We thought that an on rails Nostromo shooter would be too violent for a family ride. So we instead strapped down guests, plunge them into darkness, and spray them with fake blood as an alien stalks around the room.
I would have loved to seen aliens at Disney as iam a massive aliens fan I remember the first time I saw the movie ride when we got to the alien scene i was like now you got my attention disney
Imagine if they used like actually red fake blood that stains their clothes and you just see people walking around Disney inexplicably covered in blood like they slaughtered a cow LOL.
As a 12-year-old when I went on this, it was one of my favorite rides at Magic Kingdom. I rode 3 times in a row. I freakin loved it. My poor grandmother and little cousin were not so happy. This ride has a really bad rep, but I think if you talked to most pre-teens and teens of the late 90's and early 2000's, they look back fondly on this one.
Hilariously I was also a 12-year-old when I went on this ride and I was TERRIFIED. I didn't like thrill rides at the time (for the given value of "thrill") and my grandma (FL resident, I was visiting) pitched it as a theater experience with motion seats (think closer to Honey I Shrunk The Audience or Bug's Life) when we went on it while waiting for our Space Mountain fastpass. In hindsight I wish I'd liked it more because it's definitely a different experience than the rest of Magic Kingdom, but in the moment I would have welcomed death rather than go see that alien again lol
I rode this guy back in 1995 and 1996. I was 12 the first time and it was absolutely terrifying. ...I miss it so much. Imagineering took decades of knowledge of attraction construction and used it to craft a horror masterpiece. If it were up to me, it would still be around today.
You make an interesting point. Imagine if the imagineers put their minds and current technology today to make horror themed attractions? Shit would literally be the scariest stuff in a theme park.
I wish it was still there, I wanted to ride it so bad as a kid but I was too young before it was removed. Alien is my FAVORITE franchise so I’d give anything to experience this in its prime 😭
Stitch's great escape TERRIFIED me as a kid. I know it was supposed to be light-hearted, but the combo of the dark and audio effect made me HATE it. I was forced on it numerous times as a kid and it never got better, made me hate that side of the park. Otherwise Alien Encounter seems rad as hell, kinda wish I could experience it now.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who was terrified of Stitch's great escape! Poor little 6 year old me was scared for her life but couldn't leave the theater. If I rode Alien Encounter instead I think I would have been scarred for life
Ive done both versions as a kid. The alien encounter was 10x as scary. I left crying my eyes out as a kid. It was probably good for me. I thought i was tough
Excellent ride. Too scary for small children. My 8yo daughter and I rode this circa 12/95. She was very excited given the hype. Scared the crap out of her. She was very quiet as we left the ride. Two years later she defiantly rode again on our next visit. She left smiling, having faced her fears. I learned a lot about her character that day....
I remember being terrified of the attraction when I was younger, refusing to accompany the rest of my family for it. Eventually I faced my own fears and "rode" it, and I'm so glad I did. I would never forgive myself if I had missed out on this masterpiece. Tim Curry as S.I.R. was my favorite part and I loved my Skippy plushie.
I was 8 in 96. Went on this with my dad. It scared the crap out of me. Fast forward 29yrs later and horror is my favorite genre. I remember feeling sorry for skippy.
I loved Alien Encounter. I rode it first in middle school and it scared me beyond belief. As a CM, I stayed late in the park after work and was in the very last show the day it closed. There were like 10 people in there with me.
There’s gotta be a glitch in the matrix, I just finished watching the WDS video and started binging the rest of your videos and I expected to see millions of subscribers, I’m appalled it’s only 600, you sir have earned another subscriber
Dude this ride sounds cool as fuck, most ofther rides at disney world are for younger kids, but this one sounds amazing Too bad stupid guests complained that the attraction was too scary despite the fact that is supposed to be scary. Thats like watching a horror movie and not liking it because it scared you
This makes me kind-of hate how all encompassing Disney is because they're the only ones who can do something like this and it's SO COOL! It's genuinely a shame we don't have adult-centric amusement parks that can have more mature attractions like this that tell more intense or emotional stories. Don't get me wrong, a lot of family friendly rides are great, but there's such a clear niche here that's fees like it's just not being catered to with more elaborate/expensive attractions, you know?
I went through this in the very early 2000s. It blew my mind. Still remember parts of it vividly. Would do some unspeakable things to be able to go through it again. It was an amazing experience.
I loved this ride, mainly because of how much of a hard left turn it was for the area. I remembered queueing to go on space mountain which then broke down. Really sad I had to leave the line. I figured I'd kill some time on the people mover but everyone else in the line had the same plan. I looked at the signs for alien encounter, a 5minute wait and just decided "why not". My mind was blown, and when I went back and it had become lilo and stitch I felt like a cool uncle that used to swear and smoke at a family barbeque had died 😢
My husband and a rode this in both versions and loved them. During the Alien version we were laughing hysterically. But there were 4 pages in the unofficial guide to WDW saying not to bring your children on this ride. When it turned into Stitch, we loved it too, but then again we both love Stitch.
I will never understand the hate for stitch. Great ride and amazing animatronics. I was always impressed by the giant canons that shot water at stitch and hit the guests. They moved so fluidly and were giant things right in your face.
this ride was a core memory of my childhood. i remember my poor unaware parents taking me on this in the 90s and i was TRAUMATIZED lolll. but now as a 30 year old i would do anything to be able to ride it again :(. also your content is fanatastic! immediately subbed
My parents, grandma and I went to WDW in 1998. My grandma was 75 and I was 10. We were both terrified yet also adored skippy in the pre show. The shoulder restraints used to move up and down like the alien was directly on top of your chair along with the hot breath & water effects. It was a one and done for our family. But it truly was an amazing show, just almost too real.
I loved this attraction, during the summers this was not a walk on. When I did the CP in 99 it was in the phase of opening when crowds needed to be thined out. I would love a return of an attraction like this but with a evolution of design and innovation. Disney needs to shakeup the standard clones they've been building lately. It would do the MK well to have a dark in tenor attraction
Disney needs to be massively boycotted against and get a wakeup call to return to greatness No more Guardians of the galaxy, no more star wars rides that are just tv screens. they've stopped even trying
Some additional obscure history... Alien Encounter was originally meant to replace the Anaheim Mission To Mars during the Tomorrowland 2055 upgrade. When the overall new design concept for Tomorrowland was rejected, that entire Tomorrowland project was shut down. At that time, Alien Encounter had already gone through extensive design with models built. I'm pretty sure the illustration at 4:28 is an exterior elevation from this design effort. Much of this design was reflected in the attraction built in Orlando. The Anaheim version included a preshow scene in which a fifteen foot, seated anamatronic robot greeted the guests with an introduction, prior to the next scene in which Skippy is teleported. An early design for the teleported monster was a crustation like creature with a long vertical fang lined mouth, which Tony Baxter rejected for being too ugly, suggesting insted, something sinister, but with the evil beauty of a creature with the aesthetic of the Malificent dragon, as an example. When the Orlando attraction was built, the teleportation main theater had a number of actual working tesla coils installed in the balcony above that could throw actual lightning bolts around the space. When these were run the first time, the electromagnetic interference from the coils made some show electronics go crazy, so the Tesla coils were disconnected and abandoned in place.
