This article is an adaptation of an original Jim Hill Media Four Part Series “The ExtraTERRORestrial Files” (2000).
It was the attraction that was supposed to be the next big thing for the Disney theme parks. The show that would change forever how guests would think about the Mouse by mixing in-theater effects with 3D sound to create high-tech terror.
At least that was what was supposed to happen. But — instead of becoming a franchise attraction like Space Mountain, with different versions of the ride being built in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo and Paris — only one version of this Tomorrowland show ever made it off the drawing board.
“Alien Encounter.” Eight years after this hi-tech horror show first opened — then quickly closed for a mysterious six month revamp — this Disney World attraction still remains highly controversial in theme park circles. Many WDW fans consider this intense show to be the best thing WDI’s ever done. Other Disneyana enthusiasts — particularly those with small children — think that this horror show is horrible. They argue that something this scary just doesn’t belong in the Magic Kingdom.
Well, if you thought that “Alien Encounter” — the attraction — was scary … wait ’til you hear the terrifying behind-the-scenes tale of how this troubled Tomorrowland show was creates.
It begins on a dark night … where a dark man waits … with a dark purpose …
No. Wait. My mistake. That’s “Aladdin.”
Michael Eisner’s Plan for Theme Park Attendance
The “Alien Encounter” story actually begins back in September of 1984, when former Paramount studio head Michael Eisner first took control of Walt Disney Productions. Upon entering the Mouse House, one of Eisner’s first goals was to boost sagging attendance levels at the company’s theme parks. While it was obvious that Disney had a lock on the family audience, Michael believed that the Mouse’s parks lacked teen appeal. He based this opinion on his teenage son, Breck, who — when asked by his dad to join him a familiarization tour of Disneyland — reportedly said “That place is lame, Dad.”
Fearing that his son spoke for teens everywhere, Eisner quickly commissioned a marketing survey. Teenagers exiting Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World were asked what they thought the Mouse’s theme parks were missing. These teens reportedly said that they wanted more thrill-based attractions in the Disney parks, similar to what they could find at the “Six Flags” parks and Universal Studios.
Something radical to cut through all the sweetness.
With the results of this survey in hand, Eisner ordered WDI to immediately begin development of several radical new shows that could be added to the Disney theme parks. Buoyed by the acclaim “Star Tours” had received when that simulator ride first opened at Disneyland in January 1987, the Imagineers toyed with the idea of bringing a few more of 20th Century Fox’s sci-fi creatures on board at the company’s theme parks.
But these wouldn’t be George Lucas’s cute and cuddly “Star Wars” creations. The Imagineers wanted the black and slimy, acid drooling monsters from the hugely popular “Alien” movie series.
Bringing “Alien” to Disney Parks
Strange but true, folks. Using the story and settings from the first “Alien” film as a starting point, the Imagineers cooked up a concept for a hi-tech interactive attraction they called “Nostromo.” On this proposed attraction, visitors would have rolled through the darkened corridors of the Nostromo — the spaceship Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) piloted in the first “Alien” film — riding inside of heavily armored vehicles. Armed with laser cannons, these folks were supposedly on a rescue mission. Their goal was to find the missing members of Nostromo’s crew as well as rid the spaceship of all alien intruders.
“Nostromo” certainly was a radical new idea for a Disney theme park attraction. Perhaps too radical. In the end, WDI opted not to go forward with the “Alien” ride project. Why for? Well, while they recognized that “Nostromo” would have been a thrilling addition to any theme park, certain senior members of the Imagineering staff voiced concerns that any ride that featured the “Alien” monsters might be too dark and intense for Disney’s family-based audience. These same Imagineers were also troubled by the image of children blasting space monsters with laser cannons. “Walt would never have approved of a ride like this,” they grumbled. So WDI’s first stab at an “Alien” attraction ended up being blown out an airlock. This show concept never made it off the drawing board.
Well, even though “Nostromo” was a no go, some good did eventually come out of the aborted attraction. 13 years after work on the interactive “Alien” ride-thru show had been halted, Tomorrowland finally got its laser-cannon, alien-blasting attraction … but in a much more family friendly form. WDW’s “Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin” uses many of the concepts that the Imagineers created for their first “Alien” show.
Plus all the development work WDI did on the proposed “Nostromo” attraction did make Disney executives aware of the inherent in-park value of the “Alien” monsters. So the Mouse decided to license 20th Century Fox’s characters for use in its theme parks. Ripley and the “Alien” monsters were featured prominently in the “Great Movie Ride” when that attraction opened at the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park in May 1989. But except for the first few years of the Fox licensing deal that was the extent of Disney’s use of the “Alien” characters in their theme parks.
Updating “Mission to Mars”
A year or so later, some youngish Imagineers were wondering what to do with “Mission to Mars.” Eisner had tasked them to come up with a thrilling new replacement for this lame old Tomorrowland show. He wanted something just as exciting as “Star Tours,” but in a sit-down theater setting.
