Does 'Lilo and Stitch' Deserve a New Disney World Attraction? Fans Debate - Inside the Magic

It’s hard to miss the adorable blue alien Stitch when you walk into a Walt Disney World Resort gift shop! He’s on everything from tee-shirts to plushies, from baseball hats to trading pins. You can also meet the out-of-this-world Disney character in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom!

In 2017, however, Lilo and Stitch (2002) fans lost Stitch’s Great Escape, a Magic Kingdom attraction where seated Guests watched in disbelief as Stitch fought off his alien captors and ran around the room! Now a character meet-and-greet location, the new title, “Stitch’s Alien Encounter,” pays homage to the long-defunct and terrifying ExtraTERRORestial Alien Encounter, which was previously at the same location in the Disney Park.

Related: Live-Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Remake Finds Director

Ahead of the long-awaited live-action Lilo & Stitch, some Walt Disney World fans wonder if it’s time to bring another Stitch attraction to the Disney Parks. Reddit user u/JennaisPizzaa started the discussion, writing:

I’m honestly surprised they got rid of Stitch’s Great Escape, considering I’ve seen a rise in Lilo and Stitch fans and merchandising over the last couple of years. You think they’ll build a new ride or attraction around him? What are your thoughts?

U/bunifarcr had the most popular response, saying a simple Fantasyland-style dark ride would be a big draw for many Lilo & Stitch fans:

That’s not a bad idea. It doesn’t have to be an E-Ticket attraction. Just a simple fantasy land type dark ride would be good. Besides, Lilo and Stitch is still popular to this date.

Another Disney fan, with an appropriate username, u/stitchlover, wrote:

I would love for them to have a more permanent home…tomorrowland works but also something special in the Polynesian other than character breakfast would be cool.

Some Disney fans feel that, at least until the Lilo & Stitch live action releases, the intellectual property is too old for a new attraction. U/sudifirjfhfjvicodke wrote:

Seems unlikely, considering how many newer IPs are out now that don’t have rides at Disney World and have much more popularity and would likely drive more ticket and merchandise sales. Coco, Moana (I’m not sure that Journey of Water counts), Encanto, Zootopia, Raya, Big Hero 6, Wreck-It Ralph, Onward, Turning Red, Luca, etc.

But then again, we just got a ride for Ratatouille, and we’re a couple years off from a Princess and the Frog ride, both of which also came out in the ’00s, so I could be wrong.

I guess we’ll just have to wait for the inevitable Lilo and Stitch live action remake to see if there’s a resurgence in popularity 😛

Only time will tell if Lilo & Stitch will find a more permanent home at Walt Disney World!

More on Lilo & Stitch

Released in 2002, Lilo & Stitch combines Hawaiian culture with the mystery of outer space to tell a story of family and friendship. From Disney:

In Lilo and Stitch, get ready to crash-land on Earth with Stitch, a runaway genetic experiment from a faraway planet. As he wreaks havoc on the Hawaiian Islands, he becomes the mischievous adopted alien “puppy” of an independent little girl named Lilo and learns about loyalty, friendship, and ‘ohana, the Hawaiian tradition of family.

Would you like to see more Lilo & Stitch at Walt Disney World Resort? Let us know in the comments.