I was terrified of this as a kid! The maintenance worker above you looking around with the flashlight and bumping into the creature reminded me so much of the Xenomorph in Alien. Getting drenched in the dudes blood was such a great idea
I absolutely loved the original alien encounter. Alien escaped, worker came to fix and gets eaten spraying you with water like you were sprayed with blood. "It's right behind you", then breathes on your neck. It was awesome!
I went on it as a 5 year old and it scared me for years. I just thought the Aliens were bald people and the pre show made me laugh. I was in for a huge surprise 😂
I loved loved loved the original Extra Terrorestial encounter version!!! It was indeed intense and not suitable for littles but it was nice having something a little more exciting than Carousel of progress lol. I remember vividly the hot breath on your neck effect when the alien was “behind” you. It was scary, but in a good way. Just maybe needed a different park or a specific rating because I would have definitely been terrified as a child. There was a warning sign but maybe not enough to deter people. I always felt sorry for poor skippy when he got burnt during his “ teleport”, and I remember marveling at the animatronic robot that was in the scene doing the demonstration with skippy. Anyway- I loved it but was not for little or easily frightened folks.
Alien Encounter was superb. I was a teen when it came out and it was one of the few things that excited me about going. The first time scared everyone, all future rides were just pure fun. Stitch wasn't bad but it was a watered down version that never had the impact that its predecessor had. I attended AE more than 20 times in its life span, I did Stitch once.
I remember going on Stitch’s Great Escape as a child and screaming extremely loud and being scared. I also remember water being sprayed on me, and hearing everyone else in the room scream. And just looking around the dark room terrified. Stitch Great Escape scared me so bad as a child that I never wanted to do it again. I don’t remember what happened after but I’m pretty sure I was crying by the end of it and my mom having to calm me down. It was actually pretty cool and the fact I got to experience it was amazing.
I'm on the spectrum and I'm really sensitive to sound, (I wasn't diagnosed at the time) but I remember having a panic attack in my seat lmao, my mom tried getting me out of the chair and when she did she broke both of our chairs and left a scar on her knee
@@MoarteMorrison I would never get on this ride again if it existed today. I’m sure the thought process behind making the ride was better in the creators heads but it was traumatic for a lot of people. As soon as it was over I was desperately trying to get out of my seat.
I was taken on this ride forcibly by my parent; I think they may have stopped it early because I was screaming and crying and completely traumatized. Parent remembered it as it was before it was remodeled and completely misunderstood.
This attraction was AWESOME !!! Man the cool dark theater and the air blowing on your neck with the directional sound made it like the alien was standing behind you. Absolutely one of the best attractions of the 90's and terrifying, even more so than countdown to extinction. I was terribly bummed when it went away. Also, either in there before the Alien or in something right next to it was a ride on experience from Piedmont Airlines (remember them) and it was slightly boring but a cool little slow ride from the era right before this. I totally forgot about the mission to mars thing until this. Nice memories.
I remember going on the very 1st, 2nd and the stitch version … the first was the best! Loved Tim Curry. This did scare me the first time. It also had another effect you didn’t mention… when it’s dark and the alien e capes, as you heard him walk behind you, the restraints around your neck would push down on your shoulders, which was a trip… I think they could bring this back, but with a Tron theme. With the technology that we have today, this could be a wicked cool Tron show. Also, I would love to see them add blue led lights on the outside of the people mover cars… that would be so cool to see the at night and would highlight the kinetic energy that amazing attraction brings to tomorrowland.
I like being scared but the fact that you were stationary and there wasn't a reprieve from the terror was what made it too much for me. When I was a kid the Alien scene in The Great Movie Ride was a good scare but you got to leave in the right amount of time.
Exactly! This attraction was phenomenal-except for being restrained and held in place at shoulder/neck level. I also don’t recall if there was a safety spiel instructing guests what to do if they had an emergency and needed to leave so it did feel like you were trapped. Alien in Great Movie Ride was perfect. Alien Encounter was ahead of its time, and in a different park like HS with new IP and a few safety tweaks I think would be very successful.
There was a similar experience to this ride in California Disneyland, it was a bugs life type of “ride” that had that surround sound and effects in the seats. I remember being terrified because the feeling of bugs crawling up me in the dark was scary to a 7 year old 😅 Now I’d love to experience more rides kinda like this! A little creepy but amazing.
I remember going on that ride when I was little. Someone outside warned my sister it could be to scary for me but I loved it. I never heard anyone talk about it and since it wasn't something I'd relate to Disney I started to think I made it up.
Loved this. Had no idea what I was getting into. Trumatized, yes. Taken aback from the otherwise joyful happy world of Disney for a moment, yes. But it truly stood alone as it's own sick joke on itself. A most interesting lore in theme park history, and for those who did have a chance to actually experience it? Priceless memories.
I rode this when I was 10 I think? Right before it closed, scared the absolute shit out of me. Didn't think about it for years, and had convinced myself it was a bad dream. Being 32 now and watching this now is a bizarre experience.
I wasn’t around at the time of Alien Encounter but man I would love to see it come back in some refurbished way. I think it would be really cool. But like you said, it would have to be somewhere else I think
i remember doing this when i was like 9, and my parents had so much faith that i was brave enough for it. they had no idea what it was and as soon it started my dad was like “we made a mistake” 😂😂
I was born in 1990 and remember going on this ride many many times as a kid. Yes, it was absolutely terrifying, but I remember always wanting to go on it again. It was probably one of my first encounters with anything scifi horror and I kinda loved it.
Ironiocally if it had opened at Disneyland first, it probably would have been better received. Our Magic Kingdom developed a reputation of being a "kiddie park" yrs Disneyland's as a "locals park"
Experienced the original in 1996 when I was 8. It scared the absolute shit out of me. I’ll love it forever. Did the Stitch version ten years later. That’s all.
can’t believe I was able to ride the original while it lasted. I remember trying to explain this ride to friends, and no one believed it existed. So happy this little mini doc was made. Thank you!
Alien Encounter was one of my favorite Disney attractions ever! The dark mood and sense of foreboding were palpable. Tim Curry as SIR in the pre show was extremely ominous. I rode it multiple times every time I was at Magic Kingdom and I miss it to this day. I wish they would bring it back. It was a great attraction!
I think i was like 9 or 10 when I went on this and I can still vividly remember how afraid I was. Two moments are seared into my memory to this day -- seeing the lights go down and the alien canister being shattered open, and feeling the alien's "breath" on the back of my neck.
I remember waiting in a long line for this ride, after BEGGING my parents to let me ride it. I went from excited, to nervous, to absolutely terrified xD
I remember this ride really fondly! An 11 year old me was absolutely transported by a great experience! Unfortunately the younger member of my party did find it too scary, so I only ever experienced it once.😢
I remember going on stitches great escape as a kid. In the preshow where they transport 1 of the experiments into a tube i had full confidence that the alien was real and telling my dad excitedly about it. I can only imagine how happy that moment was for him. I miss those times alot.
