Alien Encounter Changing

[degenerationxwwfwdw1]

Originally posted by d-r
"I think the alien's hot breath and especially the tongue on the top of the head are the two most realistic and best effects on Disney property. "

I'm not sure why Stitch bouncing around the room in the dark wouldn't breath on your neck and flick his tongue on your head as effectively as the alien does.... what I see as an improvement is that they would have to change the audiotrack, and hopefully they would leave out some of the corny jokes "It's my mother in law!" that are so tired. It would be nice for something new to be there, to me.

Well that is certainly your opinion. But if Stitch was there it just wouldn't be the same. The reason these effects work as well as they do is because you actually think a big, mean alien is right behind you and wants to eat you. If Stitch is supposed to be behind you what is he going to do that isn't scary (we all know this is SUPPOSED to be the reason for the changeover: stupid parents that complain after they took their kids on AE and didn't take the time to read the warnings). Yawn on you from behind and maybe he could sneeze on you for the water effects (wow that effect has never been done like that before has it). Man I can't wait

What I can't understand is usually old, tired attractions get the axe. Alien Encounter is an E-ticket show that has great crowds. I don't get it. Why not put Stitch in the old Timekeeper building. I mean it doesn't look like they are ever going to open that up again. And they could easily turn that big building into some type of Stitch show or ride. I'm begining to wish I had never spent my $6.50 to go see Lilo and Sitch back then. I didn't know I was contributing to the demise of my favorite attraction.
Again these are just my opinions.

 

[degenerationxwwfwdw1]

Originally posted by d-r
" and hopefully they would leave out some of the corny jokes "It's my mother in law!" that are so tired.

My personal favorite is "My mouth was open"! These are all classic lines.

 

[mmilner4]

Does anyone know how old this attraction is? I feel like I've "been there, done that" so many times that it has to be at least 6 years old. I agree the jokes are sometimes trite but every 8-12 year old leaving Alien-leaves laughing so the magic must still be there!

 

[degenerationxwwfwdw1]

Originally posted by mmilner4
Does anyone know how old this attraction is? I feel like I've "been there, done that" so many times that it has to be at least 6 years old. I agree the jokes are sometimes trite but every 8-12 year old leaving Alien-leaves laughing so the magic must still be there!

I agree. I have never seen a kid crying coming out of Alien Encounter and I have seen it at least 30 times. But laughter and the word "awesome" seem to pour out of tweens mouths when they come out. This is the show that makes the Magic Kingdom "cool" for kids this age. I've seen Skippy plush toys in the windows of resort hotel guests (you know how most maids fix up the kids toys) more and more. I know I am big time biased but it seems like AE is really a top 3 attraction at the MK for the 8-29 crowd. Honestly when you talk to people on the bus (going back to the resort) about what they liked the most AE always seems to be a top choice among the kids.

And even though you don't seem to have the same regard for the attraction as I do I think you said it very well by saying "... so the magic must still be there". I think you hit that right on the head.

 

[Roxter79]

Personally I don't like this ride. It scares me but it is a good ride. The kids do have alot to do and the adults or teens need their own stuff also.

 

[degenerationxwwfwdw1]

Originally posted by Roxter79
The kids do have alot to do and the adults or teens need their own stuff also.

Amen, Amen, Amen

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Does anyone know how old this attraction is?

I believe it opened in early 94.

 

[MelissathePooh]

I don't know how anyone can managed to have missed the screaming terrified children in AE - inevitable there are always some when we are there. And they don't come out laughing in the end - traumatized is more like it. Now I agree that this is the parents fault as it is clearly marked that this attraction is dark and could be intense, but I can't imagine anyone could have gotten thru this without at least one whaler!

I seldom see this attraction full either. Its such a slow loading attraction that unless we can walk in we won't wait for it - most of the times we walk by the waiting area is pretty vacant. Its really subjective as to whether or not this is a good atttraction.

Has there been any actual/official announcement about AE changing over or is this still all just rumor? I personally would be all for a change - MHO is that AE is fairly boring after a time or two.

Melissa

 

[All Aboard]

No doubt, parents ignore or underestimate the warnings for this attraction. But, are "stupid parents" the real issue?

