Walt Disney World Review: Stitch's Great Escape

Stars: 1 out of 5
Pros: Um, um, um....

Cons: Not remotely fun for anyone at all.  Ever.

The Bottom Line:

A bad attraction

I refuse to ride again

Stitch can escape.  Please

You'll be Happy to Escape from Stitch's (Not So) Great Escape

I arrived in Orlando late morning after taking a red eye flight.  After quickly dropping my stuff off at my hotel, I headed straight to the Magic Kingdom, figuring my familiarity with Disneyland would help me navigate the park in my mostly tired state.  I had some friends I was planning to meet up with, but I had about a half an hour to kill before they arrived.  So I figured I'd start off with Stitch's Great Escape.  After all, it was an attraction I wasn't familiar with already.  Fortunately, it wasn't an indication of how the week would go.

This attraction (and I use the term loosely) is located just inside the Tomorrowland section of the park.  There was no wait when I was there, but it does offer a Fast Pass, a ticket you can use to come back for a shorter wait during a pre-set time.

Since this isn't a traditional ride, you move into the attraction in groups.  I caught the first group after I started waiting.  The show is built around characters from the movie Lilo and Stitch but takes place before the film.

As we enter the pre-show area, we find out that we are new guards for an inter-planetary prison system.  A couple aliens start giving us our orientation, showing us some Level 1 and 2 prisoners.  You know, minor offenses like jay walking.  Frankly, I enjoyed this part of the show.  It had some funny jokes and was lighthearted.  But then we get a real privilege, a Level 3 prisoner is being transported to the facility.  This will be perfect for our training.

And it's at this point we enter the main theater for the real show.  Everyone takes seats in the circular theater.  Since we aren't full guards yet, we need safety restraints to protect us from the dangerous alien.  These restraints are rather serious business for a ride that doesn't actually move.  They come and rest on your shoulder rather firmly.  There is a shield in front of your face and all around your head.  My guess is this is the only reason for the 40 inch height restriction.  Trust me, nothing moves in a dangerous way.

Speaking of danger, once everyone is situated, they finally teleport the Level 3 prisoner into the room.  No surprise, it is a large, animatronic Stitch.  He's very well done and moves convincingly.

Unfortunately, he's also the rebellious Stitch from the beginning of the film.  He manages to escape and begins terrorizing us.  He spits at us.  He burps right in our faces, letting us smell the chilly cheese on his breath.  He hops around the room, pushing down on our restraints as he does so.  Finally, he is captured again, and the true captives, us, are allowed to go.

This attraction is loud, and the restraints are positioned such that it makes you feel cut off from the center of the room.  It's hard to follow the story exactly.  The only thing you truly know is when something happens to you.  Speaking of which, those restraints are what they use to make you feel like part of the action.

If you suffer from claustrophobia or the fear of the dark, this isn't for you.  You don't have much wiggly room in your restraint, and large parts of the show take place in the dark.  Frankly, the other reason for the height restriction might just be to keep young kids out.  It will scare them.  Heck, I didn't feel completely comfortable with it.

I attempted to do anything we don't have in California at least twice while I was at Walt Disney World.  This was one I gladly gave up.  You are missing absolutely nothing if you wisely pass on Stitch's Great Escape.