I went on Stitch's Great Escape because I LOVED Stitch, and still do. I liked it well enough. My allergies were very severe throughout my childhood, and on most days I had no sense of smell whatsoever. That was one of those days. My mom HATED that attraction largely because of the smell. She truly saw it as an insult. I hardly believed that actually happened for a while. That was probably for the best. I don't regret the experience, I'll take as much Stitch as I can get. However I DID also get a Stitch bracelet charm at a merch stand outside, and I still have it on my backpack about 15 years later.
I went on this in the spring of 1999 at age 15. I thought it was alot of fun. One thing when the "alien" was running around, the bars over your shoulder would push down as it having weight on it. It was fun listening to the screams of others around the room as the illusion of it running around the room and the bars pushed down on your shoulders. Totally forgot about this ride. Thanks for bringing back the memories!
I was about 11. Frightened the hell out of me. I look back and laugh about it to this day because it was after multiple warnings from my Dad that I wouldn't like it 😂
I went on Stitch's Great Escape when I was like 5 and it was so scary to young me. I was completely traumatized! I can't even imagine going on Alien Encounter at that age I would have never been able to sleep again!
I was one of the children that hated this ride. I remember crying my eyes out after the ride was finished and my parents had to sit me down for a couple minutes to allow me to calm down. My brother loved it, however, but he was upset that we never went back to this attraction in future visits because of my fear of the attraction. As an adult, I would probably have given it another chance just to so I can overcome my fear.
My same aged cousin and I were traumatised by this ride. We were 8 at the time and I don't think anyone really expected a ride at the Magic Kingdom to be _this_ terrifying.
I went on this ride back in the day with a friend and by the end, she was sobbing and shaking with genuine fear. I love horror films and extreme rides and it creeped me out, but I loved it. I also went on Stitch's Great Escape, which was definitely more kid friendly.
As a kid on a trip to disney back in the day, this ride scared the hell out of me. My dad convinced me to go on this ride with him, and by the time it was over, I was bawling my eyes out
I went to the Stitch ride when I was 5 and I remember every single thing. The moment I entered the huge room and sat down in the first row I knew something was off. I was crying to be let out before it even started but I was already strapped in. I felt that it was designed to be terrifying and overstimulating, the way you're so exposed but also so held there, the proportions in the room... I don't know. They'd tried to redesign it, but the essence of Alien Encounter was still there. I would have been scarred for life if it had been Alien Encounter, but now a part of me wishes I could ride the latter as an adult. If even with a bright, childish retheme, there was something about the structure and effects of the ride that was still panic-inducing... The real thing must have been incredible.
The experience left a memory that will never go away. I'll never forget screaming my head off and really thinking it was going to get me. Took my parents a good while to calm me down afterwards.
Alien Encounter was one of the greatest rides Disney every produced. And it made great use of the classic mission to mars circle seating they perfected. The later Stitch incarnation lacked the added thrills that Alien Encounter brought. The breath on the neck effect in the dark didn’t effect small children as they didn’t feel that the same as the parents did…. I have a fond memory of a lady saying to her husband. “Bob, I’m going to kill you”. And the entire room laughing as the seats flexed under the weight of the alien breathing behind us both in surround sound but with a gust of air effect behind us. IT was glorious.
Great video! I went on this ride when I was 6 and I absolutely loved it! I wish Disney would push the boundaries with their attractions like they did with Alien Encounter
i'm sad i was born shortly after this closed. if this was open at disney world in MY teenage years, i'd have absolutely loved it. it would probably fit better at a different theme park, but i honestly think that at said different theme park, something that intense and immersive could be pretty well-loved.
I remember going to this attraction with my older sister when I was maybe 14, and she was 18. We loved it! We even remember laughing at people for screaming like crazy as “hey, it’s Disney” we were both sad when it closed.
I actually went on the Alien Encounter in August 1998 when I was 9!! My mom complained about the restraints. It was a walk-on like you said 😂 we read the warnings but still did it anyway since George Lucas was involved, we didn’t have it at Disneyland in CA, and I saw it printed in a lot of advertising. The animatronics and special effects were impressive, but my older brother and I though the show was more cheesy than scary. We were disappointed that you’re in these OSRs like a ride, but it wasn’t a ride lol. Compare that to Ellen’s Energy where you go into a theater and it legit turns into an actual moving ride! I think this theater and binaural seats could be repurposed with a VR/AR component and a new IP. There were rumors years ago of a Wreck It Ralph VR experience to replace Stitch.
Damn I’m so jealous of y’all.. I was born in 1998 and unfortunately I was not able to experience this ride. My first time going to Disney was in 2012 this ride was long gone by then
I vaguely remember going on ExtraTERRORestrial in 2001. It was just my mom and I who attended, leaving my younger sister behind. I remember having some jump scare moments, but just being annerved by the darkness more than anything. The sound design was really good, but if I remember correctly, I think I walked away feeling "meh" about it.
I went on this back in the early 2000's so pre you tube and ad a teen, saw this, with the A board outside that warned it was scary, but me and my family were like, oh it's Disney, their idea of scary is haunted mansion. OMG, how wrong we were! I was terrified and I think I'm still a but traumatised by it because watching this has made me do uncomfortable! I found it horrifying!
I remember seeing the Phil Hartman version when we were there in the early 90's. I personally thought it was pretty fun. I didn't see it as 'dark', but it was definitely a departure from the Disney norm. If they were aiming at the teen demographic, they nailed it with this one in the original form. Everyone wanted a Skippy plush too!
I count myself fortunate to have experienced this at all, back in August, 2000. (I was fully grown at the time.) I remember two things very vividly. First, I was utterly confused by what was going on. I thought this was a "ride" based on the movie Alien. But of course it wasn't a ride at all, it was a sensory experience, with water being spritzed in your face and shots of air coming across your face and neck. This was the very first ride I had ever been on like that, that featured these sensory experiences, so it only served to confuse me. "Is this the ''ride?'" I found myself wondering. The second biggest thing I remember is at some point someone screaming, "That's my wife!" for comic effect. I don't remember the exact setup. I think it was someone joking, "That's no alien, that's my wife!" In the moment, I seriously thought someone was sitting there, on the ride, trying to be funny. In other words, I seriously thought a Disney guest was being a heckler. In retrospect, I find it hard to believe anyone could have yelled loud enough to cover what was coming directly into the speakers next to my ears. To this day, I now believe the ride was so scary that this was a scripted revision, a moment added by Disney to inject some levity to the whole experience. (PLEASE: Did anyone else ride this and remember a "joke" about a wife?) As I say, the whole thing was a confusion to me. I didn't quite understand the plot about an alien being transported into the room we were all sitting in. That said, I do believe it was done effectively, with things mostly in the dark but a spotlight here and there catching the creature roaming from place to place inside the theater. But by the year 2000, I think the whole thing was shortchanged by trying to be "scary, but not too scary." And if line about the wife was added and meant to be comedic, it was actually just in bad taste. (They might as well have said, "That's no alien, that's my mother-in-law!") Again, does anyone else remember this happening on their ride? I never rode it a second time, so I couldn't tell you for certain if it was in the script or was an actual heckler in the audience.
Oh my gosh!!!! I had completely forgotten about this, but I went on it as a kid during my first ever Disney world trip and I was OBSESSED with the sad little slug alien that got burnt during the pre-show. Wow, what a fun unlocked suppressed memory… I do remember being scared and my sister cried. We went back and did it again when it was re-themed for stitch but I barely remember that, except that he snorted boogers at you at one point (for the water spray affect that was blood in the OG)
4:40 That Mickey Animation sequence is so heartwarming and nostalgic! Even outside of Disney everything now adays is so dry and 2 dimensional compared to it!
