The 'Stitch's Great Escape' attraction at The Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom will move to a seasonal operation schedule starting next month.

 

Read more about it here:

http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/stitchs-great-escape/news/21sep2016-stitchs-great-escape-moves-to-seasonal-operation.htm

 

 

Could this mean that the end for this attraction is on the horizon?  What are your thoughts?

Well the parks are not doing good right now. I will just wait for the press release if the ride is getting replaced.

This is an interesting twist after recent rumors suggested a VR Wreck-It Ralph attraction would take its place. One would imagine that if that replacement were upcoming, they wouldn't bother switching Stitch to seasonal, but just trudge through until the new attraction could close it permanently.

 

Though most here probably know, Disney Parks tend to almost unanimously agree that Stitch's Great Escape is the worst Disney attraction at any of their parks today. I wrote an entire in-depth Dateline Disaster: Stitch's Great Escape feature just a few weeks ago! (Great timing!) I think it's worth reading if you're into this sort of thing, but I'm biased!

Your writings are great btw.

I hope it's not VR. I love real stuff....

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I hope Disney doesn't remove Stich's Great Escape, its one of the most unique attractions at Disneyworld since Extraterrestrial: Alien Encounter.

I have been to Stich`s Great Escape once.  That was enough for me.  I am not saddened by the fact that this attraction will now be seasonal.  It would be nice to receive a new attraction to replace it, but making it seasonal will save on labor costs on the many days that the attraction will be closed.

I have been to Stich`s Great Escape once.  That was enough for me.  I am not saddened by the fact that this attraction will now be seasonal.  It would be nice to receive a new attraction to replace it, but making it seasonal will save on labor costs on the many days that the attraction will be closed.

 

It is a great attraction and I would hate to see it leave Disneyworld, but some good things all have to come to an end, I guess.

 

By the way, CoastersRZ, I love your profile pic!

I rode the ride once back in 1997 when it was Alien Encounter and then once a few years ago as Stitch's Great Escape.  There's no doubt that Alien Encounter was better, however, I do love Stitch and his animatronic is pretty awesome.  That being said, when I was down there in 2014 I chose to skip the attraction.  Why? Well, it was the end of the day and it came down to Stitch's Great Escape or Splash Mountain.  The obvious choice was Splash Mountain.  I have a feeling if it came down to Stitch's Great Escape or something else, most people are going to pick something else.  That's why it's closing.  I don't think it's a horrible attraction, but it could definitely be way better. 

 

It would be cool if they could give us another attraction/ride featuring Stitch since this one just doesn't do the character justice.  I doubt we'll see that though considering the decisions Disney has been making lately regarding their attractions.  Seems like they only want attractions based on current properties that seem 'hip and cool' at the moment (Maelstrom to Frozen, and Hollywood Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy).  I wouldn't doubt if they eventually remove Stitch and put in some kind of Marvel attraction or something.  I think this seasonal operation thing is just temporary until they can decide what will replace Stitch, then they'll make the announcement and shut it down for good.

I rode the ride once back in 1997 when it was Alien Encounter and then once a few years ago as Stitch's Great Escape.  There's no doubt that Alien Encounter was better, however, I do love Stitch and his animatronic is pretty awesome.  That being said, when I was down there in 2014 I chose to skip the attraction.  Why? Well, it was the end of the day and it came down to Stitch's Great Escape or Splash Mountain.  The obvious choice was Splash Mountain.  I have a feeling if it came down to Stitch's Great Escape or something else, most people are going to pick something else.  That's why it's closing.  I don't think it's a horrible attraction, but it could definitely be way better. 

 

It would be cool if they could give us another attraction/ride featuring Stitch since this one just doesn't do the character justice.  I doubt we'll see that though considering the decisions Disney has been making lately regarding their attractions.  Seems like they only want attractions based on current properties that seem 'hip and cool' at the moment (Maelstrom to Frozen, and Hollywood Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy).  I wouldn't doubt if they eventually remove Stitch and put in some kind of Marvel attraction or something.  I think this seasonal operation thing is just temporary until they can decide what will replace Stitch, then they'll make the announcement and shut it down for good.

 

Hollywood Tower of Terror's removal was a bad decision, I still don't understand why they decided to remove it.

