Description And Comments

Stitch's Great Escape is a virtual clone of the oft maligned Alien Encounter attraction. Same theater, same teleportation theme, but this time starring the havoc-wreaking little alien from the feature film Lilo & Stitch. In Great Escape!, Stitch is a prisoner of the galactic authorities and is being transferred to a processing facility en route to his final place of incarceration. He manages to escape by employing an efficient though gross trick, knocking out power to the facility in the process. At this juncture Stitch lumbers around in the dark in much the same way as the theater's previous resident alien. One wonders why an alien civilization smart enough to master teleportation hasn't invented a backup power source.

Guest response to this attraction is so overwhelmingly negative that Disney has been trying to plus it up. This comment from a New South Wales, Australia, reader is typical:

My comments on Stitch's Great Escape! are --- It STUNK. It was the worst ride at Walt Disney World.

The pitch-black darkness in the ride was changed to dim lighting, and several scenes were reworked in an attempt to make it less frightening. Even these measures may not have been enough, because Disney raised the height requirement from 35 inches to 38 inches, and finally to 40 inches (the same as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad) in an attempt to keep out younger children. The fact that Big Thunder is a roller coaster and that this ride doesn't move should be a warning to parents about its fright potential. In our opinion, tinkering at the margins will be futile when it comes to resuscitating this puppy.

Touring Tips

Disney's press release touting Stitch as a child-friendly attraction was about as accurate as Enron's bookkeeping. You're held in your seat by overhead restraints and subjected to something weird clambering around you and whispering to you in a theater darker than a stack of black cats. Stitch is more than enough to scare the pants off many kids ages 6 and younger. Parents, note: The overhead restraints will prevent you from leaving your seat to comfort your child if the need arises.

Attraction Photos

Special Comments

Frightens children of all ages. 40" minimum height requirement; switching-off option provided.

Special Needs

Disney Dish with Jim Hill

SOUNDS KIND OF FAMILIAR

The voice of Sarge, the animatronic figure featured in the Stitch preshow, should ring a bell for most of you. The actor behind the character is Richard Kind, best known for playing nerdy Paul Lassiter on the long-running 1990s sitcom Spin City. The kids in your family will know this Second City vet as the voice of grasshopper Molt in A Bug's Life and, more recently, the Bookworm in Toy Story 3.

Other Attractions in Tomorrowland

Touring Plans with Stitch's Great Escape

What is a Touring Plan?

Lands