This was my dad’s favorite ride 😂 I was too young so I never got to experience it but I did have an OG Skippy plush! I love that little dude, I wish he had more love
Ohmygosssshhhhhh this brought back so many memories thank you!!! The one and only time I’ve ever been to Disney World was the year 2000 - this was my absolute favorite ride in Tomorrowland. I rode it so many times in a row - there was literally no line for it. The entire production was so incredibly cool to me, having that traveling sound and the “blood” in the face…ugh it was so freaking cool….i was about to enter my senior of high school….man the memories coming back are so nostalgic ❤ It was very very out of place for Disney for sure but it was still so very cool. I think if it was in a different park it would have had a much better reception.
I rode this back in the late 90s. It blew my mind, I had never experienced a simulator that felt so real. I went back to disney this year and was very sad to hear it had closed years ago 😭
This is the one ride I really wish I could experience. Everything about it looks incredible and this sits right up there with JAWS, a ride I WAS able to ride a few times.
Our kids saw the 2000 version, with a dragonish alien, + scientist in a white lab coat. No kids under 14 should have been allowed. Being strapped in, in the dark, was SO TRAUMATIZING! When we left, many kids were vomiting from the trauma. We spent an hour calming our kids down. Worst attraction ever!
As an 8 year old when I went on the ride in the same year, I can 100% agree. I was hyperventilating and barely able to walk off the ride. Everyone in there was screaming.
Gotta be honest, a part of me misses Stitch’s Great Escape. Kinda wish I was around to experience Extraterrorestrial, but Stitch was my favorite character as a kid and I genuinely loved seeing him being brought to life. It didn’t hold up with age and time, but in that moment it was one of my favorite experiences!
It’s crazy to think that nowadays this ride would be a fan favorite among guest. With the rise of Halloween horror nights and more adults craving spooky related things, this ride would so insanely popular today.
Core memory! I went multiple times during my teenage years and loved it. It wasn’t just listening to the immersive sounds of the alien, but also the people around you! They would get amped up and it would amp you up to be even more frightened. I was disappointed when they announced the change to Stitch. Ingenious use of the space though…. Definitely preferred Alien Encounter. It will forever be in my top 5 favorite attractions of all time! 🎉
I remember the first time I went on ExtraTERRORestrial Encounter (possibly 1995) with my family. We had no idea what the ride was when we went in, but I can clearly remember when we came out the exit we were in shock and looked at each other absolutely blown away by how amazing the effects were. We just loved it, it was completely different to any other ride we'd ever been on, and because it was a simulator style, it was a great adrenaline rush for people like my sister and I, who were too scared to go on coasters. It was my favourite ride in Tomorrow Land and I was really gutted to see it close. I liked Stitch’s Great Escape but it felt like a watered down ride in comparison. I was however glad to see Skippy was still there (the little alien in the small scale demonstration), and am a bit obsessed with knowing what has happened to him (I really hope the rumours are not true that he was left to go mouldy!)
I was lucky to experience both versions of the attraction. The first time I experienced Alien Encounter in the original form, I think my seat wasn’t working because nothing happened and I didn’t get why everyone around me was screaming. I went back and tried it later and got the full effect, which I really liked. My friend said I just giggled through the whole Stitch version which is probably true. It was cute.
Stitch was too intense for me. Being strapped into my seat and not being able to access my parents for comfort was terrifying, even as a 10-12 year old. I can’t imagine going on the original 😭 Thank you for a great video!
I remember going to Stitches Great Escape my first time as a kid and i loved it! i remember one part where he sneezed and some people got sprayed with water to add to the effect. It's so sad about that people hated it! :(
I was able to attend this attraction when was younger (elementary or middle school). I remember my cousin deciding to not ride it at the last minute and abandoned the line. So just my Dad and I went in. IT was terrifying, but I loved it so much. It was probably my favorite "ride" ever at Disney!
I am pretty sure they revamped the attraction at some point in the late mid-nineties to tone it down. The special effects were made not as intense: less wind from the wings, reducing the hot breath, adjusting the “splatter.” The restraints originally were also an integral part of the ride, providing heavy pressure on your shoulders when the alien landed on you.
I consider myself very lucky for having experienced this ride in the mid-90's!! It was very well done and definitely scary. During one especially suspenseful part of the "experience" my younger brother grabbed my brother-in-law's leg causing him to jump and scream "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!" Hilarity ensued. Even as the years have passed its still a topic of fond remembrance at family gatherings, Great memories!!
I worked the catwalk position the last night. I got to give its good bye. I loved it. Hated Stitch with all my being. I was there the opening day with the TPed castle and wanted posters down Main Street. There are so many stories from my time there from ghosts to deaths at Alien. It was such a happy time in my life working it that when it left I had a deep depression working there. Stitch did not help. I’m always open to questions if anyone has any!
We thought that an on rails Nostromo shooter would be too violent for a family ride. So we instead strapped down guests, plunge them into darkness, and spray them with fake blood as an alien stalks around the room.
I would have loved to seen aliens at Disney as iam a massive aliens fan I remember the first time I saw the movie ride when we got to the alien scene i was like now you got my attention disney
@@jimbowlan5804 same
The fake blood simulacra into the audience part had me howling I did NOT know about that part LOL
Imagine if they used like actually red fake blood that stains their clothes and you just see people walking around Disney inexplicably covered in blood like they slaughtered a cow LOL.
As a 12-year-old when I went on this, it was one of my favorite rides at Magic Kingdom. I rode 3 times in a row. I freakin loved it. My poor grandmother and little cousin were not so happy. This ride has a really bad rep, but I think if you talked to most pre-teens and teens of the late 90's and early 2000's, they look back fondly on this one.
So basically, it did what Eisner wanted it to do
Hilariously I was also a 12-year-old when I went on this ride and I was TERRIFIED. I didn't like thrill rides at the time (for the given value of "thrill") and my grandma (FL resident, I was visiting) pitched it as a theater experience with motion seats (think closer to Honey I Shrunk The Audience or Bug's Life) when we went on it while waiting for our Space Mountain fastpass. In hindsight I wish I'd liked it more because it's definitely a different experience than the rest of Magic Kingdom, but in the moment I would have welcomed death rather than go see that alien again lol
Same bro. I rode this at age 12, and really enjoyed it.
I was 12, too! I came here to post the same thing! 😂 I was an easily scared kid but I loved it!
I was either 10 or 11 when I went on it. Absolutely loved this ride, I remember some people leaving crying. 😂
I rode this guy back in 1995 and 1996. I was 12 the first time and it was absolutely terrifying.
...I miss it so much. Imagineering took decades of knowledge of attraction construction and used it to craft a horror masterpiece.
If it were up to me, it would still be around today.
You make an interesting point. Imagine if the imagineers put their minds and current technology today to make horror themed attractions? Shit would literally be the scariest stuff in a theme park.
I rode this back in summer 96 when i 8. Scared the crap out of me. I remember feeling sorry for the intro alien.
