The original story of the Alien franchise in a Disney park
Walt Disney World: There were plans for an attraction.
So the Stich ride pretty much sucks and fans are begging for ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter to return to the park. Some might not know this but Alien Encounter wasn't always planed to occupy that space. Nostromo, a ride based on the Alien franchise was originally planed to go into the park in that location. Nostromo was the name of the ship Ripley and crew had to survive on in the first Alien movie. When the severely lacking Tommorowland was getting that huge refurb the old Mission to Mars ride was being planned as a ride that more mature riders could handle. Something more than just the average kids were seeing at Disney. So the movie alien came out and some imagineers saw this as a great opportunity to make this into the type of ride they were looking for. Some Senior Imaaginers didn't agree though. Concept and planning had begun on the ride, they also bought the rights to the franchise, but against the constant remarks on how alien ( A RATED R FILM) should not be in a Disney park. So after concept art and all had been finished the Senior imagineers went to George Lucas. He too thought that the alien franchise should have no place in a Disney park. So Lucas for involved and stopped production on the ride. Lucas later helped develop the idea for Alien Encounter and partnered with Disney to make that ride. Disney would later realize that no R rated film has a presence in a Disney park.
So what are you're thoughts opinions? Questions? Should Disney put in a ride for alien?
And yes I know that Alien showed up in the great movie ride and I don't know why. Although it probably had something to do with not wasting money on the rights to Alien.
No, Disney should not include Alien. Anywhere. Ever. I'm scared of aliens and having to relive the
horror of ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter would not be my or millions of other little kid's cup of tea.
I'm sorry, but that franchise would not belong anywhere in any Disney park.
From Justin M
Posted August 7, 2012 at 10:28 AM
I think they should bring back Alien as it was a great attraction that scared the heck out of me when I was young. I feel the Alien franchise would be better suited over at DHS. I have no problem with a R rated movie in the parks. Disney is filled to the brim with rides for small children.
From Chad H
Posted August 7, 2012 at 10:39 AM
I agree it doesnt belong in a MK park, those are for family experiences.
However, I think disney would be a bit remiss if Park 5 didn't instead target an older, teen, audience. In such a context an Alien ride would be an awesome addition.
Now that Prometheus has been released with good reviews (well, mostly...), I think it would be a cool idea.
Can't forget the future film Prometheus 2 ;)
I don't have a problem with Alien being in a Disney park as Alien Encounter was one of my favorite rides. Just make sure you have the necessary warnings that the ride may be too intense for a certain age group and it shouldn't be a problem, after all the older kids need to be entertained as well. After all "family park" means something for everyone.
From James Rao
Posted August 7, 2012 at 5:46 PM
Actually, a "family park" is a park where families can do things
together. Disney tries to build attractions that accommodate everyone at the same time. That's what Walt wanted anyway.
As was previously stated, there is an ALIEN bit at DHS in the Great Movie Ride. However, it needs to be refreshed and reinvigorated if it is to remain a viable part of the attraction.
As for the current state of the Alien franchise...Prometheus made a paltry $125M domestic, and only $300M worldwide - about enough to break even with an estimated budget of $130M. The Metacritic and Rotten Tomato ratings were okay, but I am not sure those numbers and ratings are good enough to warrant a sequel. We'll have to wait and see.
IMHO, Prometheus was a disappointing mess and the ALIEN franchise should have been a two movie stint. Everything since ALIENS (easily the best film in the series) has been okay at best, despite the efforts of some talented directors (Fincher, Jeunet). To be brutally honest, I don't think a franchise that has averaged a dismal $73M domestic per film is worthy of a place at a Disney park. Disney should focus their attention on bringing the wildly successful Avengers franchise to the parks rather than waste money on a series of b-grade monster flicks that have a cult following at best.
Maybe Six Flags might be interested...?
From Jay R.
Posted August 7, 2012 at 6:04 PM
Prometheus did well enough, considering it's franchise history. It's the highest grossing film in the entire Alien franchise (and when you add in inflation it still comes in 3rd following the original 2) No other Alien film crossed the $100 million mark.
Plus, it put (some) critical cred back into the franchise following the 2 AVP series, & the 3rd & 4th film.
