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View Full Version : Why Does Everyone Hate Stitch's Great Escape?



Movieguy
03-29-2008, 09:46 PM
I never got to experience this attraction, but I saw a video, courtesy of Martin Smith, and it actually looked pretty fun to me...more than Alien Encounter to be sure, which just looked freaky.

Why is everyone so quick to dump on this attraction? I'm just curious, because the hatred seems to be pretty unanimous.

Mickey91
03-29-2008, 09:50 PM
Well, I could really do with out the hotdog belch in the face.:ack:

DakotaDisney
03-29-2008, 10:02 PM
I think people don't like it because they liked "Alien Encounter" better or they just don't like Stitch.

I have never been on "AE" and I love SGE!

It's not my favorite ride or show, but I do really like it and I am in the minority here on Intercot.

Try it sometime and decide for yourself.

dfamasb
03-29-2008, 10:16 PM
I don't hate it, but I think there could be something much better in the space. Try it once...but that's enough, not much reason to do it again.

crazygoalie39
03-29-2008, 10:25 PM
It deserves to be hated. Never been on AE bu Stitch is terrible. It's boring and then to top it off you get the most terrible smell ever. I literally had a headache the rest of the day.

SurferStitch
03-29-2008, 10:27 PM
DH and I love SGE. It's the first thing we do on our first day in WDW, and the last thing on our last day (and a couple more times in between.) :stitch2:

It could use some more Stitch face time, but it's still really cute. The smell never bothered us...only lasts a few seconds, and dissipates quickly.

I don't think ANYTHING in WDW deserves to be hated.

GrmGrninGost
03-29-2008, 10:34 PM
It's not on my favorites list, but I don't hate it! I could definitely do without the "hot dog belch" in the face though! :ack: Nasty! Anyway, try it and see for yourself!

Polynesian Dweller
03-29-2008, 10:49 PM
Like others, I don't hate it just don't think its the best refurb that could have been done. If you have seen Alien you know that they didn't really put that much imagination into the Stitch attraction and that's a disappointment rather than hatre.

They really just replaced the Alien character with Stitch and used the same ride equipment. As such, it doesn't make as much sense to have the sensory stuff lowered on to you as it did with Alien and the story and experience doesn't really feel as coherent.

rj
03-29-2008, 11:13 PM
Alien Encounter was much better. Did Stitch once and won't go back.

Alien was really cool, plus no hot dog belch

KineGirl
03-30-2008, 02:48 AM
To me its just kind of let down. I never went on Alien Encounter - I dont like scary rides :eek: but with stitch being such an awesome character I just expected a little more. The whole ride/experience kept making me feel like I was waiting for something to happen and that never came. It just comes off as cheesy - kind of Chuck E Cheese like - to me, but if you have a little little ones they might enjoy it.
I think every ride deserves a shot.. why not give it one and see what you think of it :mickey:

thatkindofday
03-30-2008, 08:27 AM
I don't hate it. It's actually kind of cute and I always ride it when we go, but I have a tendency to get kind of claustrophobic and I don't really like the dark, and it feels like the ride lasts like 30 minutes. Also, if you ride it, be sure that you leave some 'bouncing room' on the bar that comes down, otherwise it REALLY hurts when Stitch starts jumping on it.

#1donaldfan
03-30-2008, 08:52 AM
It's a good ride. It's definatley a place to go in and cool off, if nothing else.

We try to avoid standing in a "real" long line for it, for us we'd rather spend time in lines on the more exciting "rides"....but to be fair, it's a good attraction and well worth your trying it out, to see for yourself....!!:thumbsup:

deanna-montana
03-30-2008, 08:56 AM
I got on AE when i was 8 and it scared me to death but it also gave me that confidence that i accomplished something. With SGE i just came out feeling nauscis from the chili dog he burped in my face .:( Deffianatly not a favorite of mine

auntfrannie
03-30-2008, 09:00 AM
It's not that I hate it, it's just one of those rides where once was enough for me! Didn't strike me as being funny or scary. Kind of like it doesn't know what it wants to be and ends up disappointing.

elmjimmlm
03-30-2008, 11:26 AM
I have no comparison of the two, but I like Stitch...He is one of my sons favorite characters...Its fun for us because of him:stitch:

crazypoohbear
03-30-2008, 11:40 AM
I don't like the belch
Don't understand why you need the shoulder harness???
Don't get the stitch involvement. It is AE with stitch superimposed into the "story"
I thought stitch was a loveable, troublemaker not "evil"???
It just doesn't make sense to me that a "stitch" ride would be scary when stitch is kinda geared toward small children.
I think the imagineers were on vacation when this ride came up