Same. It genuinely scared the crap out of me and I LOVED IT.
@@SuperSealMan777Right? I’ve always dreamed of Disney making a villains themed park aimed at teens and adults that focuses on scary rides like this.
I wish it was still there, I wanted to ride it so bad as a kid but I was too young before it was removed. Alien is my FAVORITE franchise so I’d give anything to experience this in its prime 😭
Stitch's great escape TERRIFIED me as a kid. I know it was supposed to be light-hearted, but the combo of the dark and audio effect made me HATE it. I was forced on it numerous times as a kid and it never got better, made me hate that side of the park.
Otherwise Alien Encounter seems rad as hell, kinda wish I could experience it now.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who was terrified of Stitch's great escape! Poor little 6 year old me was scared for her life but couldn't leave the theater. If I rode Alien Encounter instead I think I would have been scarred for life
@@sectoniasme too, it’s not very scary as Alien Encounter.
Boo hoo
Same. One of the few rides from Disney I remember going on when I was super young and it scared the hell out of me.
Ive done both versions as a kid. The alien encounter was 10x as scary. I left crying my eyes out as a kid. It was probably good for me. I thought i was tough
The part with the worker dying got me, and the fact they used water to simulate blood really makes me question if this actually was Disney
Classic Eisner era. He was far from perfect, but he definitely took risks.
I went on it and I had the same thought! I couldn’t believe this was in the Magic Kingdom, of all places.
I didn't get a chance to go on this, but I thought that was supposed to be saliva.
Thanks Karen.
They apparently previewed a tamer version and Eisner felt that it wasn’t intense enough, so they turned it up to 11😂
Excellent ride. Too scary for small children. My 8yo daughter and I rode this circa 12/95. She was very excited given the hype. Scared the crap out of her. She was very quiet as we left the ride. Two years later she defiantly rode again on our next visit. She left smiling, having faced her fears. I learned a lot about her character that day....
this is so cute. good job to your daughter. 💜
I remember being terrified of the attraction when I was younger, refusing to accompany the rest of my family for it. Eventually I faced my own fears and "rode" it, and I'm so glad I did. I would never forgive myself if I had missed out on this masterpiece. Tim Curry as S.I.R. was my favorite part and I loved my Skippy plushie.
She sounds awesome. :)
I was 8 in 96. Went on this with my dad. It scared the crap out of me. Fast forward 29yrs later and horror is my favorite genre. I remember feeling sorry for skippy.
I was older at 26 and LOVED it :-)
Sorry to hear it was closed when I returned the next year.
I loved Alien Encounter. I rode it first in middle school and it scared me beyond belief. As a CM, I stayed late in the park after work and was in the very last show the day it closed. There were like 10 people in there with me.
That’s really awesome I envy you.
I really wished I was able to see it in action but well sadly no. Its sad.
Awesome story actually. I bet the energy in there was awesome that day
Ill never forget this ride, and neither will my therapist.
I see why you became a Helldiver
There’s gotta be a glitch in the matrix, I just finished watching the WDS video and started binging the rest of your videos and I expected to see millions of subscribers, I’m appalled it’s only 600, you sir have earned another subscriber
Dude this ride sounds cool as fuck, most ofther rides at disney world are for younger kids, but this one sounds amazing
Too bad stupid guests complained that the attraction was too scary despite the fact that is supposed to be scary.
Thats like watching a horror movie and not liking it because it scared you
There is a guy in our town that likes harassing me. He probably wouldn't let his children ride this, they'd start screaming that he's an alien. 🤮
This makes me kind-of hate how all encompassing Disney is because they're the only ones who can do something like this and it's SO COOL!
It's genuinely a shame we don't have adult-centric amusement parks that can have more mature attractions like this that tell more intense or emotional stories. Don't get me wrong, a lot of family friendly rides are great, but there's such a clear niche here that's fees like it's just not being catered to with more elaborate/expensive attractions, you know?
I went through this in the very early 2000s. It blew my mind. Still remember parts of it vividly. Would do some unspeakable things to be able to go through it again. It was an amazing experience.
I loved this ride, mainly because of how much of a hard left turn it was for the area.
I remembered queueing to go on space mountain which then broke down. Really sad I had to leave the line. I figured I'd kill some time on the people mover but everyone else in the line had the same plan. I looked at the signs for alien encounter, a 5minute wait and just decided "why not".
My mind was blown, and when I went back and it had become lilo and stitch I felt like a cool uncle that used to swear and smoke at a family barbeque had died 😢
My husband and a rode this in both versions and loved them. During the Alien version we were laughing hysterically. But there were 4 pages in the unofficial guide to WDW saying not to bring your children on this ride. When it turned into Stitch, we loved it too, but then again we both love Stitch.
I will never understand the hate for stitch. Great ride and amazing animatronics. I was always impressed by the giant canons that shot water at stitch and hit the guests. They moved so fluidly and were giant things right in your face.
this ride was a core memory of my childhood. i remember my poor unaware parents taking me on this in the 90s and i was TRAUMATIZED lolll. but now as a 30 year old i would do anything to be able to ride it again :(. also your content is fanatastic! immediately subbed
My parents, grandma and I went to WDW in 1998. My grandma was 75 and I was 10. We were both terrified yet also adored skippy in the pre show. The shoulder restraints used to move up and down like the alien was directly on top of your chair along with the hot breath & water effects. It was a one and done for our family. But it truly was an amazing show, just almost too real.
I loved this attraction, during the summers this was not a walk on. When I did the CP in 99 it was in the phase of opening when crowds needed to be thined out. I would love a return of an attraction like this but with a evolution of design and innovation.
Disney needs to shakeup the standard clones they've been building lately. It would do the MK well to have a dark in tenor attraction
Disney needs to be massively boycotted against and get a wakeup call to return to greatness
No more Guardians of the galaxy, no more star wars rides that are just tv screens. they've stopped even trying
Some additional obscure history... Alien Encounter was originally meant to replace the Anaheim Mission To Mars during the Tomorrowland 2055 upgrade. When the overall new design concept for Tomorrowland was rejected, that entire Tomorrowland project was shut down. At that time, Alien Encounter had already gone through extensive design with models built. I'm pretty sure the illustration at 4:28 is an exterior elevation from this design effort. Much of this design was reflected in the attraction built in Orlando. The Anaheim version included a preshow scene in which a fifteen foot, seated anamatronic robot greeted the guests with an introduction, prior to the next scene in which Skippy is teleported. An early design for the teleported monster was a crustation like creature with a long vertical fang lined mouth, which Tony Baxter rejected for being too ugly, suggesting insted, something sinister, but with the evil beauty of a creature with the aesthetic of the Malificent dragon, as an example. When the Orlando attraction was built, the teleportation main theater had a number of actual working tesla coils installed in the balcony above that could throw actual lightning bolts around the space. When these were run the first time, the electromagnetic interference from the coils made some show electronics go crazy, so the Tesla coils were disconnected and abandoned in place.
I was terrified of this as a kid! The maintenance worker above you looking around with the flashlight and bumping into the creature reminded me so much of the Xenomorph in Alien. Getting drenched in the dudes blood was such a great idea
I absolutely loved the original alien encounter. Alien escaped, worker came to fix and gets eaten spraying you with water like you were sprayed with blood. "It's right behind you", then breathes on your neck. It was awesome!