It just seems like Disney's attitude lately is "Screw properties that have stood the test of time, just rip those out and quickly replace it with the most popular thing right now!"  Not sure who's making these decisions, but I don't agree with them.

 

Sure, make a Frozen ride, but create one from scratch in a new location.  There's no need to rip out current rides and do quick re-themes. Same with Tower of Terror.  I know it's based on a somewhat outdated property, but the ride is a classic.  And who's to say Guardians of the Galaxy will still be popular 5-10 years from now?

 

And please don't get me started on Avatar Land.  Worst. Decision. Ever.  Avatar?  Does anyone even care about Avatar anymore?  I never hear anyone talk about it.  I never see any discussions about Avatar online.  I feel like they're betting their entire land on the fact that Avatar 2, 3, 4, and 5 are going to do well and spark people's interest again.  And that's IF James Cameron can ever release the dumb movies.  He keeps pushing back the release dates.  I, personally,  have no desire to visit Avatar Land.  Maybe that's just me, but that's my opinion on the whole thing.

If the Avatar area is any where on par with Carsland at Disney`s California Adventure, it will have remarkable theming that totally immerses you.  I personally have never even watched Avatar yet.  However, I am still excited to experience this new land at Animal Kingdom.  

 

I am also looking forward to the new Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios and the much anticipated Star Wars Land, though I think we have a long time to wait on that one still.

True, theming alone could make Avatar Land.  As long as it gives guests who aren't fans of the movie something unique to experience. 

 

Carsland, Toy Story Land, and Star Wars Land, in my opinion, were all great decisions.

When I watched the movie Avatar, my biggest thought was "gosh, that plot sucked, but I want to play in that world." I was thinking of a video game, but to be able to in the real world is very attractive.

I think it overall was probably a bad idea to put so many of their eggs in one, untested, basket, but it may turn out to be well received in the end.

The thing I don't get with Avatar is how are they going to sell stuff in that land? This is supposed to be a response to Harry Potter down the street (a very very late response), which has Butterbeer and tons of other stuff from the movies to make a ton of money off of. What from the Avatar movie can be merchandised? Was there any mention of food in that movie? It's hard to profit off that.

Perhaps they could sell jewelry and other items made from "unobtainium." 

 

The thing I don't get with Avatar is how are they going to sell stuff in that land? This is supposed to be a response to Harry Potter down the street (a very very late response), which has Butterbeer and tons of other stuff from the movies to make a ton of money off of. What from the Avatar movie can be merchandised? Was there any mention of food in that movie? It's hard to profit off that.

I agree, and I would also ask that same question of Star Wars at Disneyland. I'm sure it will do well enough based on name alone, but it really doesn't have the same iconic merchandise possibilities that HP does. There's lightsabers, sure (which Avatar has no equivalent to) but nothing on the food, shirt, or knickknack side of things.

On the subject of Stitch: meh. I thought it was pretty forgettable (or else memorable only for the grossness of the chili dog burp.) Then again, Lilo and Stitch has never really appealed to me. If it gets replaced, I won't lose sleep. As long as The Carousel of Progress and Monsters Inc. stick around, I'm good.

Coming soon: Moana: The Ride! In all seriousness, the attraction takes up a lot of valuable real estate.  Perhaps the long-rumored Monsters, Inc. flying doors coaster would be a good fit there.

Coming soon: Moana: The Ride! In all seriousness, the attraction takes up a lot of valuable real estate.  Perhaps the long-rumored Monsters, Inc. flying doors coaster would be a good fit there.

I wonder if they'd do a Monster's Inc coaster there since the Monster's Inc Laugh Floor is right across?  To be honest, I'd really like to see an attraction/ride based on a Disney/Pixar animated property rather than something else like Marvel or a non-Disney Property.  I feel they have so much to work with, why should they feel the need to draw from other places?

I'd imagine Roz and her laugh floor would be gone too if they decide to put in the new coaster.  Construction would cause some headaches, but hey, it isn't like the MK hasn't had a slew of construction projects as of late,

Taking out the Stitch's Great Escape and the Laugh Floor attractions in order to install a larger Monster's Inc attraction would be pretty cool.  This is something I could get behind.

Well the parks are not doing good right now. I will just wait for the press release if the ride is getting replaced.

