham
Posted August 3, 2010 at 8:35 AM
I agree something new has to go in there, not sure what yet. But I really think the bigger issue is Disney doesn't know how to really market Stitch more than anything. Once they figure that out, maybe he'll find the right home/attraction for him.

From Nick Markham
Posted August 3, 2010 at 8:38 AM
This Alien Encounter better be one of the best attractions I've ever been on based off of what you guys are saying about it. What made it so good? It is basically stitch without the smells of chili cheese dogs!

From Rob P
Posted August 3, 2010 at 9:20 AM
That's a good point David.
Stitch is a popular character and suffers from a lack of imaginative marketing. Not what you'd expect from Disney really.
Any ideas from our TPI Think-Tank ?

From Formula 40
Posted August 3, 2010 at 11:09 AM
If they can't market Stitch, than I think it's bet to just let him go. His ride sucks, and his show sucks. Why not just do something new? Bring WALL-E or Bolt in...or an updated Alien Encounter like I said earlier :)

From Amanda Jenkins
Posted August 3, 2010 at 12:59 PM
I say develop something from "Meet the Robinsons". There are so many things that you could take from that movie. You have time travel, traveling by bubbles, dinosaurs, evil hats, Octopus butlers, Tomorrowland was the "Todayland" in the background of the movie, etc... This fits perfectly in with Tomorrowland, and would continue with the imagined future.

From Formula 40
Posted August 3, 2010 at 1:26 PM
^Meet the Robinsons. Forgot about that one. Yeah yeah that's perfect. Perhaps a 3D or dark ride. Perfect for tomorrowland.

From Russell Meyer
Posted August 3, 2010 at 8:20 PM
Bring back Mission to Mars!

All you youngsters will have to look that one up.

What you all need to realize is the space limitations of that particular building. There's a pretty small queue area inside (maybe 1000 square feet) and the theater room, that's it. You'd have to do something similar to what's there already (movie or show-style attraction), so there's not a lot of "rides" that will work there, at least not many that could be high-capacity enough by Disney standards (>1000 guests per hour).

From Rob P
Posted August 4, 2010 at 2:03 AM
Amanda's "Robinsons" idea certainly has all the elements to make for a really good attraction. Whether there's enough room for it in the "footprint" that "Stitch" currently occupies is another matter.
But that's not to say that her idea couldn't be realised elsewhere in either MK or HS. Given the right location they could really do this concept justice.
Russell's idea to bring back " Mission to Mars" ( which , incidentally, was originally a mission to the Moon ) is a sound one too.
Actually it was quite good. After the pre-show, as I recall,the audience took their seats and experienced views of the trip on screens with take off and landing effects too.
A great advantage would be that we already know that it fits into that building as it was the original tenant.
Another idea might be to have an attraction based on the old " Rotor" rides from the 50s and 60s.
For those who don't know what this is : You enter a cylindrical room and stand with your back to the wall. The room rotates ever faster and the centrifugal force keeps you attached to the wall as the floor beneath falls away. Very soon you can begin to move about the walls as you fight against the centrifuge.
It would be a no-go area for me now but kids who love that vomit-inducing thrill would flock to it I'm sure.

From Jay Glenn
Posted August 4, 2010 at 6:38 AM
^^^ That's kinda what Mission: SPACE is and does.

From Joe Brown
Posted August 4, 2010 at 7:32 AM
Kudos on the Robinson's idea. I was watching it last night and kept thinking that there are lots of opportunites for a ride in the movie. But I really would like something Stitch related to be featured in one of the parks. He's probably my favorite non-Pixar related Disney character. Not sure what to do with him though.
Maybe base it off the TV show rather than the movie. Something where you are helping Stitch find his cousins

From Phil B.
Posted August 4, 2010 at 7:40 AM
Alien Encounter was not the greatest attraction ever created by WDI. There, I said it, but for what it was, it was very entertaining and made excellent use of the theater in the round format. You have to look at what the attraction offered in tone and theme more than anything to fully appreciate why it garners so much praise and a cult like following.

From Phil B.
Posted August 4, 2010 at 7:41 AM
(Continued from above post, yet again)

In a park that slathers on the cute and whimsical, where marauding pirates are endeared and beloved, where a haunted mansion is only frightening when the standby line stretches well into Liberty Square, an attraction like Alien Encounter offered an edgy escape from all of the otherwise sugary incarnations of what are normally considered to be frightening characters. The subtle, dark comedic tone was also a welcomed reprieve from the mostly toned down, dual purpose adult/child spiels offered by most other attractions. It wasn't HHN, but it was the most fun you were going to have if you enjoyed a decent, in the dark scare attraction, especially for first timers, and it was proof that Disney was certainly capable of delivering a more adult, edgy type of attraction if they wanted to.

From Formula 40
Posted August 4, 2010 at 9:54 AM
I agree Phil. There aren't enough rides like that on the whole property. MK is in desperate need of something strictly for the older set.