I went on it as a 5 year old and it scared me for years. I just thought the Aliens were bald people and the pre show made me laugh. I was in for a huge surprise 😂
I loved loved loved the original Extra Terrorestial encounter version!!! It was indeed intense and not suitable for littles but it was nice having something a little more exciting than Carousel of progress lol. I remember vividly the hot breath on your neck effect when the alien was “behind” you. It was scary, but in a good way. Just maybe needed a different park or a specific rating because I would have definitely been terrified as a child. There was a warning sign but maybe not enough to deter people. I always felt sorry for poor skippy when he got burnt during his “ teleport”, and I remember marveling at the animatronic robot that was in the scene doing the demonstration with skippy. Anyway- I loved it but was not for little or easily frightened folks.
10 years old in 1998 experienced this both terrifying and amazing. One of my most vivid memories from the entire experience.
I was about the same age, I didn't open my eyes the first time I rode it.
Remember chick's yelling n being like shut up its gona eat us 😄
Alien Encounter was superb. I was a teen when it came out and it was one of the few things that excited me about going. The first time scared everyone, all future rides were just pure fun. Stitch wasn't bad but it was a watered down version that never had the impact that its predecessor had. I attended AE more than 20 times in its life span, I did Stitch once.
This ride has been on my mind for over 20 years. It was absolutely terrifying and it was awesome! I’m glad the footage is still available
I remember going on Stitch’s Great Escape as a child and screaming extremely loud and being scared. I also remember water being sprayed on me, and hearing everyone else in the room scream. And just looking around the dark room terrified. Stitch Great Escape scared me so bad as a child that I never wanted to do it again. I don’t remember what happened after but I’m pretty sure I was crying by the end of it and my mom having to calm me down. It was actually pretty cool and the fact I got to experience it was amazing.
I'm on the spectrum and I'm really sensitive to sound, (I wasn't diagnosed at the time) but I remember having a panic attack in my seat lmao, my mom tried getting me out of the chair and when she did she broke both of our chairs and left a scar on her knee
@@MoarteMorrison I would never get on this ride again if it existed today. I’m sure the thought process behind making the ride was better in the creators heads but it was traumatic for a lot of people. As soon as it was over I was desperately trying to get out of my seat.
I was taken on this ride forcibly by my parent; I think they may have stopped it early because I was screaming and crying and completely traumatized. Parent remembered it as it was before it was remodeled and completely misunderstood.
Stop everything, you had me at Tim Curry
This attraction was AWESOME !!! Man the cool dark theater and the air blowing on your neck with the directional sound made it like the alien was standing behind you. Absolutely one of the best attractions of the 90's and terrifying, even more so than countdown to extinction. I was terribly bummed when it went away. Also, either in there before the Alien or in something right next to it was a ride on experience from Piedmont Airlines (remember them) and it was slightly boring but a cool little slow ride from the era right before this. I totally forgot about the mission to mars thing until this. Nice memories.
I remember going on the very 1st, 2nd and the stitch version … the first was the best! Loved Tim Curry. This did scare me the first time. It also had another effect you didn’t mention… when it’s dark and the alien e capes, as you heard him walk behind you, the restraints around your neck would push down on your shoulders, which was a trip… I think they could bring this back, but with a Tron theme. With the technology that we have today, this could be a wicked cool Tron show. Also, I would love to see them add blue led lights on the outside of the people mover cars… that would be so cool to see the at night and would highlight the kinetic energy that amazing attraction brings to tomorrowland.
I like being scared but the fact that you were stationary and there wasn't a reprieve from the terror was what made it too much for me. When I was a kid the Alien scene in The Great Movie Ride was a good scare but you got to leave in the right amount of time.
Exactly! This attraction was phenomenal-except for being restrained and held in place at shoulder/neck level. I also don’t recall if there was a safety spiel instructing guests what to do if they had an emergency and needed to leave so it did feel like you were trapped. Alien in Great Movie Ride was perfect. Alien Encounter was ahead of its time, and in a different park like HS with new IP and a few safety tweaks I think would be very successful.
There was a similar experience to this ride in California Disneyland, it was a bugs life type of “ride” that had that surround sound and effects in the seats. I remember being terrified because the feeling of bugs crawling up me in the dark was scary to a 7 year old 😅
Now I’d love to experience more rides kinda like this! A little creepy but amazing.
That bugs life “ride” is still at Animal Kingdom if you want to experience it again
Yeah I remember that show! Unfortunately it’s not longer there as bugs land has been replaced by marvel
It’s Tough To Be A Bug is originally a Walt Disney World attraction, and is still there in the base of the Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom.
This sounds like it would be an AMAZING ride. I would love every minute of it. Even as a child
I remember going on that ride when I was little. Someone outside warned my sister it could be to scary for me but I loved it. I never heard anyone talk about it and since it wasn't something I'd relate to Disney I started to think I made it up.
Loved this. Had no idea what I was getting into. Trumatized, yes. Taken aback from the otherwise joyful happy world of Disney for a moment, yes. But it truly stood alone as it's own sick joke on itself. A most interesting lore in theme park history, and for those who did have a chance to actually experience it? Priceless memories.
I rode this when I was 10 I think? Right before it closed, scared the absolute shit out of me. Didn't think about it for years, and had convinced myself it was a bad dream. Being 32 now and watching this now is a bizarre experience.
I wasn’t around at the time of Alien Encounter but man I would love to see it come back in some refurbished way. I think it would be really cool. But like you said, it would have to be somewhere else I think
i remember doing this when i was like 9, and my parents had so much faith that i was brave enough for it. they had no idea what it was and as soon it started my dad was like “we made a mistake” 😂😂
This was genius, proving the power of sound and your imagination!
The Stitch remake was actually still too scary. I remember a kid crying hysterically behind me during the show. But Alien Encounter truly was awesome.
I was born in 1990 and remember going on this ride many many times as a kid. Yes, it was absolutely terrifying, but I remember always wanting to go on it again. It was probably one of my first encounters with anything scifi horror and I kinda loved it.
Ironiocally if it had opened at Disneyland first, it probably would have been better received. Our Magic Kingdom developed a reputation of being a "kiddie park" yrs Disneyland's as a "locals park"
Experienced the original in 1996 when I was 8. It scared the absolute shit out of me. I’ll love it forever. Did the Stitch version ten years later. That’s all.
can’t believe I was able to ride the original while it lasted. I remember trying to explain this ride to friends, and no one believed it existed. So happy this little mini doc was made. Thank you!
Alien Encounter was one of my favorite Disney attractions ever! The dark mood and sense of foreboding were palpable. Tim Curry as SIR in the pre show was extremely ominous. I rode it multiple times every time I was at Magic Kingdom and I miss it to this day. I wish they would bring it back. It was a great attraction!
I think i was like 9 or 10 when I went on this and I can still vividly remember how afraid I was. Two moments are seared into my memory to this day -- seeing the lights go down and the alien canister being shattered open, and feeling the alien's "breath" on the back of my neck.
