Current mood:

nostalgic

Rides: Disney's ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter
I went to Disneyland not too long ago and while riding the Nemo Subs got to thinking about the rides that have come and gone. Namely those that were here today and gone tomorrow. I remember one about flight in Tomorrowland that wasn't busy even when it first opened (I think it ended up becoming line space for star tours) and there was Rocket Rods (that has been replaced by Buzz Lightyear). But, in my opinion the best of these rides was the one that never even got built here on the west coast. ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter (Alien Encounter for short) was supposed to be built where Pizza Port is...but it never came to be. This ride was in fact build in Disney World's Magic Kingdom where I got the opportunity to experience it. And it was an Experience. Being a Californian I only got the opportunity to ride it once in 1996. To be honest it scared me bad. The basic premise is that there is this alien company X S tech that has come to earth and there showing off their teleportation divice. There's a couple of really cool waiting rooms one where a poor little alien named Skippy gets fried by this glitchy tech. In the main room you sit down in the restraint system which's purpose becomes clear when the ride starts, mainly it's so you don't run away and hurt youself in the dark. The show starts and the leader of the company is supposed to get teleported in but the machine is clitchy and a mean nasty people eating alien is teleported in in his place....that's where the fun begins. The alien breaks out and the lights go out. Momentary images, special effects, and sounds create the effect of making it seem like there is a killer alien in the room. It felt like you could feel it breaking, hear it feeding and it even seemed like it licked your head. In the end they blow the alien up, complete with "blood spray" (water being sprayed at you in the dark). It was a lot more effective to experience rather than explain. The vast majority of the action takes place in pitch dark leaving your mind to fill in the blanks. All in all it was extremely dark. Very un-Disney and probably traumatized a few kids for life. Me being a teenager at the time really got a kick out of it. It was one of those things you either loved or hated. Some people like the enchanted tiki room...that's not my thing. This was fun, and twisted. I've heard a couple of reasons for this attraction being closed, whatever the reason Alien Encounters was closed in 2003 and has since been replaced by Stitch's Great Escape (which rumor has it has an appearance by Skippy!). Now for me that Stitch ride would have to come up to a pretty high bar to match this very short lived attraction. It was a one of a kind thing, unlike any ride or show i've ever seen or experienced. In closing it there went probably the most edgy attraction i've ever seen in a Disney park...heck in any theme park.  We really should have gotten this here in California instead of Rocket Rods...but that's just my opinion.

That being said, am I alone in thinking that tomorrow land really is starting to seem dated? I love Space Mountian as much as anyone but it just seems like there should be a couple more attractions and a bit more future...it feels like the 50s idea of the future. Alien Encounter felt like the begining of a new outlook on tomorrow land that got dropped before it even got statred. Maybe it's time to start looking again. Hopefully something inovative gets done because lately it seems like many new attractions are Pixar based...see Buzz Lightyear, Toy story mania, Bugs life land i think there's a monster's inc ride in california adventure. All of this is find and good...but not all that inventive. Lets get something one of a kind and unique...