From David Graham
Posted August 4, 2010 at 11:12 AM
All good points, something needs to happen there..

And Russell... I use to work Mission to Mars, isn't that right Mr. Johnson?! :o)

From Nick Markham
Posted August 4, 2010 at 12:40 PM
I like the idea of a Wall-E Encounter. Would make a great attraction and Disney would not have to change much about Stitch,. Here is my idea for a story line:

The pre-show that has the robot at the desk would be changed the the Captain's Deck from the movie, where an animatronic of that fat captain would be. Suddenly the evil auto-pilot (also an animatronic) sees all of the riders being informed by the captain that it has taken over the ship, and you are then forced into the next room to be contained and launched out of the ship.

Riders enter and the restraints over your shoulders are "just there to make sure you are contained. Just as it is about to launch away, Wall-E appears where Stitch used to to save the day. Unfortunately he only arrives in time to be sen't off with the rest of us. The room simulates taking off from the port and into outer space.

Soon Wall-E finds the control Panel and presses a button which turns out the lights and makes the seats you are in do all sorts of crazy things (like Stitch except without any terrible Chili cheese dog smell) He finally finds a big red button which transports the shuttle back into the port. The wall surrounding the circular room move to reveal you crash landed into the main deck where all of the passengers are (displayed on a giant screen much like the Circle-vision ones in EPCOT). Wall-E then places the plant in the shoe in the capsule which is now in the center of the room, and the room tilts just as the ship did in the movie when the captain takes control of the controls and the ride ends with the riders exiting into the gift shop themed to Wall-E's little station on Earth having arrived back to Earth.

Does this idea make sense to any of you, and if it does, does it sound good?

From Formula 40
Posted August 4, 2010 at 12:56 PM
Sounds good. Contact those Imagineers pronto 'cause Stitch has to go!

From Vini Santos
Posted August 10, 2010 at 7:41 PM
A 3D Simulator Like Spiderman About Wall-E

From Rob P
Posted August 11, 2010 at 2:15 AM
From Jay Glenn
Posted August 4, 2010 at 6:38 AM
^^^ That's kinda what Mission: SPACE is and does.


I haven't been on Mission: SPACE yet so was unaware of that point. So it at least shows that the imagineers are on the same wavelength as me .
But now I know I'll probably just keep a hold of my lunch and not bother going on it.

From Thomas Patrone
Posted August 11, 2010 at 9:24 AM
Just to reply to some of the previous messages, Disney canned the previous attractions for a reason, Alien encounter was canned because it wasnt filling the demograph that Disney wants to estabolish throughout the Kingdom, that is family friendly rides. Most people that had rode it said that it was too scary and they had rehabbed it and toned it down two times since the opening before canning it. Mission to mars was great but when they canned it the technology was really lacking. Basicly all it had was vibrating seats and two monitors. IMO mission space at Epcot fills in where mission to mars left off. I personally think that disney will not touch that ride for years and when they do, it will be gone totally and made into something else. The theatre will be gone.

From Terri Pierce
Posted September 7, 2010 at 9:17 AM
Havent read the topic but...
DUH- Bring back Alien Encounter! Or better yet! Alien Encounter: II (Bigger, better, Scarier!)

Man that ride had me scared to death as a kid and I wish it were still around for me to experience it as an adult!

From Terri Pierce
Posted September 7, 2010 at 9:36 AM
After reading through some posts I think the Meet the Robinsons idea would be great. Also, what about an UP ride? I havent riden the ride since '99 so I'm no real fresh on the layout but I think we could do something with it! Heck, lets go all the way and make a Pixar section in the park!

From Brian Emery
Posted September 7, 2010 at 11:09 AM
How about a Monkey throwing Crap at folks as the walk by..
That could easily replace this attraction..

From Scott B
Posted September 8, 2010 at 1:45 PM
The problem for me is that I think doing something with Stitch is still important, the kids LOVE him. But this attraction doesn't cut it.

For instance, my daughter who is 3 simply loves everything about Stitch and yet she can't go on this attraction because of the height requirement. 40" inch requirement for a ride that is being targeted to the little ones?! Seems really strange to me. Of course since all you really do sit in a theater, listen to Stitch run around, smell his burps and have metal arms pressed on your shoulders, I really didn't think my daughter missed out on much. Still, she cried just the same when she was told she had to miss all of it.

So really, I think something in this space Stitch related is still important. Here is an idea. Stitch hijacks a spacecraft that you were about to fly in and and flys you around just like the Back to the Future ride (or you know, the Simpsons ride).

From Tim W
Posted September 8, 2010 at 2:38 PM
While I hate the show, I have to admit that stich is one of my favorite Disney characters! The show just would need a major revamp, however. He needs to remain in tomorrowland, but with a different type of experience!

From Kathy Barr
Posted September 10, 2010 at 3:11 PM
I'm not a big stitch fan. They should put something new there. The sits are uncomfortable too.

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