This is interesting considering that I just read an article claiming that their price increase strategy was working.  The article claimed that crowds were down yet profits remained the same or were maybe even slightly higher.

Your writings are great btw.

I hope it's not VR. I love real stuff....

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Actually, yes, I agree. I like that the articles  are well written and informative. 

Respectfully there has not been much written on here I can agree with.

I work with kids ages 4-18. The majority of kids when I ask them, they talk about Frozen and Marshmellow and Olaf. The movie has been out for almost 4 years and it's still crazy popular! EPCOT is undergoing a crazy moment for the park. It sort of makes sense where this goes.

GoG may not be crazy popular but supposedly it's the gateway to a whole Marvel land. I'm not sure how this is bad. The Marvel Land will probably have Marvel Legacy characters.

Disney doesn't just cater to the new and popular. Didn't they just complete an entire Fantasy Land upgrade with the 2 key parts being a Snow White roller coaster and a Beauty and The Beast restaurant.

I do sort of agree with Avatar land. It could be great but man sort of weird about the choice.

And to be honest Marvel knickknacks will match for sure the HP things. Light sabers, Blasters, helmets, uniforms, cantinas to eat and drink in, droids.... Not to mention the already lucrative toy side. HP is a great story but Star Wars is almost a 7 movie toy commercial

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1. With respect to the OP, I know I've been on that ride once, but I had to think about where it was located in which park. Now that I can picture it, I did like the ride, but it's not something that we've been on more than once. (We've taken mult-day trips to DW in 2009, 2012, 2015.) 

 

2. The Jungle Book was always one of my favorite animated Disney movies. I also enjoyed the latest live action Disney version. I know there are not a string of sequels planned, but I always thought a Jungle Book themed section of Animal Kingdom would be a good fit. The whole park is almost like the Jungle Book BUT the only reference I can recall seeing to that specific movie is an autograph station with Baloo and King Louie back by the Lion King show. 

 

3. Star Wars doesn't have the same iconic merchandise possibilities that HP does? To quote Yogurt: merchandising is where the real money on the movie is made.  

 

4. Disney attendance. With the announcement of all these new themed worlds, and Hollywood Studios basically being a skipable park at the moment (unless you have a park hopper pass, IMO), I'd imagine people in general are waiting for the expansion before making their next trip there. We've gone once every 3 years...which could have us back there around 2018. But if Star Wars land doesn't open until 2019, we would make plans to go 2019 or later.  It is tempting to consider an earlier visit if lower attendance has a noticable impact on crowds...

GoG may not be crazy popular but supposedly it's the gateway to a whole Marvel land. I'm not sure how this is bad. The Marvel Land will probably have Marvel Legacy characters.

 

 

Have you been to Disney California Adventure? In 2012, the park got a billion dollars infused into it to turn its modern spoof of California into a storied recreation of the Golden Age of California. Its themed lands are a 1910s Pacific boardwalk, a 1950s National Park, a 1920s Los Angeles, a 1940s Hollywood. Tower of Terror was a linchpin of that narrative and continuity that bound the whole park together. The 190-foot tall 1920s Art Deco hotel sincerely looms over the park. It's gorgeous and it's a piece of the larger storyline of the park.

 

That this Golden Age Californian park will now be lorded over by a (and I'm quoting the Imagineer responsible here) "warehouse power plant fortress" covered in pipes and tubes and satellite dishes and glowing neon emblems.... it's absolutely laughable. Sure, tuck a Marvel land away inside Disney California Adventure (or, y'know, put it in Disneyland's desolate and empty Tomorrowland.) 

 

As it is, this is your literal view upon entering Disney California Adventure.

 

 

How do you suppose the Hollywood Tower Hotel becoming this...

 

 

...might change the larger feel of the park?

 

A different discussion entirely, but evidence of the odd track Disney's on.

 

To my estimation, the tables have turned radically... Disney is chasing Universal by doing what Universal does – cannibalizing its classics to insert flavor-of-the-month stories and IPs. They've seen how much success Universal has had with refreshing their entire ride lineup every decade or so. Tower of Terror is the biggest culprit.