Just down the hall, another group of new Imagineering employees were looking for ways to use a 3D sound system Disney had just developed. A small post-show attraction at Disney-MGM Studio’s “Monster Sound Show” — where guests were exposed to auditory illusions like too-close haircuts and arrows whizzing by their ears — was the first use, and it hinted at the system’s possibilities. But these Imagineers dreamed of doing something bigger with 3D sound. Maybe building a whole show around the cutting edge system, even.
Inevitably, the “Mission to Mars” team met up with the 3D sound system guys. Then someone remembered that Disney had licensed the monsters from “Alien” for theme park use. Mashing all three of these ideas together, this young enthusiastic group of Imagineers began mapping out plans for an attraction that they hoped would change the way people thought about Disney theme parks forever …
“Alien Encounter” Project
The Imagineers had decided to go for broke.
This being WDI’s first real attempt at a horror-based attraction, the “Alien Encounter” project team didn’t want to just frighten their audience. They wanted to break through the fourth wall and really assault the guest’s senses. That’s why they decided to push the envelope when it came to the proposed show’s use of in-theater effects.
Picture this: The audience sit in the darkened “Mission to Mars” theater. They’ve told that the monster from the “Alien” movies is loose in the building. They can hear the creature creeping up behind them. They can feel its drool dribbling onto their clothes. And as the monster’s tongue begins flicking through the hair on the back on their head … AIEEE!
All these atmospheric elements that WDI wanted to use to make “Alien Encounter” a sensory break-through show may sound cutting edge and expensive. In truth, they were all low-tech effects that were incredibly easy to do. The sensation that the monster is right behind the audience member, breathing down their neck? Simple. That’s just warm, moist air being blown through a hole in the guest’s headrest — synchronized to raspy breathing sounds on the show’s soundtrack. That dribble of monster drool? That’s less that a teaspoon of warm water — dripped from a precisely positioned pipe, hidden high in the ceiling of the theater. The monster’s tongue, flicking through the guest’s hair? That’s a single strand of plastic coated wire, that quickly pokes out of the headrest and lightly brushes the guest’s hair. All ingenious illusions, it’s true. But — more to the point — they were in-theater effects that could be produced on a bargain basement budget.
Keeping the installation costs down of their proposed new Tomorrowland show was one of the “Alien Encounter” team’s main goals. With the hopes of impressing Eisner with their ingenuity, these Imagineers deliberately designed “Alien Encounter” so that it could be staged in the pre-existing “Mission to Mars” theaters with minimal structural changes to the show building. If all went according to plan, Disney could get a brand new cutting edge attraction at cut-rate prices. Best of all, WDI would finally give Eisner what he’d been begging for all these years: a Disney theme park attraction that had some real teen appeal.
On paper, it looked like this idea couldn’t miss. By combining all these in-theater effects and the “Alien” movie series mythology, Imagineering wouldn’t just be creating a thrilling new show for the “Mission to Mars” theater. They would be moving the Disney theme park experience to a whole new level. This time around, guests wouldn’t just passively sit, watching a show. They’d feel like they were right in the middle of the action.
When Eisner heard the pitch for “Alien Encounter,” he loved the idea. He immediately saw the show as a franchise, an attraction that the Disney Company could install at each of its theme parks worldwide. He quickly okayed development of the project, with the hope that “Alien Encounter” would be ready in time to serve as the centerpiece of Disneyland and WDW’s long overdue Tomorrowland overhauls which were tentatively scheduled to get underway in the early 1990s.
The young Imagineers immediately threw themselves into their work. They quickly created a prototype chair for the “Alien Encounter” attraction that featured hidden speakers in its headrest. VIPs touring WDI during this period were often treated to a demonstration of Disney’s 3D sound system. They vividly recall being strapped into the chair — with the “Alien Encounter” test soundtrack playing through the speakers — squirming helplessly as a monster snuck up behind them.
The demo version of “Alien Encounter” proved to be a hit with WDI visitors. Even so, those same senior Imagineers who had earlier shut down the “Nostromo” project began whispering in Eisner’s ear about their concerns for the new “Alien” project. They still worried that a show built around a creature as frightening as 20th Century Fox’s “Alien” monster didn’t belong in a Disney theme park.
Xenomorph
In response, the “Alien Encounter” team insisted that their proposed attraction had to be built around 20th Century Fox’s monster. Their argument was simple: by using a character that most theme park visitors were already familiar with, the Imagineers didn’t have to waste precious showtime on needless exposition. In-park surveys showed that the average Disneyland guest already knew who the “Alien” monster was. Upwards of 80% of those polled had seen one or more of the films in the series.
This — the Imagineers argued — was the added bonus of using the monster from the “Alien” film series for their proposed attraction. Guests who’d seen the “Alien” movies and liked them would rush to see an attraction based on the series. Those Disney theme park visitors who hadn’t cared for the movies would just steer clear of the new show. It was a win-win situation.
