Stitch's Great Escape

• Location: To the left as you enter Tomorrowland from Main Street.
• Date Opened: 11/16/2004
• # of Ride Units: Two theaters for the main show, sharing a common pre-show areas.
• Ride Capacity:
• Restraint Method: Shoulder bars
• Ticket Rating: D Ticket
• Ride Photo: No

• Open/Close: Open and close with the park. This attraction is open during both morning and evening Extra Magic Hours.
• Wait Times: FastPass is available, though standby lines generally aren't very long.
• Length of Ride: 15 minutes
• FastPass: Yes
• Single Rider: No
• Queue Description: The outermost room is just a large room with light theming. The pre-show area is heavily themed, with a low-level prison guard showing the recruits how things work.

• Health Restriction: Shouldn't be any major issues for most. Shoulder restraints press down on your shoulders during the show, which may be an issue for people with neck or back problems.
• Ride Access: This attraction is accessible to wheelchairs but not ECVs.
• Wheelchair Transfer: Not necessary.
• Service Animals: No
• Audio: Assistive listening devices for this attraction are available from Guest Services.
• Weight and Size Issues: No leg room issues. The shoulder-restraints are generous and should not create issues for large people.

• Height Restriction: 40" (102 cm).
• Child Swap: No
• Other Issues: This ride is simply going to scare a lot of children, so you need to know your child's tolerance levels. The showroom goes dark several times and show effects make it seem as if Stitch is running around the room in that darkness, touching people, sneezing on the audience, etc.

• At this location: This has been one of the busier locations in the Magic Kingdom. Although flying to the moon was already "yesterdayland" by the time the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, the park did open with Flight to the Moon in this location. Essentially a copy of the attraction at Disneyland, the the preshow introduced Tom Morrow, an animatronic who who explained the goings on at Mission Control. In April 1975, Flight to the Moon closed for a quick overlay and reopened two months later as Mission to Mars (a similar transformation happened at Disneyland as well).
  
  The ride was essentially the same, though now the destination was Mars instead of the moon. A mission control set was built for the pre-show and populated by animatronic figures (including Tom Morrow, now named Mr. Johnson). This version of the ride lasted until October 4, 1993 when it closed for construction of The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter.
  
  Designed in conjunction with George Lucas, Alien Encounter was an attempt to create a truly scary attraction. Set in a convention at the Interplanetary Convention Center, guests attended a demonstration of X-S Tech's new teleporation technology. Of course, something goes wrong and a malicious alien is teleported into the chamber and goes onto a rampage. Unfortunately for Disney, guests, for the most part weren't too keen on a truly scary Disney ride, and it was way too scary for young children. When the idea of redoing it into a similar attraction for Stich from the Lilo & Stitch film, it was quickly approved.
• The Attraction's History: Though new, the attraction has already seen minor tweaks in an attempt to improve guest response. Projections of Stitch in the chamber after he has escaped have been added and the conclusion strengthened. Also, the minimum height requirement has been increased by 5" (12 cm.) to filter out younger children scared by the show.
• Other Trivia:
  • A new role: McDonnell-Douglas sponsored the Mission to Mars attraction from 1980-1986.
  • A new role: The alien prisoner teleported in during the pre-show was previously Skippy from ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter.

MousePlanet Links

• Farewell Alien — Mark Goldhaber bids this location's former occupant good bye.
• Measuring Up: Handling Height Restrictions — MousePlanet's Parenting Panel discusses how to handle it when your child is just a bit too short for a ride. (February 18, 2010)