I remember waiting in a long line for this ride, after BEGGING my parents to let me ride it. I went from excited, to nervous, to absolutely terrified xD
I remember this ride really fondly! An 11 year old me was absolutely transported by a great experience! Unfortunately the younger member of my party did find it too scary, so I only ever experienced it once.😢
I remember going on stitches great escape as a kid. In the preshow where they transport 1 of the experiments into a tube i had full confidence that the alien was real and telling my dad excitedly about it. I can only imagine how happy that moment was for him. I miss those times alot.
I went on Stitch's Great Escape because I LOVED Stitch, and still do. I liked it well enough. My allergies were very severe throughout my childhood, and on most days I had no sense of smell whatsoever. That was one of those days. My mom HATED that attraction largely because of the smell. She truly saw it as an insult. I hardly believed that actually happened for a while. That was probably for the best. I don't regret the experience, I'll take as much Stitch as I can get. However I DID also get a Stitch bracelet charm at a merch stand outside, and I still have it on my backpack about 15 years later.
I went on this in the spring of 1999 at age 15. I thought it was alot of fun. One thing when the "alien" was running around, the bars over your shoulder would push down as it having weight on it. It was fun listening to the screams of others around the room as the illusion of it running around the room and the bars pushed down on your shoulders. Totally forgot about this ride. Thanks for bringing back the memories!
I was about 11. Frightened the hell out of me. I look back and laugh about it to this day because it was after multiple warnings from my Dad that I wouldn't like it 😂
I went on Stitch's Great Escape when I was like 5 and it was so scary to young me. I was completely traumatized! I can't even imagine going on Alien Encounter at that age I would have never been able to sleep again!
I rode this when I was 7 and boy did it scare the pants off of me. Truly an experience that I have never seen topped even to this day.
I was one of the children that hated this ride. I remember crying my eyes out after the ride was finished and my parents had to sit me down for a couple minutes to allow me to calm down. My brother loved it, however, but he was upset that we never went back to this attraction in future visits because of my fear of the attraction. As an adult, I would probably have given it another chance just to so I can overcome my fear.
My same aged cousin and I were traumatised by this ride. We were 8 at the time and I don't think anyone really expected a ride at the Magic Kingdom to be _this_ terrifying.
I went on this ride back in the day with a friend and by the end, she was sobbing and shaking with genuine fear. I love horror films and extreme rides and it creeped me out, but I loved it. I also went on Stitch's Great Escape, which was definitely more kid friendly.
As a kid on a trip to disney back in the day, this ride scared the hell out of me. My dad convinced me to go on this ride with him, and by the time it was over, I was bawling my eyes out
I went to the Stitch ride when I was 5 and I remember every single thing. The moment I entered the huge room and sat down in the first row I knew something was off. I was crying to be let out before it even started but I was already strapped in. I felt that it was designed to be terrifying and overstimulating, the way you're so exposed but also so held there, the proportions in the room... I don't know. They'd tried to redesign it, but the essence of Alien Encounter was still there.
I would have been scarred for life if it had been Alien Encounter, but now a part of me wishes I could ride the latter as an adult. If even with a bright, childish retheme, there was something about the structure and effects of the ride that was still panic-inducing... The real thing must have been incredible.
The experience left a memory that will never go away. I'll never forget screaming my head off and really thinking it was going to get me. Took my parents a good while to calm me down afterwards.
Alien Encounter was one of the greatest rides Disney every produced. And it made great use of the classic mission to mars circle seating they perfected. The later Stitch incarnation lacked the added thrills that Alien Encounter brought. The breath on the neck effect in the dark didn’t effect small children as they didn’t feel that the same as the parents did…. I have a fond memory of a lady saying to her husband. “Bob, I’m going to kill you”. And the entire room laughing as the seats flexed under the weight of the alien breathing behind us both in surround sound but with a gust of air effect behind us. IT was glorious.
I was there when ALIEN INCOUNTER and it was awesome
The best ride in the park.
Great video! I went on this ride when I was 6 and I absolutely loved it! I wish Disney would push the boundaries with their attractions like they did with Alien Encounter
i'm sad i was born shortly after this closed. if this was open at disney world in MY teenage years, i'd have absolutely loved it. it would probably fit better at a different theme park, but i honestly think that at said different theme park, something that intense and immersive could be pretty well-loved.
I remember going to this attraction with my older sister when I was maybe 14, and she was 18. We loved it! We even remember laughing at people for screaming like crazy as “hey, it’s Disney” we were both sad when it closed.
This was my favorite Disney World attraction of all time when I was a teenager. It was so great and unlike everything else in the park!
I actually went on the Alien Encounter in August 1998 when I was 9!! My mom complained about the restraints. It was a walk-on like you said 😂 we read the warnings but still did it anyway since George Lucas was involved, we didn’t have it at Disneyland in CA, and I saw it printed in a lot of advertising.
The animatronics and special effects were impressive, but my older brother and I though the show was more cheesy than scary. We were disappointed that you’re in these OSRs like a ride, but it wasn’t a ride lol. Compare that to Ellen’s Energy where you go into a theater and it legit turns into an actual moving ride!
I think this theater and binaural seats could be repurposed with a VR/AR component and a new IP.
There were rumors years ago of a Wreck It Ralph VR experience to replace Stitch.
Damn I’m so jealous of y’all.. I was born in 1998 and unfortunately I was not able to experience this ride. My first time going to Disney was in 2012 this ride was long gone by then
I vaguely remember going on ExtraTERRORestrial in 2001. It was just my mom and I who attended, leaving my younger sister behind. I remember having some jump scare moments, but just being annerved by the darkness more than anything. The sound design was really good, but if I remember correctly, I think I walked away feeling "meh" about it.
I went on this back in the early 2000's so pre you tube and ad a teen, saw this, with the A board outside that warned it was scary, but me and my family were like, oh it's Disney, their idea of scary is haunted mansion.
OMG, how wrong we were! I was terrified and I think I'm still a but traumatised by it because watching this has made me do uncomfortable! I found it horrifying!
I remember seeing the Phil Hartman version when we were there in the early 90's. I personally thought it was pretty fun. I didn't see it as 'dark', but it was definitely a departure from the Disney norm. If they were aiming at the teen demographic, they nailed it with this one in the original form. Everyone wanted a Skippy plush too!
Even though I'd likely be way too terrified to go on this ride, it looks really cool and I would've loved to experience it
I count myself fortunate to have experienced this at all, back in August, 2000. (I was fully grown at the time.) I remember two things very vividly. First, I was utterly confused by what was going on. I thought this was a "ride" based on the movie Alien. But of course it wasn't a ride at all, it was a sensory experience, with water being spritzed in your face and shots of air coming across your face and neck. This was the very first ride I had ever been on like that, that featured these sensory experiences, so it only served to confuse me. "Is this the ''ride?'" I found myself wondering. The second biggest thing I remember is at some point someone screaming, "That's my wife!" for comic effect. I don't remember the exact setup. I think it was someone joking, "That's no alien, that's my wife!" In the moment, I seriously thought someone was sitting there, on the ride, trying to be funny. In other words, I seriously thought a Disney guest was being a heckler. In retrospect, I find it hard to believe anyone could have yelled loud enough to cover what was coming directly into the speakers next to my ears. To this day, I now believe the ride was so scary that this was a scripted revision, a moment added by Disney to inject some levity to the whole experience. (PLEASE: Did anyone else ride this and remember a "joke" about a wife?) As I say, the whole thing was a confusion to me. I didn't quite understand the plot about an alien being transported into the room we were all sitting in. That said, I do believe it was done effectively, with things mostly in the dark but a spotlight here and there catching the creature roaming from place to place inside the theater. But by the year 2000, I think the whole thing was shortchanged by trying to be "scary, but not too scary." And if line about the wife was added and meant to be comedic, it was actually just in bad taste. (They might as well have said, "That's no alien, that's my mother-in-law!") Again, does anyone else remember this happening on their ride? I never rode it a second time, so I couldn't tell you for certain if it was in the script or was an actual heckler in the audience.