Having listened to both arguments, Eisner sided with the “Alien Encounter” team. Recalling the boffo business Disneyland did when “Star Tours” opened, he reasoned that another attraction based on a popular sci-fi film series could have a similar impact on attendance. Besides, having a direct tie-in to 20th Century Fox’s movies would make “Alien Encounter” that much easier to promote. It seemed like the logical choice to Eisner.
This news appalled the senior Imagineering staff. They were horrified at the thought of the “Alien” movie monster starring in a Disney theme park attraction. Since Eisner hadn’t heeded their counsel, these Imagineers decided to appeal to a higher authority: George Lucas.
Working with George Lucas
At the time, Lucas was working closely with Walt Disney Imagineering. He was helping WDI finalize plans for the “Indiana Jones Adventure,” a ground-breaking new attraction that the Imagineers hoped to install at Disneyland’s Adventureland in the mid-1990s. Given Lucas’s extensive experience with special effects and sound effects, he and his staff at ILM were also doing some consulting on the “Alien Encounter” project.
What is known is that these senior Imagineers discreetly approached Lucas and voiced their concerns about “Alien Encounter” being too intense for small children. George allegedly listened politely, then agreed that 20th Century Fox’s movie monster probably didn’t belong in a Disney theme park. Lucas promised to talk to Eisner about the proposed attraction, and then …
New Alien-Monster
A few days later, Eisner called a meeting with the “Alien Encounter” production team. He announced that he’d had a change of heart and no longer believed the show should be built around 20th Century Fox’s movie monster. Eisner went on to say that he felt that the “Alien” monster was just too scary to serve as the central character of a Disney theme park attraction. He then said — while he appreciated all the hard work the Imagineers had put into the Fox monster version of the show — he was certain that WDI could come up with a monster of its own that would be just as good. One not quite as frightening as the first monster was, mind you, but something that would still work within the confines of the show.
Oh … and one other thing Eisner mentioned: George Lucas would now be acting as an unofficial producer on the “Alien Encounter” project.
While the senior Imagineers were secretly thrilled with this news, the “Alien Encounter” team was aghast. Rework the show so that it no longer featured the movie monster? Was that possible? Would “Alien Encounter” still work under these conditions? And why was Lucas suddenly riding herd on the project?
It was at this precise moment that many folks at WDI believe that “Alien Encounter” went off track. By not making use of 20th Century Fox’s well known monster, the show suddenly lost its hook. Without having the easily recognizable “Alien” creature driving the action of the show, the attraction’s storyline became harder for the average theme park guest to follow. The Imagineers would now have to make sure that the audience understood exactly what their new monster was capable of doing before they turned off the lights. Otherwise, the guests would just sit there in the dark, having no idea what was going on around them.
Since the initial concept for the “Alien Encounter” show had now been creatively compromised, many at WDI felt that Imagineering should have pulled the plug on the project. But Eisner was still so enthusiastic about the idea of Disney doing a “monster-in-the-dark” show. He seemed downright eager to give the Imagineers all the money they needed to develop all those special in-theater effects. And WDI did want to keep the boss happy.
So the Imagineers reluctantly began to revamp “Alien Encounter.” But — before they started on a new version for the show — one of the first things they did was called Disney’s publicity department. The Imagineers then asked the PR people to return all “Alien Encounter” pre-production art they had been given to help promote the proposed attraction. The reason the Imagineers did this? All that artwork was from the original version of “Alien Encounter,” which prominently featured 20th Century Fox’s movie monster.
Disney’s PR department ignored WDI’s request. In fact, they continued to use that “Alien Encounter” pre-production artwork — which clearly showed 20th Century Fox’s monster bursting out of the tube at the center of the proposed attraction — to promote the show for the next two years.
Developing the “Alien Encounter” Story
The Imagineers then turned their attention to producing a new script for “Alien Encounter.” For months, they labored — trying to come up a new plot line that audiences could grasp quickly. Finally, they settled on the ‘XS Tech’ scenario — where a sinister alien corporation tries to sell teleportation equipment to the people of Earth … when something goes horribly wrong! Admittedly, this version wasn’t nearly as much fun as the original 20th Century Fox’s “Alien” based story. But the Imagineers hoped that the show’s innovative use of in-theater effects would still put “Alien Encounter” across to the Disney theme park audience.
Eisner — who reportedly really enjoyed the jabs at greedy corporations the Imagineers slipped into this version of the script — okayed the ‘XS Tech’ scenario. Lucas also gave his approval of the new storyline. So WDI threw together a production team and gave the project a preliminary budget. With that, work on ‘Alien Encounter’ officially got underway in the fall of 1992.
The “Alien Encounter” Team
Given the multi-media aspect of the show, lots of individual pieces had to be put together before Imagineering knew if “Alien Encounter” was actually going to work. Academy Award nominee Jeffery Jones, comic Kevin Pollak and TV favorite Kathy Najimy were hired to play XS Tech employees for the film vignettes to be featured in the attraction. Elaborate foley sessions were staged to record the numerous 3D sound effects used in the show. AA figures for the pre-show, as well as the two “Mission to Mars” theaters, were built at WDI’s Tujunga facility.