DNS
03-30-2008, 11:56 AM
if you ride it, be sure that you leave some 'bouncing room' on the bar that comes down, otherwise it REALLY hurts when Stitch starts jumping on it.
The only thing I hated about AE was the bar. I tried to keep it from coming down too low, but it would readjust and still push me down. By the time it was over, my neck and shoulders were burning from the resistance. I've never tried Stitch because of this. Very uncomfortable to say the least. And too bad because Stitch is one of my favorites.
I have to say, that belch sounds nasty!

laward32
03-30-2008, 12:00 PM
I don't hate it, but I definately won't ride it again. I'm not a huge Stitch fan, but he's funny. The ride could be so much better. I was never at WDW when AE was there, so my dislike is not because I liked AE more. I just felt it was a waste of time.:mickey:

WinnipegDisneyFanatic
03-30-2008, 12:02 PM
"Hate" is such a strong word...

I'd say I dislike it because as much as Alien Encounter scared the mouse out of me, I would love to go on it again and experience it with others that I share my vacations with. Now that I've experienced Stitch, its the same; but different. No creepy sound effects, just Stich giggling, the hotdog burp I could do without like everyone, and its sad to see the "theatre" the exact same way as it was with Alien Encounter, but now instead of that 9 foot high menacing alien...its just....Stitch.

Hey anyone know...what happened to the alien they had in that tube? Is it being used somewhere else?

Chris :hatter:

NJ Camper
03-30-2008, 12:11 PM
I agree with most people don't hate it but when it was alien it was scarey now its a in between not really funny or scarey guess it is something you should at least try once yeah we go at least once every trip but not a fav but not hated

Spacegirl
03-30-2008, 02:09 PM
I personally hated AE basically because it was toooo loud and I just assume SGE would be the same way.

LudwigVonDrake
03-30-2008, 04:13 PM
Alien Encounter is superior to SGE. It's just a cheap retheming of a classic attraction.

BluewaterBrad
03-30-2008, 05:10 PM
We dont hate it. We really enjoyed AE!:mickey:

pianobabe
03-30-2008, 06:27 PM
I never went on AE (my son was too young at the time). We were at MK for the opening of SGE. Which WDW did up very well. We were just extremely disappointed in SGE. After all the hype we had been through we came out of the show bewildered :confused:. I have to say I have been on it several times since, but only because DH loves it. Hate is a strong word, but I can honestly say I hate the hot dog burp. I always cover my nose and hold my breath during that part. For the "scanners", I always put my hands on my shoulders to keep it from coming down too far.

biodtl
03-30-2008, 06:56 PM
I never got a chance to go on AE, but Stitch just doesn't do it for me. I wouldn't say I HATE it, but to sum it up, when we got off after riding it, we all kind of went, "Huh. That's it?"

I would just simply rather spend my time doing something I really enjoy

BelleLovesTheBeast
03-30-2008, 07:10 PM
AE was soooo much better! I love that ride and wish they had never changed it.

Also just like many people said...that chili dog burp is disgusting. It makes me sick to my stomach. :ack:

Movieguy
03-30-2008, 09:26 PM
Wow...I didn't know anything about the belch...yeah, I can see how that would turn a lot of people off.

I never went on AE, because I don't really like anything that's meant to be really scary. Like I said on another post, I grew up with Asperger's syndrome (Back before anyone knew what that was) and people with my condition are very sensitive to loud noises and sudden movements.

But, it's a shame AE is gone now, because I've been taking medication that's helped bring down the panic-related symptoms of my condition (I can still be spooked, but I can laugh about it afterward now, hehe). I probably could have handled it today, were it still here.

Dakota Rose
03-30-2008, 09:32 PM
I just have to agree with other posters. I don't necessarily hate GSE, but it doesn't compare to AE. My adrenaline gets going just thinking about AE. GSE is too "scary" for little ones like DS (whose nickname is Stitch) but too boring for adults, IMO. I don't even think it's funny.

elmjimmlm
03-30-2008, 10:00 PM
Me my wife and three kids all like this attraction. I have not seen the movie, but my wife and kids have. I think it adds just the right amount of mean and cute. I hope they keep it around.

