How a Terrifying Animatronic and Horrifically Intense Restraints Ruined This Abandoned Disney World Attraction

[Disney4me]

When you think of Disney World as a whole, there really aren’t THAT many attractions that are still abandoned.

Tomorrowland

However, it’s more than you would expect, since you’d assume that a company like Disney would want to make use of every single space they can to bring in new attractions, and therefore new guests, right? In some ways, yes, but there are still several abandoned attractions and areas around Disney World that Disney has done absolutely nothing with. And TWO of them are in Tomorrowland, which is pretty wild. Tomorrowland Terrace is just a restaurant that’s been sitting empty for years (save for Fireworks Dessert Parties), but the REAL abandoned attraction in this area has been sitting fully abandoned for the past 6 years — Stitch’s Great Escape.

Before we go any further, we have to delve into a little history. Stitch’s Great Escape was ORIGINALLY an attraction called ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, and it sure was terrifying. This attraction opened in 1995 in Tomorrowland and was originally going to be where guests encountered Xenomorphs, which are the aliens from the movie Alien, but Disney instead worked with George Lucas, who created an original storyline for the ride.

Alien Encounter ©Disney

In this attraction, guests become prey to a ravenous alien monster. At the beginning of the attraction, a sinister robot named S.I.R. demonstrated new teleportation technology that the guests were volunteering to test. To demonstrate the technology, the robot used a cute alien, but based on its screams, it became clear to the guests that the technology wasn’t really all that advanced. Then, guests continued into an immersive theater where they were STRAPPED DOWN to their seats and watched as something went wrong with the technology and brought a bloodthirsty alien into the room with them.

Alien Encounter Promotional Art ©Disney

But what was REALLY scary about this ride was that after you saw the alien transported into the room with you, all the lights went out and you were in PITCH BLACK. Disney then used your other senses to make it really feel like the alien was lurking right around you — you could hear, smell, and even FEEL the alien moving around you. And if that wasn’t scary enough, at one point a “maintenance technician” comes in to try to help restore the power, but after some gruesome sound effects, you got splashed with a warm liquid…and we think you know exactly what that was implying.

©Disney ExtraTERRORestiral Alien Encounter

Needless to say, this ride was genuinely TOO terrifying for Disney World and it closed in 2003. This is where Stitch’s Great Escape comes in — Disney didn’t want to change the way the theater was laid out or the basics of the attraction, so they kept the same idea and just replaced the bloodthirsty alien with Stitch. Stitch’s Great Escape officially opened in November 2004 and it was essentially the SAME attraction — but now it was Stitch going on the same rampage around the room while guests were strapped down to their seats.

©Disney Stitch’s Great Escape

Sounds better, right? Because Stitch is cute and cuddly? ABSOLUTELY NOT. The lights still went out right after you saw Stitch break out of his transportation tube and you felt, heard, and smelled (unfortunately) Stitch moving around the room. Thankfully, Stitch does not kill a maintenance worker like the original attraction had, but he did burp in your face, spit on people, and overall terrorize kids to no end. 

Stitch’s Great Escape

Back in 2016, there were rumors that the attraction was going to get the chopping block and it moved to just being open seasonally. Otherwise, it was kept closed and wasn’t available. A similar schedule was continued in 2017 and it was only set to be open for just a few short weeks from the end of December 2017 into early January 2018. Around this same time, the queue of the ride became Stitch’s Alien Encounter, and the sign was changed to reflect that.

Stitch’s Alien Encounter

When the beginning of January 2018 rolled around, the attraction closed as expected…and then never reopened that year OR in 2019. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic closed down the Disney World parks, and it was then that Disney announced the official closure in 2020. Now, Stitch doesn’t even meet in this area after the pandemic closures, but you can find him wandering around Tomorrowland or over near the stage! So this area, truly, is completely abandoned.

Where Stitch’s Great Escape used to be. (Construction photo from 2020)

There have been numerous rumors over the years about what will replace this, but Disney has made no announcements for the space. For a short period of time, it was used as a pop-up shop for TRON merchandise when TRON Lightcycle / Run first opened.

And that’s the history, friends! While Stitch’s Great Escape certainly had more fans than Alien Encounter, watch different videos on YouTube of the attraction and you’ll hear plenty of genuinely terrified screaming from guests the moment those lights go out. And it was a LONG attraction too — you were in the dark for several minutes, not just a few seconds. And from a psychological perspective, that genuinely could have been scarring for guests, especially young children who didn’t understand it wasn’t real.

We’ll keep our eyes and ears peeled to see if anything may be coming to this new space, so be sure to stay tuned to DFB!

How a Lightning Strike and Windows 98 Destroyed This Abandoned Disney World Attraction

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.

---

Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

GET YOUR GUIDE NOW

Did you like Stitch’s Great Escape? Tell us in the comments!

The post How a Terrifying Animatronic and Horrifically Intense Restraints Ruined This Abandoned Disney World Attraction first appeared on the disney food blog.

View the full article