Imagineering Troubles
As work continued on “Alien Encounter,” Imagineers assigned to the project kept wondering when George Lucas was going to get actively involved with the show. During the development of “Star Tours” and the “Indiana Jones Adventure,” Lucas had played a very active part in the creative process on these attractions. But on “Alien Encounter,” Lucas offered very little input. After attending a few initial story meetings, he pretty much left the Imagineers working on the show alone. For all intents and purposes, George was the absentee landlord of this attraction, its producer in name only.
Now, it’s crucial to understand that — while “Alien Encounter” was actually in production — the Imagineering division of the Walt Disney Company was going through one of the worst periods in its corporate history. Euro Disneyland has just opened and was hemorrhaging money. The Westcot and Port Disney projects had stalled. And Disney management was putting tremendous pressure on the division to cut staff and contain costs.
So WDI was hit by wave after wave of layoffs, which left the remaining staff depressed and demoralized. Then Imagineering management — in a further attempt to keep costs down — decided to cut back on in-house testing on work-in-progress attractions.
This last bit of news terrified the “Alien Encounter” production team. WDI had never put together a theme park attraction that was as complicated as “AE” was. For this show to succeed, video clips, binaural sound, in-theater physical effects, and audio animatronic figures would all have to work in perfect synchronization. Without that split second blending of multimedia technology, “Alien Encounter” would be a hopelessly jumbled mess.
To avoid this sort of disaster, the Imagineers needed as much time as possible to run tests on the “Alien” attraction at WDI headquarters in Glendale, CA. At least there — if they ran into problems — the “Alien Encounter” team would have other talented Imagineers right on hand to help them quickly debug the attraction.
WDI management wouldn’t hear of it. They insisted that — after the physical pieces of “Alien Encounter” were completed — they were to be immediately shipped out to the field for installation. After the equipment was loaded into the “Mission to Mars” show building, then the “Alien Encounter” team could make all necessary adjustments to make the show succeed.
The “Alien Encounter” team begged for more time, but WDI management turned a deaf ear to their pleading. They couldn’t be bothered with the production staff’s complaints that their show wasn’t getting enough advance in-house testing. The heads of Imagineering were far more concerned with determining which Disney theme park would get the “Alien Encounter” attraction first.
Disneyland – “Tomorrowland 2055”
Almost from the inception of the project, it had been assumed that the “Alien Encounter” show would open at Disneyland first as part of the “Tomorrowland 2055” project.
“Tomorrowland 2055.” Sigh. Just mentioning the name of this proposed Disneyland redo is enough to send some Imagineers into a spiraling depression. Championed by veteran Imagineers Bruce Gordon and Tony Baxter, “Tomorrowland 2055” wouldn’t have just been a simple retheming of this side of the park. But rather, a elaborate rethinking of the whole Tomorrowland concept.
“Tomorrowland 2055” Concept
Picture Disneyland in 2055. A time when a trip into the vast reaches of outer space is no big deal, like strolling ’round the block. An age when we take for granted that there’s intelligent life elsewhere in the universal. How do we know for sure? Because quite of a few of these extraterrestrials have made the star trek to Anaheim and have set up shop here right in Tomorrowland.
I mean, take a gander at what used to be the Carousel of Progress. No, that’s not a spinning electronics trade show. That, my friend, is a full-sized flying saucer that’s vaguely reminiscent of the Mother Ship from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Were you to wander up that gangplank, you could sample the out-of-this-world entertainment presented at “Plectu’s Fantastic Intergalactic Review.”
Overhead, shiny steel catwalks allow guests access to a whole new level of Tomorrowland shops and restaurants. On the ground, odd crystalline shapes that glowed brightly and weirdly shaped other-worldly plants would have given this side of the park a truly exotic feel.
“Tomorrowland 2055” would have become a real showplace at Disneyland. It could have set a whole new standard for theming and storytelling at the Anaheim park by taking guests on a fantastic trip to the future. But what do we get instead? An economy class ticket to “Imagination and Beyond” aboard Tomorrowland 1998.
Sigh.
Now do you understand why Imagineers get depressed when you bring up “Tomorrowland 2055?”
Budget Cuts to “Tomorrowland 2055”
Don’t get me wrong, folks. Baxter and his “Imagination and Beyond” team did do the best they could with the money they had. And they did create a dazzling new entrance to Disneyland’s Tomorrowland by bringing Disneyland Paris’s Orbitron over to Anaheim, placing it just off the hub and framing it with that rockwork.
But the loss of “Tomorrowland 2055” still pains the Imagineers. Mostly, because this Disneyland redo seemed like a done deal. So much so that Disneyland actually closed its “Mission to Mars” attraction in November 1992 to make ready for the supposedly soon-to-begin radical revamp of this side of the park.