I remember in later years they added in a “that looks like my Mother in Law” so you’re not imaging things.
Alien Encounter really scared me as a kid, but I loved going back a few years later with the Stitch theming. Fit the ride much better
Oh my gosh!!!! I had completely forgotten about this, but I went on it as a kid during my first ever Disney world trip and I was OBSESSED with the sad little slug alien that got burnt during the pre-show. Wow, what a fun unlocked suppressed memory… I do remember being scared and my sister cried. We went back and did it again when it was re-themed for stitch but I barely remember that, except that he snorted boogers at you at one point (for the water spray affect that was blood in the OG)
4:40 That Mickey Animation sequence is so heartwarming and nostalgic! Even outside of Disney everything now adays is so dry and 2 dimensional compared to it!
"oh boy, my favorite seat"
Your channel is insanely good bro!!
This was my dad’s favorite ride 😂 I was too young so I never got to experience it but I did have an OG Skippy plush! I love that little dude, I wish he had more love
Ohmygosssshhhhhh this brought back so many memories thank you!!! The one and only time I’ve ever been to Disney World was the year 2000 - this was my absolute favorite ride in Tomorrowland. I rode it so many times in a row - there was literally no line for it. The entire production was so incredibly cool to me, having that traveling sound and the “blood” in the face…ugh it was so freaking cool….i was about to enter my senior of high school….man the memories coming back are so nostalgic ❤
It was very very out of place for Disney for sure but it was still so very cool. I think if it was in a different park it would have had a much better reception.
I worked there! Best attraction at Disney and I miss it so much.
This was my favorite attraction at the time! Very realistic. Maybe too...
I rode this back in the late 90s. It blew my mind, I had never experienced a simulator that felt so real. I went back to disney this year and was very sad to hear it had closed years ago 😭
Yeah... 6 YEARS to be specific. But that was when it was Stitch's Great Escape. ExtraTERRORestrial however, that was Over 20 years ago!!
No BS, this is my all-time favorite attraction. I was in my late teens and I was still scared. 😂
The only attraction that truly scared me
Rode it when it was new enough to sit in line over an hour. Loved it, but even as a kid I loved the Alien films.
This is the one ride I really wish I could experience. Everything about it looks incredible and this sits right up there with JAWS, a ride I WAS able to ride a few times.
Petition to bring this back!
Our kids saw the 2000 version, with a dragonish alien, + scientist in a white lab coat. No kids under 14 should have been allowed. Being strapped in, in the dark, was SO TRAUMATIZING! When we left, many kids were vomiting from the trauma. We spent an hour calming our kids down. Worst attraction ever!
As an 8 year old when I went on the ride in the same year, I can 100% agree. I was hyperventilating and barely able to walk off the ride. Everyone in there was screaming.
Gotta be honest, a part of me misses Stitch’s Great Escape. Kinda wish I was around to experience Extraterrorestrial, but Stitch was my favorite character as a kid and I genuinely loved seeing him being brought to life. It didn’t hold up with age and time, but in that moment it was one of my favorite experiences!
Hey! I came across your channel today and I have to say i'm in LOVE with your videos, esp since my family loves Disney.
I wish the ride was in Hollywood Studios or universal..this ride looks really fun
It’s crazy to think that nowadays this ride would be a fan favorite among guest. With the rise of Halloween horror nights and more adults craving spooky related things, this ride would so insanely popular today.
Core memory! I went multiple times during my teenage years and loved it. It wasn’t just listening to the immersive sounds of the alien, but also the people around you! They would get amped up and it would amp you up to be even more frightened. I was disappointed when they announced the change to Stitch. Ingenious use of the space though…. Definitely preferred Alien Encounter. It will forever be in my top 5 favorite attractions of all time! 🎉
I remember the first time I went on ExtraTERRORestrial Encounter (possibly 1995) with my family. We had no idea what the ride was when we went in, but I can clearly remember when we came out the exit we were in shock and looked at each other absolutely blown away by how amazing the effects were. We just loved it, it was completely different to any other ride we'd ever been on, and because it was a simulator style, it was a great adrenaline rush for people like my sister and I, who were too scared to go on coasters.
It was my favourite ride in Tomorrow Land and I was really gutted to see it close. I liked Stitch’s Great Escape but it felt like a watered down ride in comparison. I was however glad to see Skippy was still there (the little alien in the small scale demonstration), and am a bit obsessed with knowing what has happened to him (I really hope the rumours are not true that he was left to go mouldy!)
I'm genuinely sad, not only that I'll never be able to ride this, but that there's really nothing else like it.
I was lucky to experience both versions of the attraction. The first time I experienced Alien Encounter in the original form, I think my seat wasn’t working because nothing happened and I didn’t get why everyone around me was screaming. I went back and tried it later and got the full effect, which I really liked.
My friend said I just giggled through the whole Stitch version which is probably true. It was cute.
Stitch was too intense for me. Being strapped into my seat and not being able to access my parents for comfort was terrifying, even as a 10-12 year old. I can’t imagine going on the original 😭
Thank you for a great video!
I remember going to Stitches Great Escape my first time as a kid and i loved it! i remember one part where he sneezed and some people got sprayed with water to add to the effect. It's so sad about that people hated it! :(
I was able to attend this attraction when was younger (elementary or middle school). I remember my cousin deciding to not ride it at the last minute and abandoned the line. So just my Dad and I went in. IT was terrifying, but I loved it so much. It was probably my favorite "ride" ever at Disney!
I am pretty sure they revamped the attraction at some point in the late mid-nineties to tone it down. The special effects were made not as intense: less wind from the wings, reducing the hot breath, adjusting the “splatter.” The restraints originally were also an integral part of the ride, providing heavy pressure on your shoulders when the alien landed on you.
Man the Alton subterra ride really borrowed from this experience. I think it needs to come back now that they own alien actually... imagine it 😱
I consider myself very lucky for having experienced this ride in the mid-90's!! It was very well done and definitely scary. During one especially suspenseful part of the "experience" my younger brother grabbed my brother-in-law's leg causing him to jump and scream "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!" Hilarity ensued. Even as the years have passed its still a topic of fond remembrance at family gatherings, Great memories!!
I worked the catwalk position the last night. I got to give its good bye. I loved it. Hated Stitch with all my being.
I was there the opening day with the TPed castle and wanted posters down Main Street.
There are so many stories from my time there from ghosts to deaths at Alien. It was such a happy time in my life working it that when it left I had a deep depression working there. Stitch did not help.
I’m always open to questions if anyone has any!