Should the Magic Kingdom even have an attraction that generally frightens kids this much?

I say it's the latter. Again, it's not in keeping with the spirit of the Magic Kingdom.

 

[raidermatt]

The effects were cool the first time, but they lose their impact when they are no longer a surprise.

Assuming the Stitch overlay comes to pass, we have to assume the "scare" factor will be toned down. The effects might stay, but I doubt we will be experiencing any deaths or spurting blood.

I'm with gcurling...its out of place at MK, (Because of the intensity and graphic violence) and would be a better fit at the Studios.

 

[degenerationxwwfwdw1]

Originally posted by MelissathePooh
I don't know how anyone can managed to have missed the screaming terrified children in AE - inevitable there are always some when we are there. And they don't come out laughing in the end - traumatized is more like it. Now I agree that this is the parents fault as it is clearly marked that this attraction is dark and could be intense, but I can't imagine anyone could have gotten thru this without at least one whaler!

I seldom see this attraction full either. Its such a slow loading attraction that unless we can walk in we won't wait for it - most of the times we walk by the waiting area is pretty vacant. Its really subjective as to whether or not this is a good atttraction.

Has there been any actual/official announcement about AE changing over or is this still all just rumor? I personally would be all for a change - MHO is that AE is fairly boring after a time or two.

Melissa

You are entitled to your opinion and please don't take what I am about to say as a knock on you. So please don't get mad. Honestly.

But I HAVE YET to see a child crying from this show. Most of them I see DO have a big smile on their face. And like I said earlier I have seen this show quite a few times. I have personally seen more crying little ones coming off of Snow White's Scary Adventures. So why do we change that one to keep in the spirit of the MK! HAHAHA

On to other things. When you talk about the waiting area being empty you've got to realize that the are TWO preshows and one main chamber that are holding a big groups of people at a time. And I don't know how you can call it slow loading. It's a theater show not a roller coaster. It takes a couple of minutes to get people in and set.

And finally saying that AE is farily boring after a time or two is something I'd like to talk about. Honestly how many "shows" do not get boring after the first couple of times? I think if I have to set down and watch Beauty and the Beast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular one more time I'm going to go insane. Shows do not hold up as well as thrill rides. So I don't think that's a very vaild excuse for a show. Even if the new Stitch show (Lord willing just a rumor) is great the same people will be just as tired of it after a couple of times.

Listen the Magic Kingdom is all about the magic of Disney and the great art of storytelling. In ALL of it's shapes and sizes. And to me no attraction in the MK (other than Splash Mountain) shows off storytelling and "magic" like Alien Encounter.

 

[MelissathePooh]

Well like you said - thats YOUR opinion. Neither of us are right or wrong. I'm glad you haven't witnessed the traumatized children as it is a complete distraction and very horrible to see.

As for the slow loader - I know that there are two pre-show areas - my point is that it takes a million years to get through there. You wait outside, you wait inside, you wait at the SIR location and then finally get inside. I don't know the actual time limit from start to finish, but I know it seems like forever.

Again you are most certainly entitled to your opinion, but so is every one else.

Melissa

 

[degenerationxwwfwdw1]

Originally posted by MelissathePooh
Well like you said - thats YOUR opinion. Neither of us are right or wrong. I'm glad you haven't witnessed the traumatized children as it is a complete distraction and very horrible to see.

As for the slow loader - I know that there are two pre-show areas - my point is that it takes a million years to get through there. You wait outside, you wait inside, you wait at the SIR location and then finally get inside. I don't know the actual time limit from start to finish, but I know it seems like forever.

Again you are most certainly entitled to your opinion, but so is every one else.

Melissa

I know every one else is. I was just trying to get you to see my point that's all.

 

[emmagata]

Originally posted by degenerationxwwfwdw1
But I HAVE YET to see a child crying from this show.

Uh, you must have missed my nephew last December. He's 12 and he WAS scared to tears (not a lot, but they were there).

 

[shariskates]

Here's the real problem.... the bulk of the rides at WDW have a good chunk of darkness and the bulk of kids who go there are afraid of the dark. Dumb parents don't read signs and drag their kids in anyway. When I take my kids to Disney, I will also bring my parents, so if we want to go on something scary, we can go on without them and they don't end up traumatized....