The Imagineers even designed a new art deco exterior for the show building that was to house the Anaheim version of “Alien Encounter.” (Those of you lucky enough to see “Theme Park Design: The Architecture of Reassurance” exhibit during its nationwide tour a year or so ago may recall the model for Disneyland’s “Alien Encounter” show building. Its chief design feature was the stylized sculptures of oppressed workers that served as support columns for the exterior of the attraction. Insert your own over-worked Disneyland employee joke here.)
Sadly, Disneyland’s long planned “Tomorrowland 2055” project hit an unexpected snag in early 1993 when the Euro Disneyland resort began hemorrhaging money. Suddenly concerned about containing cost in all corners of the Disney Company, Eisner reportedly balked at the estimated cost of the elaborate Anaheim redo. Though Michael really liked a lot of the concepts WDI had cooked up, he just couldn’t stomach “Tomorrowland 2055″‘s projected price tag. At least not then. So he ordered Tony’s team to scale back their plans until they came up with something more affordable for Anaheim. All that redesign work pushed the start of construction on Disneyland’s new Tomorrowland back from Fall 1994 to Spring 1997.
Remnants of “Tomorrowland 2055”
The loss of “Tomorrowland 2055” for Disneyland remains a real sore point with many Imagineers, particularly since Eisner came so close to actually greenlighting the project. How close? The next time you’re at Disneyland, go into the Tomorrowland Terrace and look up at the ceiling. Pretty cool, huh?
This ceiling was actually done as a test for “Tomorrowland 2055,” to see if the wild palette of colors and shapes WDI proposed using on this part of the park would work. A similar test was done on the old “Mission to Mars” show building, where one stylized window was retrofitted onto the exterior of the attraction.
Tests were also made for the atmospherics that would have been featured in “Tomorrowland 2055.” Bruce Gordon commissioned a new soundtrack for the proposed revamp of the park. This futuristic music wittily combined old Tomorrowland favorites like “Miracles and Molecules” and Buddy Baker’s “Monorail March” with memorable Epcot tunes like “It’s Fun to Be Free.” Bruce even got this recording played regularly in Disneyland in the mid-1990s. The downside was that the only place you could really hear the entire “Tomorrowland 2055” soundtrack was if you stood inside the Tomorrowland men’s room for an hour or so. Which made it kind of tough for female Disneyana fans to check out the new tunes. But I digress …
The ceiling, that window, and Bruce’s soundtrack music weren’t the only pieces of “Tomorrowland 2055” that actually made it into Disneyland. Take a look to the Moonliner. A recreation of that 1950s Tomorrowland icon also factored heavily into “2055”‘s design plans. But not as some dinky drink dispenser. Picture that slick looking retro-rocket being three times as high as it is now, towering over Tomorrowland.
The Imagineers were so certain that the Moonliner would make a cool icon for “Tomorrowland 2055” that they actually had a logo made up for this Disneyland redo project that prominently featured the sleek finned spaceship. This image was then slapped on “Tomorrowland 2055” production team jackets, t-shirts, and coffee mugs.
These in-house WDI promotional items for “Tomorrowland 2055” have now become highly prized items among Disneyana collectors. The Imagineers? They really don’t seem to like seeing this stuff. It just brings back too many painful memories of a great thing that almost happened.
Sigh.
“Alien Encounter” at Walt Disney World
Enough about the tomorrow that never came … let’s get back to the saga of “Alien Encounter,” shall we?
The delay of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland redo meant that — by default — “Alien Encounter” would open in Florida first. Disney’s sensory horror attraction would have its world premiere in the Fall of 1994 at WDW’s Magic Kingdom. The show would be the last thing to open as that park completed its own year-long rehab of its Tomorrowland section.
This change of plans also meant that it would be a year or more before serious work would continue on “Alien Encounter.” That’s why the team at WDI that originally dreamed up the project moved on to other assignments. In the interim, Eisner began to have real concerns about whether or not this proposed Tomorrowland show would be too scary for the typical Disney theme park guest to handle. So he ordered WDI to assign a new team of writers to the “Alien Encounter” project deliberately lighten the show up a bit, add a few laughs to the attraction.
This these Imagineers did. Which made Eisner happy. The downside is that these new gags significantly weakened the show’s story. But that wouldn’t become apparent ’til things were almost too far along at WDW’s Magic Kingdom.
Speaking of which … Walt Disney World senior staff was thrilled when they learned that the Florida park would get to premiere this ambitious new attraction. That’s why WDW’s publicity department pulled out all the stops to promote “Alien Encounter.” This office created a clever series of teaser ads that made the soon-to-open show sound like the scariest thing that had ever been staged in a Disney theme park. WDW management was so certain that the attraction would be a hit with the public that they ordered up a ton of “Alien Encounter” souvenir merchandise.
