Better ideas for fixing/replacing Alien Encounter

[PatchOBlack]

In the "5 Worst Attractions at WDW" thread, Stitch's Great Escape seems to come up quite a bit. As most know, it is the replacement for the Alien Encounter attraction, which was revamped due to complaints of it being too dark and scary. Unfortunately, Stitch's Great Escape seems to be a very poor substitute.

So, I was wonder what my fellow forum dwellers think would have been a better way to ether fix the original attraction (note: "Keep it exactly the same" is not an option here, no matter how much you loved the original) or what might have been a better replacement.

[WEDFan]

It's been quite a while since I've been in the attraction, but iirc, there are seats arrayed in circles around a central area with the central area containing support for some pretty complex audioanimatronics. If you were looking for some replacement that minimized rework of building and main structures, what about doing something with the next generation interactive characters. Turtle Talk and the Laugh Floor have proven successful. You could potentially keep the set up and even stay with a Stitch theme, but go to an interactive character experience with animatronic presentation instead of digital video. They did something similar with a dinosaur that travelled around Dinoland for a while. There could be a story overlay, some space age effects meant to impress rather than scare, etc.

One major drawback to this would the proximity to another interactive character experience with Laugh Floor right across the way.

[KieranDotW]

I've always been curious to see what the attraction would be like had Disney gone through with the original idea of using the alien from the Alien film franchise. Of course, if scaring is out of the question, that's out of the question.

[Goofyernmost]

One of the things that tickles me is the idea that something is "scary". It's hard to find a Disney production, in the early years that didn't have scary areas in it. The idea was to show how things go from scary to happy ending most of time. Modern day people have such funny ideas about what their little darlings should learn to cope with. Put them in a bubble and protect them from knowing that there are many scary things out there but as Disney seems to point out they all seem to walk away unharmed.

[avengador1]

I remember the original ride, from back in '72, when it was a trip to the Moon. ;) I also remember when it was "upgraded" to a trip to Mars and later the alien encounter before Stitch. I've been on them all and each upgrade had it's own charm. I can't stand the chili dog burp of the latest incarnation. It really stinks.

[Buggy]

I'd want to go back to the trip to the moon or mars, but I'm old.

[PatchOBlack]

One of the things that tickles me is the idea that something is "scary". It's hard to find a Disney production, in the early years that didn't have scary areas in it. The idea was to show how things go from scary to happy ending most of time. Modern day people have such funny ideas about what their little darlings should learn to cope with. Put them in a bubble and protect them from knowing that there are many scary things out there but as Disney seems to point out they all seem to walk away unharmed.

Well, there are levels of scary. There is "ghost story told to the kids around a campfire" scary, which is about the level of The Haunted Mansion or Snow White's Scary Adventure. There is "makes a grown man need to change his underwear" scary, which would include several slasher movies. There are several levels in-between. From what I understand, the Alien Encounter leaned enough into the "scares the heebee-jeebees out of adults" range to make many a guest uncomfortable with the attraction. Did it have its fans? Of course. Was it a well-done attraction? In the sense of was it a good show for what it was, I would say yes based on what I've heard. However, it was like putting a screening of Friday the 13th between two Pixar movies: Even if you put up signs and such, it just seems off.

I remember the original ride, from back in '72, when it was a trip to the Moon. ;) I also remember when it was "upgraded" to a trip to Mars and later the alien encounter before Stitch. I've been on them all and each upgrade had it's own charm. I can't stand the chili dog burp of the latest incarnation. It really stinks.

I'd want to go back to the trip to the moon or mars, but I'm old.

Mission to the Moon/Mars was a classic. However, if it was to be brought back, I would expect a major overhaul. Come to think of it, perhaps "Mission: Space" could be considered the spiritual successor to that attraction. I would prefer moving forward, than attempting to reclaim an older attraction in this case, myself.

[drcorey]

Well, there are levels of scary. There is "ghost story told to the kids around a campfire" scary, which is about the level of The Haunted Mansion or Snow White's Scary Adventure. There is "makes a grown man need to change his underwear" scary, which would include several slasher movies. There are several levels in-between. From what I understand, the Alien Encounter leaned enough into the "scares the heebee-jeebees out of adults" range to make many a guest uncomfortable with the attraction. Did it have its fans? Of course. Was it a well-done attraction? In the sense of was it a good show for what it was, I would say yes based on what I've heard. However, it was like putting a screening of Friday the 13th between two Pixar movies: Even if you put up signs and such, it just seems off.





Mission to the Moon/Mars was a classic. However, if it was to be brought back, I would expect a major overhaul. Come to think of it, perhaps "Mission: Space" could be considered the spiritual successor to that attraction. I would prefer moving forward, than attempting to reclaim an older attraction in this case, myself.

once the haunted mansion was to be a scare the carp out of you attraction. then walt said to add in the comedy stuff and tone it down. the ghosts didnt always smile...

[Goofyernmost]

Well, there are levels of scary. There is "ghost story told to the kids around a campfire" scary, which is about the level of The Haunted Mansion or Snow White's Scary Adventure. There is "makes a grown man need to change his underwear" scary, which would include several slasher movies. There are several levels in-between. From what I understand, the Alien Encounter leaned enough into the "scares the heebee-jeebees out of adults" range to make many a guest uncomfortable with the attraction. Did it have its fans? Of course. Was it a well-done attraction? In the sense of was it a good show for what it was, I would say yes based on what I've heard. However, it was like putting a screening of Friday the 13th between two Pixar movies: Even if you put up signs and such, it just seems off.

And there again we come up against something that I just do not understand. It's Disney, it's a theme park with kids and adults, the endings are always predictable. I can understand a kid, unable to think out of the box and possess abstract thought might find it scary, but adults? Really? Can we really classify them as grown ups when they can't differentiate between real and make believe?

Of course, it all could be blamed on the fact that I am dead on the inside, but there hasn't been a single Disney attraction that didn't make me laugh. Except ToT and it's not the build up, it's the actual fall...I don't like the sensations of falling...that physically scares me. I do it anyway, but that's not the point. I would never complain that it's too scary, change it.

[DonutGoddess]

The second time I went on the original Alien Encounter there was a large black woman sitting next to me who had never been on it before. She was screaming her brains out. I thought it was a riot. I think the problem was that the Alien Encounter was too real, but that's what made it good.