McGoofy
03-30-2008, 10:16 PM
Been there, done that...no desire to do it again. It's a little too claustrophobic for my liking, and I can't stand the belch.:sick:

Now, my 9 yo son on the other hand absolutely loves Stitch. My DH and I drop him off at the entrance and wait for him at the exit.

Gottaluvgoof
03-30-2008, 10:42 PM
I went on this ride once, and all I can remember is that I never wanted to ride it again. The restraint was very painful and the belch just totally nauseated me. I can't even tell you anything about the ride itself. All I remember was insisting I was never going on that thing again, and I never have. I love rides and not afraid of anything. I do Mission Space, all the coasters, TOT, you name it, but Stitch is off the list. Nobody in our party of 18 people liked that ride.

mgmnut
03-31-2008, 09:24 AM
My kids like to go on SGE, and go on multiple times each trip. I went on once and that was enough. I liked AE, but SGE just isn't the same experience, the story doesn't work as well with the technology. On AE the Alien would move slowly around you, and you could sense it, it was like it was right next to your ear. Stitch pops around too much and just giggles; it just doesn't give you the chills like AE did. The Chilidog Belch is totally gross; it gave me a headache and made me feel a little nauseous for the rest of the day.

Ian
03-31-2008, 09:31 AM
I'm one who hates Stitch, but to be fair I didn't care for Alien Encounter either. I find both to be "one trick ponies" with no real re-ride value. The entire attraction is based around the aspect of the unknown in terms of what will be happening to you. Once it happens, the shine is off the apple, as they say. It becomes dull and pointless.

And then with Stitch you get to add in the extra dose of that obnoxious chili-cheese smell, which actually made me legitimately gag the first time I smelled it.

Stitch is one of the attractions that I like to think of as coming from the "The Imagineers Don't Like Their Guests Very Much Genre." It's when they went through that phase where every ride had to spray you with water, or some nasty smell (like Figment's skunk stink), or sting you, or bite you, or knock you around. It was almost as if they got enjoyment out of abusing their guests.

Not for me ...

Rodders
03-31-2008, 09:44 AM
I'm in the minority on this one as always. Whilst it's not my favourite attraction I do quite like it. I always felt that AE was not an appropriate attraction for MK. I feel that it would be fine in DHS but IMHO MK should be more family friendly. For this reason I feel that softening the ride in this way is appropriate. Just my 2 cents on the matter.

dumbo_buddy
03-31-2008, 09:54 AM
AE scared the bejesus out of me and my dad when we first went on it years ago.

when DH and i went two years ago i didn't know that it had been replaced. so the whole time i kept telling DH that it's sooooo scary. ha! notsomuch!

i thought it was ok, but not as good/different as AE. i have a very strong stomach and smells never bother me but both DH and i were queasy after that burp.

IF i go on again, i'll hold my breath. :mickey:

dumbo_buddy
03-31-2008, 09:57 AM
I'm in the minority on this one as always. Whilst it's not my favourite attraction I do quite like it. I always felt that AE was not an appropriate attraction for MK. I feel that it would be fine in DHS but IMHO MK should be more family friendly. For this reason I feel that softening the ride in this way is appropriate. Just my 2 cents on the matter.

that is a good point, it was really scary for alot of people, including me!:mickey:

c&d
03-31-2008, 10:13 AM
I really enjoyed AE. It's not that I hate SGE, I just think they could have done a much better job with it. It just seems to be missing something, what that is, I have no idea.

Crystal Palace
03-31-2008, 12:18 PM
I've never been on it. After reading all the horrible reviews, I was too afraid to go on it. I don't like the idea of those restraints hurting you.:-o

katzctkpt
03-31-2008, 01:00 PM
It's an ok attraction not one of my favorites. Once you've done it's just not one to do over and over. It just doesn't have the thrill ride experience. Maybe if there was some interaction with the audience on helping to capture him or something.

Imagineer1981
03-31-2008, 02:42 PM
I think if we never had AE, and they only did Stitch...it wouldn't be as hated. The problem is instead of giving us something new and exciting to replace AE, they just swapped the Alien for Stitch and updated some video/effects...nothing new or original

MississippiDisneyFreak
03-31-2008, 04:19 PM
:) I didn't hate it, I think its cute...but I can see why some people are upset that they took Alien Encounter out...they are different in that Stitch is sillier more suited to kids and Alien was a bit on the scary side more of a thrill for older visitors.....yeah the belch is a little obnoxious but Stitch is obnoxious

goofygirl67
03-31-2008, 06:38 PM
I don't like it because it took the place of Alien Encounter, one of my favorite rides.