Exterior work on the old “Mission to Mars” show building was completed by August. WDI’s installation team had “Alien Encounter”‘s hardware loaded in by late October. All that was left for Imagineering to do was a few weeks of on-site “test and adjust” work on the attraction. Then they’d turn “Alien Encounter” over to the operations staff at WDW’s Magic Kingdom.
That was the plan, anyway. WDI spend the first part of November training the opening crew for “Alien Encounter.” They’d then run a few test audiences through the attraction … just to make sure that everything worked the way it was supposed to. With any amount of luck, “Alien Encounter” would be up and running by late November and the California-based Imagineering installation team could be back home in time for Thanksgiving.
Too bad it didn’t quite work on that way.
The Team That Built “Alien Encounter”
But — up until that point — everything about this Tomorrowland attraction seemed to be right on track. After all, Disney had its “A Team” working on its “ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter” show.
I mean, listen to the folks that the Mouse had riding herd on the original version of WDW’s “AE” show:
Tom Fitzgerald, Senior Vice President of Theme Park Productions. Tom had had a hand in the creation of numerous Disney theme park attractions that successfully combined film elements with audio animatronic figures. Prior to “Alien Encounter,” Fitzgerald had helped produce “Star Tours,” “Jim Henson’s Muppetvision 3D” as well as “From Time to Time.” So Tom certainly seemed up for the “AE” challenge.
Then there was Eric Jacobson, Senior VP in charge of Creative Development at Walt Disney World. Name a huge new attraction that’s opened at the Florida parks in the past 10 years — “GM Test Track,” “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster,” etc. — and Eric’s probably had a hand in it.
Disney also recruited top notch talent to handle the film portion of WDW’s “AE” attraction. Sitting behind the camera was noted animation director Jerry Rees. Best known as the visual effects supervisor on “Tron” as well as being the director of “The Brave Little Toaster,” Rees had also helped produce another fine little film for the Disney theme parks. Do you remember the “Michael and Mickey” movie that used to run at the Disney-MGM Studios? You know, the one where Chernabog cowered before the Disney CEO and said “Sorry, Mr. Eisner. It’ll never happen again.” Jerry did that.
The Mouse then recruited a talented group of actors to appear in Rees’ “Alien Encounter” film sequences. Among these was Academy Award nominee Jeffrey Jones as Chairman Clinch, the head of X-S Tech; TV favorite Kathy Najimy as the cautious Dr. Femus and comic Kevin Pollak as Spinlock, the impatient alien marketing rep. (Special bonus for all you “AE” trivia buffs: That out-of-this-world spokesmodel you see on the video monitors in the lobby? Under all that green make-up, that’s Supermodel Tyra Banks!)
But — even with all these talented, experienced people on board the project, trying to get “AE” to succeed — there was still no getting around the flaws in “Alien Encounter”‘s badly reworked script. According to WDI insiders, the production’s first real mis-steps came when it was time to decide who would do the voice of the sales-droid in “AE”‘s pre-show.
Hoping that he might be able to give WDW guests a few big laughs before they got scared out of their socks by the show in the main theater, the Imagineers hired Saturday Night Live star Phil Hartman to provide vocals for the robot who ineptly demonstrated X-S Tech’s teleportation technology in the pre-show. Being the old show business hand that he was, Hartman turned in a wonderfully smarmy performance, very reminiscent of his failed B movie actor Troy McClure from The Simpsons.
Imagineering had assembled what they thought was a top flight production. They spent months redoing the exterior of WDW’s old “Mission to Mars” show building so that it became the bland but somewhat sinister looking Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center. When test audiences first entered the inner lobby area in December 1994, they were amused by the numerous in-joke meeting announcements they read on the overhead monitors (Eg: “Lunar Disneyland — The Happiest Place Off Earth” and, my personal favorite, “Mission to Mars: Fact or Fiction?”). After that, these same WDW guests wandered into the pre-show, where they’ll chuckled warmly as Hartman’s robot character accidentally fried Skippy. Smiling broadly, these folks then wandered in the main theater …
… and that’s when all the trouble started.
Scary Problems for “Alien Encounter”
Given how light and comical the pre-show elements of “Alien Encounter” had been, test audiences were shocked by how dark and intense the show in the main theater was. As guests left the “AE” show building, they complained long and loudly to cast members doing exit polls about the attraction that they had not been properly warned that this Tomorrowland show was going to be really, REALLY scary. They had assumed that “AE” would like all of the other supposedly scary Disney theme park shows, which are thrilling … but not truly terrifying.
But even with no 20th Century Fox “Alien” creatures in sight, WDW guests still found this new Tomorrowland attraction plenty scary. And — given that members of the test audience had walked right by huge signs that clearly told everyone about “Alien Encounter”‘s intense nature — the Imagineers wondered what else they could do to better prepare audiences for the show they’d see inside.