 

Also consider: Disneyland's famous Space Mountain became the Star Wars themed "Hyperspace Mountain" as part of a temporary Season of the Force Star Wars promotion. Problem is, the "Season" lasted for a year. Hyperspace Mountain finally closed, but only because the Halloween-themed Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy took its place last week. The Disney Parks fan community awoke this morning to the news that after Halloween, regular Space Mountain won't be restored... It'll be Hyperspace Mountain again.

 

See also, the delightful Aladdin: A Musical Specular being replaced by Frozen despite tremendous outcry and overwhelming negative reception not from fans, but from the public. Or World of Color: Celebrate. Frozen Ever After at EPCOT I get, because Maelstrom was a tired attraction, even if it was a fan favorite. But Disney's new course is set. And it looks eerily like Disney's chasing Universal. 

As Shark said earlier I cannot agree with much that has been said in this discussion.

 

Have many of you been to Disney World lately?  The quick cash grab attractions many have mentioned, like Frozen Ever After at EPCOT are some of the best Disney has.  Sorry fans of classic Disney rides Maelstrom was not a classic Disney ride, it was a ride filled with technical issues that hardly anyone waisted time riding.  Frozen Ever After is not some quick cash grab attraction, it is possibly the best Disney Dark Ride ever.  I am confident in saying this after 4 rides on it during our trip earlier this month.  

 

Also Avatar is not Disney's answer to Harry Potter land, that would be Star Wars.  Avatar is the addition that will make Animal Kingdom more than a half day park, but potentially a 2 day park.  I am not an Avatar fan, but having seen this land in person it is going to be breathtaking.  Think of this as a futuristic Beastly Kingdom that never happened.

 

I also strongly disagree with the assertion that Disney is chasing Universal.  I was at Universal this past June and Disney in September.  Outside of Harry Potter the Universal Parks are in bad shape for being one of the biggest players in the game.  Outside of Harry Potter, many of the attractions are showing their age and the lack of upkeep is sad.  For example Jurassic Park River Adventure featured numerous broken dinosaurs and had a few that had been removed, this was after if had just reopened from refurbishment.  The ride was in a very sad state and I continually thought of Dr. Malcom asking "there will eventually be dinosaurs, right?"  Also the amount of fuzzy screens in both parks and glitchy motion bases clearly showed how the focus of Universal has been Harry Potter and not much else.  

 

Regarding Tower of Terror becoming Guardians of the Galaxy.  I would argue that after the retheme of DCA, Tower of Terror didn't fit that well.  Plus with it being the gateway to the new Marvel land it makes sense.  The outrage would be real if this was happening at Hollywood Studios, but its not.  That is why a Guardians ride is going in to the Future World section of EPCOT and if rumors are correct a Ratatoui dark ride in France.  While some argue that these additions are awfull I have never heard anyone complain about Donald's Grand Fiesta tour in Mexico, which just received 3 animatronic characters that were an awesome addition to the ride.  Disney is taking a very calculated approach towards honoring classic properties ( 7 Dwarfs Mine Train) while integrating new properties (Frozen Ever After).  Honestly in 5-7 years this will be a long forgotten discussion once the new areas open and classic properties continue to receive the attention and care they deserve.

This is an interesting twist after recent rumors suggested a VR Wreck-It Ralph attraction would take its place. One would imagine that if that replacement were upcoming, they wouldn't bother switching Stitch to seasonal, but just trudge through until the new attraction could close it permanently.

 

Though most here probably know, Disney Parks tend to almost unanimously agree that Stitch's Great Escape is the worst Disney attraction at any of their parks today. I wrote an entire in-depth Dateline Disaster: Stitch's Great Escape feature just a few weeks ago! (Great timing!) I think it's worth reading if you're into this sort of thing, but I'm biased!

 

So if was changed to a Wreck It Ralph attraction, would it be the same attraction concept as Stich's Great Escape, I mean with animatronics and such?

 Frozen Ever After...is possibly the best Disney Dark Ride ever. 

The Haunted Mansion would like to argue with that.

^

Which is my favorite attraction at Disney, but the Animatronics and experience of Frozen Ever After are amazing.  The Olaf animatronic is just awesome as are the sisters.  The digital face technology is quite amazing and puts it on a whole new level.  Truly feels like you are inside the animated world of Frozen.

 

 Frozen Ever After...is possibly the best Disney Dark Ride ever. 

The Haunted Mansion would like to argue with that.

 

 

What about Maelstrom?