ASweetLov
03-31-2008, 07:01 PM
The only thing i hate about this attraction is the things that go over your head and press on your shoulders. My shoulders were aching for days after that!

mickeys_princess_mom
03-31-2008, 07:19 PM
I don't like the belch
Don't understand why you need the shoulder harness??
Right here with you on these...For one thing, the changes were so minimal....but for another, I sort of resent the whole "holding me down" thing with the bar. While I realize we ride all sorts of rides with safety bars to keep us from being flung out of things :coaster:, this one just feels invasive for no good reason.
I enjoy meeting Stitch out in the parks--he just seems out of place here...

Nurse Kim
04-01-2008, 01:09 AM
We thought this ride was cute. My daughter is the biggest Stitch fan and she loved it but my other daughter and son didn't like it. My son didn't like the shoulder bar and then having it pressed on.

Stickey
04-01-2008, 12:12 PM
I rate it as average. It is worth going on if there is no more than a short wait.

Unfortunately, you will often find worse smells in ride queues.

Overall, the ride falls short of expectations.

pdrlkr
04-01-2008, 11:58 PM
My kids love it! :thumbsup: :mickey:

MinnieMommie
04-02-2008, 12:03 AM
I liked AE. I have nothing against Stitch but have nothing for it either. :mickey:

Ian
04-02-2008, 09:37 AM
Just an FYI for those who hate the shoulder harness ... if you raise your shoulders up above their normal height before the harness lowers, it won't feel nearly as restrictive.

Basically what happens is it senses when it hits your shoulders and then locks into place. If you're slumped down or even sitting normal, it's going to come down much farther than if you sit up very straight and kind of shrug your shoulders up.

If you do that, then when it locks into place you can kind of relax and the harness will be up higher and not pressing down on you.

The ride still stinks, but this will help make it a little less irritating. ;)

Keeper of All Hopes and Sorrows
04-02-2008, 10:40 AM
Got to agree with those who said they were waiting for something to happen. I expected my seat to move or something at least, nope.

I never saw Lilo and Stitch so I didn't know anything about the character, either.

~Keeper (Haven't been on I-Cot since 2005, bet you all forgot me! :D)

pink
04-02-2008, 07:36 PM
I don't hate the ride either but I could live without it. Things that I don't like:

1) Disgusting smelling burp in your face.

2) The restraints are too tight and they make me feel uncomfortable.

3) AE was an amazing ride and they shouldn't have got ride of it! :mickey:

disneymajik
04-02-2008, 07:57 PM
I think the fact that there is never a wait and it's in future world speaks for itself. So much more could have been done with that space and we're left with such a limited attraction that doesn't have the repeat ride factor. IMO it's terrible, Disney dropped the ball big time with this one.

King Triton
04-03-2008, 09:32 AM
A couple comments:

I'm guessing the shoulder harnesses are there, not because of anything that happens during the show/ride, but because it gets very dark in there and they just can't have people leaving their seats to walk out. Other posters correctly pointed out that if you push up on the restraint just before it lands on you, the restraint will stop.

I think a lot of the backlash about SGE is from the huge Stitch push that happened a couple of years ago at WDW: SGE, Stitch's image on the monorails, Stitch's voice on the monorail, a "wrecked" van at DTD, Stitch merchandise seemingly everywhere and I believe the Castle was even temporarily toilet papered because of Stitch. It was too much, even for a popular Disney character (they overdid it with Pooh a few years before that too). Problem is: the movie was moderately successful, but certainly not a Disney classic and the appeal of Stitch never got beyond limited. I think guests quickly got tired of Stitch being shoved in your face at WDW, so SGE took a lot of the heat. A lot of the overkill is gone now, thank goodness, but we still have SGE.

To me, I will ride SGE maybe once a trip, but I won't FP it and I won't wait in a line for it. I find it amusing, but its not even in my top three in Tomorrowland.

Ian
04-03-2008, 10:43 AM
King Triton, I think you make some good points about the "over-Stitchification" of WDW. A couple things I want to add, though ...