The obvious place to start was “AE”‘s pre-show. As funny as Phil Hartman’s performance as the sales-droid might have been, it was clear that this piece of the attraction wasn’t doing that good a job of setting the stage for the show that followed. Sensing that “Alien Encounter”‘s introductory scenes needed more menace, the Imagineers shelved Hartman’s recording as they reworked the script for “AE”‘s pre-show — deliberately putting a much darker spin on the proceedings.
The Imagineers then asked “Rocky Horror Picture Show” legend Tim Curry to come and record some new dialogue for the sales-droid. The new script and Curry’s sinister vocals did the trick. Guests still laughed at what they saw in the pre-show, but they were a little creeped out too. As they turned to enter the main theater, these WDW visitors were now filled with a vague unease. Which meant they were in the perfect frame of mind for the carnage that was to follow.
Having fixed the pre-show, WDI now turned its attention to the “Alien Encounter” attraction itself. Test audiences had found the first version of the 3D sound show intense but also hard to follow. By sitting in on dozens of performances of “AE,” the Imagineers determined that the audience was screaming so long and so loudly at parts of the show that they were missing out on several crucial pieces of expository dialogue. Consequently, a lot of the members of the test audiences had trouble following the original version of the attraction’s storyline.
Disney CEO Michael Eisner — who first experienced “AE” in the field in December 1994 the weekend he was down at WDW to attend the grand opening of Pleasure Island’s Planet Hollywood — also agreed that the attraction had some serious story problems. (It’s been rumored that Michael actually took Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzeneggar along with him the first time he test-drove this Tomorrowland attraction. Which is not as far fetched as it might seem, folks, given that both of these men were also in Orlando the weekend that Eisner was. Since all three were taking part in the WDW PH festivities. But — to date — I’ve never been able to get any official confirmation on this story. Sorry about that. Anyway …) That’s why Eisner agreed to let the Imagineers shut down “The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter” — so that WDI could have all the time it needed to make the appropriate repairs to the attraction’s plot holes.
Updating “The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter”
So all those stories that you’ve heard over the past six years about how Michael Eisner ordered “Alien Encounter” closed because he didn’t think the show was scary enough … well, they’re not entirely true, folks. Sure, Michael wanted extra thrill elements to be added to the show. But the real reason that Eisner allowed the Imagineers to temporarily close “AE” was because he wanted the show’s storyline to come across more cleanly, more clearly, more coherently. Michael’s main aim in closing the show wasn’t to add extra scares. But rather because he wanted “Alien Encounter”‘s story to be easier for the average WDW visitor to follow.
Mind you, this simple sounding task took an awful lot of effort. Some of the changes that WDI made to the “Alien Encounter” show were small and subtle — like waiting an additional six seconds before playing a crucial piece of dialogue over the speakers in the theater (just so the line wouldn’t be drowned by the audience’s screams). Other changes involved providing the people who were in the middle of experiencing “Alien Encounter” with additional visual reference material (I.E. throwing a graphic up on the theater’s four video monitors that clearly shows that the monster that was trapped inside the teleportation tube has a pair of wings … that brief image was just enough to get WDW guests to finally understand how the monster was making its way around the room once it supposedly broke out of the containment field).
Perhaps the biggest change that was made to the in-theater portion of the “Alien Encounter” attraction was the show’s new finale. In the original, jokier version of “AE,” after the alien has been successfully beamed out of the theater, Chairman Clinch is finally beamed in. However — given how disastrously the demonstration has gone — Spinlock and Femus are reluctant to raise the blast shield on the teleportation tube. So, as WDW guests exited out of the theater, they could clearly hear the increasingly exasperated X-S Tech Chairman banging on the inside of the tube, demanding to be let out.
Again, a funny idea. But not really in keeping with the tone of the scary show that preceded it. That’s why the Imagineers opted to drop the gag-filled ending of the show and go with a new “Blood & Guts” finale. To add a disgusting coup de gras to the whole “Alien Encounter” experience, the guests seated in the “AE” theater now got splattered with warm water just as the teleportation device supposedly overloaded and blew the evil alien creature in a million tiny wet chunks. (To put a grotesque but funny tag on this part of the show, the Imagineers deliberately added one additional piece of dialogue to “AE”‘s explosive finale. The fat stupid guy who’s supposedly been sitting behind you now says “Yuck! I had my mouth open.” Ewwww!)
Given that most of these changes don’t seem all that involved — a new line here, a graphic there — why did it take the Imagineers so long (nearly six months) to finally fix WDW’s “Alien Encounter?” Simple. Given all the elaborate technology that was necessary to seamlessly co-ordinate the hundreds of elements of this Tomorrowland show, it took weeks to properly reprogram the show’s computers so that they could smoothly handle even the simplest of changes.
For all you techno-nuts out there, here’s a little insight in the gear involved with running “Alien Encounter”: “AE” actually works off of an SSU — a show-supervisor unit. This rack mounted system controls all the lighting and smoke effects as well as the audio and video elements used in the show. This ambitious little machine also keeps tabs on three SIUs — show-interface units. One of these state-of-the art machines rides herd on the pre-show, while the other two take care of the side-by-side sit-down theaters. (Aren’t you glad you asked?)
