Alien encounter
| ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Area | Tomorrowland |
| Coordinates | 28°25′07″N 81°34′47″W / 28.41861°N 81.57972°WCoordinates: 28°25′07″N 81°34′47″W / 28.41861°N 81.57972°W |
| Status | Closed |
| Soft opening date | December 16, 1994 |
| Opening date | June 20, 1995 |
| Closing date | October 12, 2003 |
| Replaced | Mission to Mars |
| Replaced by | Stitch's Great Escape! |
| General statistics | |
| Attraction type | Sit-Down Theater with harnessed special effects seats |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Theme | An alien encounter |
| Music | Seize the Future & original score by Richard Bellis |
| Audience capacity | 162 per show |
| Duration | 18:00 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Host | Spinlok and Dr. Femus |
| Audio-animatronics | 3 (pre-show) 2 (1 for each main show) |
ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter (often abbreviated Alien Encounter) was a "theater-in-the-round" attraction in the Tomorrowland section of the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort. It was a darkly humorous science-fiction experience that used binaural sound to achieve many of its effects.
A warning outside the attraction's entrance alerted guests that it was intense and not intended for children under the age of 12.
It opened briefly for previews on December 16, 1994, on the site of the former Mission to Mars attraction, but was ordered closed on January 12, 1995 for retooling by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner who deemed it was not intense enough. It opened officially on June 20, 1995 as part of the Magic Kingdom's New Tomorrowland.
It closed permanently on October 12, 2003. The attraction was replaced by Stitch's Great Escape!, which uses much of the same technology and set pieces.
While the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter was closed down permanently, it developed a cult following among Disney fans. Some praised it for its sophisticated tone, in contrast to other Tomorrowland attractions such as Space Mountain and Astro Orbiter.
Guests are ushered into the "Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center" (mentioned as such in the Tomorrowland Transit Authority narration) for a demonstration of new technology from an alien corporation known as X-S Tech. The company's chairman, L.C. Clench (Jeffrey Jones), sets the attraction's subtly sinister tone with a pre-show welcome that includes his corporate philosophy, "If something can't be done with X-S [excess], then it shouldn't be done at all."
Before the start of the pre-show, the television monitors describe other events taking place at the Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center, including "The Tomorrowland Chamber of Commerce presents 'X-S Tech'" ("The galaxy's #1 authority in technological innovation invites you to experience its latest achievement"), "Mission to Mars: History or Hoax" (a tribute to the attraction that previously occupied the Alien Encounter's space), "Championship Pet Show" ("because when it comes to your space pet, what goes down must not come up"), and "The Walt Disney Company's Pan Galactic Meeting" (featuring a holographic transmission from "Lunar Disneyland—The Happiest Place Off Earth").
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Wikipedia