Considering it's not an all out monster movie, & it had a slower place, & was more sci fi drama than all out sci fi action, I'm surprised it did as well as it did.
As far as it being in a Disney park, I don't really see where it fits. It's not so much about it being R Rated, but it seems like it would feel out of place. Where would it go? How would, in a narrative manner, fit in the particular themed land?
From Phil B.
Posted August 7, 2012 at 7:30 PM
Prometheus is getting a sequel
Alien would have been in the building Stich is in now. And let's nit forget that Waterworld completely bombed isn't a cult classic and had a world class amazing theme park show. So just cause a movie didnt get great reviews or bundles of cash dosnt mean an attraction can be better than the movies.
From James Rao
Posted August 7, 2012 at 10:28 PM
I agree, Jay R., Prometheus did have a slower pace than other Alien movies - agonizingly slow. Ugh.
And yes, Phil, there is talk of Prometheus 2 (Electric Boogaloo?) coming out in 2015 (why won't 20th Century Fox just let this poor series die instead of dragging its carcass through the mud over and over again?). Still, looking at the lukewarm reception Prometheus received at the box office, we'll just have to wait and see if what is planned actually comes to fruition.
Regardless of what happens at the theaters, the Alien franchise, largely a collection of R-rated monster flicks, just doesn't fit well at a Disney park. There's a reason why Stitch is now in the spot an Alien-based attraction was once housed - because Disney fans complained. A lot. Sure, we'd all like to see something better than the Stitch attraction, but it won't be something that makes kids cry. Furthermore, the films just do not have enough of a fan following to inspire the Mouse to pay 20th Century Fox royalties for the rights.
As for Waterworld, it is considered a top notch stunt show, and from time to time, it is possible for an attraction to transcend the limitations of its source material. But, when you consider the fact that the last good Alien film came out in 1986, an Alien attraction would have quite a bit to overcome if it were to buck the trend of badness that has been oozing out of this franchise for the last 25+ years. Maybe if James Cameron got involved again....
Having written all that, I do think Disney parks are ripe for more Sci-Fi attractions, I just don't think Alien is the answer. Now Avatar... that makes more sense.
From Jay R.
Posted August 8, 2012 at 1:42 PM
I think more attractions based on the Star Wars franchise is probably the best / safest bet, especially because it's already established in the parks.
Otherwise, it would need something MUCH more mainstream than the Alien franchise. Avatar works in AK because of it's subject, but expanding it to the other Disney resorts might be tricky in finding a place for it to fit.
I don't see a place for Alien in a Disney park. However, my concern not only comes from the fact it is an "R" rated film, but does Disney even own the rights. Last I checked 20th Century Fox distributes the films, and I would not see Disney go out of its way to pick up the rights to the franchise for use in their theme parks. They have enough franchises at their finger tips just dying to be theme park attractions as it is.
From Joey Till
Posted August 8, 2012 at 6:42 PM
I agree with not having this in a Disney park, but Universal, they would take this up quite nicely.
From James Rao
Posted August 9, 2012 at 3:44 AM
^I still stand by the notion that the Alien franchise has Six Flags written all over it....
James, I think the chances of that are slim and none, and Slim just left town. Aside from DC and Looney Tunes, SF has been SHEDDING licenses left and right...Wiggles, Thomas, Evel Knievel, Terminator. They ain't gonna put out the cash for a new, major license right now, or anytime soon. But the'll take anyone's cash to put a brand name on a ride. Hypocrites :)
From James Rao
Posted August 9, 2012 at 10:37 AM
Good point. Cedar Fair, then? Redo Flight o Fear with an Aliens theme. Not as good as Outer Limits, but I like it!
Works for me. Then they could use that almost complete stop on the MCBR to allow riders a good 5 minute look at the monster. Too bad H.R. Giger is dead.
Here is something that would be scarier then an Alien ride: Watching Alien 3 and 4.
Alien 4 was not bad. Alien 3 made Mars Needs Moms look like a sci-fi masterpiece.
Resurrection wasn't as bad as 3, but it had tons of problems and stupid stuff.
It's Hollywood. Stupid stuff goes with the territory. I do want to watch Prometheus, but my hearing loss prevents me from really enjoying a movie in a theater. It's already in my Netflix queue, even without a release date.