Shutting Down “Alien Encounter”
In order to get all the necessary changes made (which often involved hours and hours of trial and error), Disney officially closed WDW’s “Alien Encounter” in January 12, 1995 — less than six weeks after the Mouse had been begun doing test and adjust on its new Tomorrowland attraction. Though the show had never officially opened to the public, Walt Disney World was still abuzz with rumors about why the new Magic Kingdom attraction had suddenly shuttered.
The Mouse tried to put a funny spin on the story. They distributed thousands of copies of a flyer property-wide that had supposedly been written by X-S Tech Chairman, L.C. Clinch. In his message to WDW cast members, Clinch apologized for the delays involved with getting “Alien Encounter” opened. “We look forward to a profitable relationship with your species,” or so said the pretend memo. The flyer then went on to say that the projected re-opening date for this new Tomorrowland attraction was Easter 1995.
Unfortunately, the Easter Bunny would be long gone before most WDW guests finally their chance to “Seize the Future with X-S.” It wasn’t until June 20, 1995 before “The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter” officially re-opened in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. By then, Michael Eisner had reportedly lost all enthusiasm for this new Tomorrowland attraction.
The End of “Alien Encounter”
What exactly caused Eisner to sour on it? Some say that it was the additional $10 – $15 million Disney had to pump into “Alien Encounter” so that this new Tomorrowland attraction would finally play properly for WDW guests. Others suggest that it was all the negative publicity that was associated with the “AE” redo.
The most likely reason for the Disney CEO falling out of love with “The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter” attraction? I believe that Eisner eventually began to believe what those old Imagineers had been saying: that a scary show like “AE” doesn’t really belong in the Magic Kingdom. Given the hundreds of letters that the Walt Disney Company still receives every year from angry WDW guests — people who’d just gotten off “Dumbo the Flying Elephant” or just been whirled around in the Teacups, only to unwittingly wander in “Alien Encounter” and find themselves locked down in a chair, suddenly being threatened by a rasping, drooling monstrosity — there are obviously quite a number of folks who feel this way.
Which — to some Disneyana fans’ way of thinking — is a real shame. For — as vocal as “Alien Encounter”‘s critics may be — there’s an equally hardcore group of theme park fans who absolutely adore this Tomorrowland show.
These are the folks that you’ll spy at the N.F.F.C. conventions proudly wearing their “Fried Skippy” t-shirts. These are the same people who eagerly snatched up all the “Alien Encounter” action figures Disney began selling last year. You can usually pick out their cars in the WDW parking lot. Their vehicles are the ones with the Skippy beanie baby sitting on their dashboard.
It probably won’t surprise you to hear that there are also a lot of “Alien Encounter” fans inside WDI. These are the Imagineers who had their hearts set on adding this edgy attraction to every single Disney theme park worldwide. These guys insist that — if Eisner had okayed construction of “Tomorrowland 2055” and followed Imagineering’s original plans for “Alien Encounter” (and not the dumbed down, gag-filled WDW version) — Disneyland’s “AE” show would have been a huge hit right out of the box. A “Star Tours”-sized success which would have served a template for all the other “Alien Encounter” attractions to follow, giving the company a successful franchise show that they could have quickly rolled out at the corporation’s theme parks worldwide.
Ah, but I guess that’s not going to happen now. WDW’s “Alien Encounter” appears to be the one and only version of this high tech new Tomorrowland attraction that will ever make it off the drawing board. (Though I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the “Invasion! An ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter” interactive game that’s currently available for play at DisneyQuest. I’m told that this multi-player game — which is very loosely based on the WDW attraction — is hugely popular at both the Chicago and the Lake Buena Vista DQ locations.)
Editor’s Note: This article is an adaptation of an original Jim Hill Media Four Part Series “The ExtraTERRORestrial Files” (2000). DisneyQuest closed in 2017.
But still you have to wonder. Given that WDI’s reportedly in the process of putting together a new dark, scary, intense attraction — the long-rumored “Armageddon” exploding-Russian-space-station effects show — for both Disney’s California Adventure and Disney Studios Europe, wouldn’t it just be cheaper and smarter just to do “Alien Encounter” as it was originally supposed to be done? Featuring the creatures from 20th Century Fox’s “Alien” movies?
Come on, Disney! “Seize the Future.” Take another stab at doing “Alien Encounter.”
Only this time, don’t let Eisner muck it up.
Want more behind-the-scenes Disney stories? Jim Hill – along with Len Testa and Imagineer Jim Shull did a deep dive on “The ExtraTERRORestial Alien Encounter” attraction on Disney Unpacked. This 51-minute special can be found on Patreon. You can also hear more stories on The Disney Dish podcast, where Jim Hill and Len Testa explore Disney news and park history. Listen now at The Disney Dish on Apple Podcasts.