It's just like going to the movies.... parents do not check the ratings or why the movie received a particular rating, they just take their kids and then come in to The Disney Store and yell at Disney cast members as if we should be issuing warnings. It happened with Nemo, Lilo and Stich and even Spirit (not even a Disney movie, yet a guest yelled at me!) We have such a detailed rating system now, plus access to the internet for reviews... why not take advantage of these tools????

Kids are young and innocent for such a short time, why fill their childhood with trauma?! I know this post is about Alien Encounter, I think it's fine where it is, it has it's own audience and also agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Thanks for listening!

 

[degenerationxwwfwdw1]

Originally posted by emmagata
Uh, you must have missed my nephew last December. He's 12 and he WAS scared to tears (not a lot, but they were there).

I'm sorry to hear that. This was probably his first trip to a theme park and he probably wasn't used to being in an attraction. And because he was 12 it was probably more of him not being used to theme parks than the acutal ride itself. Usually if kids aren't used to being in a Disney type enviornement where they use realistic special effects anything can be a shock. And like I said earlier I am almost certain because of his old age that has to be what it was. Tell him to try it again. I think he'll enjoy it alot the second time.

 

[degenerationxwwfwdw1]

Originally posted by shariskates
Here's the real problem.... the bulk of the rides at WDW have a good chunk of darkness and the bulk of kids who go there are afraid of the dark. Dumb parents don't read signs and drag their kids in anyway. When I take my kids to Disney, I will also bring my parents, so if we want to go on something scary, we can go on without them and they don't end up traumatized....

It's just like going to the movies.... parents do not check the ratings or why the movie received a particular rating, they just take their kids and then come in to The Disney Store and yell at Disney cast members as if we should be issuing warnings. It happened with Nemo, Lilo and Stich and even Spirit (not even a Disney movie, yet a guest yelled at me!) We have such a detailed rating system now, plus access to the internet for reviews... why not take advantage of these tools????

Kids are young and innocent for such a short time, why fill their childhood with trauma?! I know this post is about Alien Encounter, I think it's fine where it is, it has it's own audience and also agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Thanks for listening!

Good points. Some people just like to complain no matter what. These are the same people that complain about South Park because "it's a cartoon so it HAS to be for kids".

 

[MelissathePooh]

I have no problem seeing your point - I just don't agree with it.

Again the fact that you haven't witnessed any children having been terrified by this attraction doesn't mean it hasn't happened - and happened repeatedly as the case is. It has nothing to do with how old a child is or how many times they've been to a theme park or on a Disney "type" attraction. AE is dark - well not just dark, mostly pitch black, its incredibly loud and for MANY children & people - too intense & too scary. My 61 year old mother HATES AE.

I don't dislike AE by any means, I enjoy it fine when I can walk right in, but I do believe that for the majority of people - AE is not that enjoyable - at least not to a point where a makeover, if done well, couldn't make it better.

I don't believe it has anything to do with making everything child friendly or taking away from the "adult" type attractions. My opinion is that AE really isn't the type of attraction that appeals to enough people regardless of age to justify it being at the MK.

Maybe someone should post a poll to see how popular AE really is. I'm not sure of the best way to term the qualifiers, but I'll think on it and see if I can come up with something. It seems to me that AE just really isn't that popular with most people.

Melissa

 

[All Aboard]

My gosh, I have personally told off some parents after exiting the show and I will do the same next month.

If you haven't seen any scared, crying kids then why the need to "tell off" the parents?

 

[degenerationxwwfwdw1]

Originally posted by gcurling
If you haven't seen any scared, crying kids then why the need to "tell off" the parents?

I can see how you may have thought that. So let me elaborate and explain better. The parents I am refering to complain about how they can't believe that the show was for kids. They obviously didn't take the time to read the warnings and learn a little about the attraction. And the kids were never crying or shaken up. It was just conversation between the parents. It was one of those things like their own personal kids weren't shaken up but they would complain on how they could have been. It's hard to explain but I think you know what I mean.