^Alright dude. What parent in their right mind let's a 5 year old watch R movies and play M games. Really I agree Disney should let alien have it's own attraction but that post was shockingly offensive. Dude no elementary kid should be seeing all the sexual content and R rated content. You yourself are an underage kid playing and watching M games and R movies ( I do to and I'm not over 21 ) but dude that is a really screwed up post. Really man. Can someone get rid if it and this post?
Andrew, it was Todd. He's known to make jokes.
From James Rao
Posted August 12, 2012 at 4:20 AM
When Dom says, "jokes" he's using the term very loosely. Sometimes Todd is funny, and sometimes he's just an a-hole. It's up to you to decide what he's being in this thread.
Compared to other posts, Todd isn't being an a-hole here.
Sorry if I over reacted I don't know tod well and I thought he was serious.
I don't know Todd either, but "ponchos noise" wins Typo of the Week!
^What is that, two weeks in a row? Something tells me Todd may be pulling our legs.
From Phil B.
Posted August 12, 2012 at 3:29 PM
A ride/attraction based off of the Alien franchise could totally work in DHS. If you base it off of the second film "Aliens", which is considered to be a sci-fi/action adventure classic. The other three films not including the Preadator crossovers, are dark and bleak. "Aliens" (the second film) has far more universal appeal, and the source material from James Cameron's entry into the films mythology could really make for an exciting, fast paced, "something went terribly wrong" classic. Think a cross between "Transormers the Ride" and "The Mummy" and "Indianna Jones:Temple of the Forbidden Eye". Sure it would still have a frightening undertone to it, but it could be easily overshadowed by a faster, frenetic pace that lent itself to amazing action sequences. With James Cameron on board for Avatar, you would also have a built in creative relationship and access to the man responsible for the what is arguably the best film of the franchise.
From James Rao
Posted August 12, 2012 at 5:38 PM
I could live with that attraction idea, Phil. ALIENS is really the only film in the franchise that holds up to repeated viewings. Embrace its action and heroism and minimize the scares. Could totally work at DHS.
Aliens was easily the best in the series. I don't find myself rewatching Alien much, but Aliens is a great movie. Hopefully Avatar 2 can be as good as Aliens or Terminator 2 considering James Cameron rocks at sequels.
My idea for the alien ride would be a cross between a 3D motion simulator and real dark ride segments. Basically a mix between Spider-Man, Mummy, and the alien section of TGMR.If you guys want I can post what I've got planned. And yes it has an element of something going horribally wrong.
Think about it this way: What twisted parent would show a 10 year old porn?
From James Rao
Posted August 12, 2012 at 9:39 PM
Taking this thread back to the topic at hand, Todd you said, "blah blah blah, AvP 2 is great, blah blah blah," or something like that. What kind of attraction would you make out of AvP 2 (Requiem)? Even your beloved Universal Creative would struggle with that hunk of junk. Just curious what you're thinking...perhaps a MIB style shooter? I guess that could work as long as the humans were just fodder, had no names (that we could remember, anyway), and absolutely zero intrinsic value to the overall narrative. That strategy might work...
From Rob P
Posted August 13, 2012 at 3:56 AM
For those of us old enough to remember it........I think the movie "Silent Running" would be an ideal theme to fit into MK if you're looking for that genre.
It had an eco-friendly "save the forests" plot line and three marvellous robots who were, incidentally, named after Donald Duck's nephews Huey, Louie and Dewey.
It pre-dates Star Wars by a couple of years but had some good effects and a surprisingly snappy script. They even threw in a soundtrack by Joan Baez too just for good measure.
"Silent Running" followed "2001" but I think it possibly influenced many movies that came later........including Star Wars itself.
And don't even get me started on " Dark Star"............
From James Rao
Posted August 13, 2012 at 8:14 AM
I love sarcasm... it just does not always translate well in blog writing. My post was tongue in cheek as well, playing off of yours.
I guess we are just not very good writers! =)
"I guess we are just not very good writers."
Bull. And I'm not talkin' Toro.
From James Rao
Posted August 13, 2012 at 11:34 AM
I just wanna know how we can get this thread back onto the topic of porn at theme parks?!?
Flash Mountain, anyone?
Mean STREAK?
Todd I'm a kid who watches r rated films and plays M rated games. So does my 9 year old brother.
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