#1, I never liked Alien Encounter either. I never, ever felt like it was anywhere near up to Disney standards. To me it always felt like it belonged at Universal. My biggest issue, as I said previously, was that it just had no re-ride value. It was a one-trick pony that lost all value once you'd done it once (again, IMO).

#2, Disney has a bad habit in general of beating things into the ground. Millionaire, Pirates, Princesses, Stitch, High School Musical ... you'd think they learn that they wear out potentially valuable properties by over-exposing them for short-term profits. They destroy any real chance of having long-term returns from them.

King Triton
04-03-2008, 11:13 AM
#2, Disney has a bad habit in general of beating things into the ground. Millionaire, Pirates, Princesses, Stitch, High School Musical ... you'd think they learn that they wear out potentially valuable properties by over-exposing them for short-term profits. They destroy any real chance of having long-term returns from them.

And what I'd add to that is when they do beat things into the ground, they don't respond quickly enough. A few cases: Millionaire: the WDW version (which I thought was cool) came well AFTER its peak, when it was on ABC 4-5 nights a week, which was also too much, Stitch: the overhyping was done well after the original movie ran its course, Nemo, both at Epcot and AK...the movie was long ago now...I understand the AK show is good, but the Nemo franchise isn't that relevant. They kind of missed the HSM1 boat, but I think that whole thing was a surprise to them, but they have hopped on HSM2. I think the timing is a little better here because its a show that mostly involves people, rather than a huge amount of technical imagineering. Now I see they're coming up with an American Idol set for DHS. While Idol is still very popular, it may have peaked a year or two ago...

mickeys_princess_mom
04-03-2008, 12:09 PM
#1, I never liked Alien Encounter either. I never, ever felt like it was anywhere near up to Disney standards. To me it always felt like it belonged at Universal.
I agree with you on this. I was thinking that as I signed back on. Nothing against Stitch at all, really, except I'm not fond of him as my wakeup call...:stitch:
Have known about the trick with the harness for awhile, but I still don't like it...

Scott C
04-03-2008, 12:59 PM
Bring back Flight to the Moon!!!!!

Thanks
Scott C

Ian
04-03-2008, 03:46 PM
And what I'd add to that is when they do beat things into the ground, they don't respond quickly enough. A few cases: Millionaire: the WDW version (which I thought was cool) came well AFTER its peak, when it was on ABC 4-5 nights a week, which was also too much, Stitch: the overhyping was done well after the original movie ran its course, Nemo, both at Epcot and AK...the movie was long ago now...I understand the AK show is good, but the Nemo franchise isn't that relevant. They kind of missed the HSM1 boat, but I think that whole thing was a surprise to them, but they have hopped on HSM2. I think the timing is a little better here because its a show that mostly involves people, rather than a huge amount of technical imagineering. Now I see they're coming up with an American Idol set for DHS. While Idol is still very popular, it may have peaked a year or two ago...All excellent points. I've often wondered why it takes them so darn long to capitalize on hot properties.

I mean I understand that building a new attraction takes time, but it seems like they just miss so many boats. I mean am I crazy or does a Cars overlay for the Tomorrowland Speedway just seem like a cheap, no-brainer that should have been done a year ago??

If I ran the company that claimed to be the master of synergy, I'd make sure that WDI guys were involved in my feature animation projects from day one. I'd task them with developing 3 or 4 possible attractions to be built based on the film. The attractions would range from relatively basic (for moderate hits) to full-blown E tickets (for blockbuster films). That way you'd be ready to go with execution near day one if it proved to be worthwhile.


I don't really have a problem with it, its not great but it's not awful. Everytime i've been your usually the first or second group into the pre show anyways.Ugh, this brings up another reason why I hate this show ... I loathe pre-shows that try to pretend to be something else.

They're such a ridiculous farce. Like people don't understand that they're really still standing in line???

Floridian Yeti
04-03-2008, 04:05 PM
Why is everyone so quick to dump on this attraction? I'm just curious, because the hatred seems to be pretty unanimous.

This isn't one of my favorite attractions by any means, but I think it's worth seeing. Never have had any discomfort, and as far as the belch...if you've ever stood in a crowded queue for an hour and a half late on a July afernoon in Orlando...you've probably smelled worse things :)

I do think it's better than AE, and...wasn't Mission to Mars originally in this location? That ride made CoP seem exciting. Maybe this spot is just jinxed?