Stitch's Great Escape: Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom's Great Disappointment

Disney World introduced a fantastic new ride this year as Animal Kingdom unveiled the thrill-a-minute Expedition Everest rollercoaster. The Expedition Everest rollercoaster is an example of how the Walt Disney “Imagineers” get it right. But what about when those Disney “Imagineers” don’t dig down to the deepest recesses of their imagination? Just how bad can it get?

The answer to that question is known as Stitch’s Great Escape. Based on the immensely popular—and really the last great Disney non-Pixar animated feature—Lilo & Stitch. How could the studio that created a cartoon of the quality of Lilo & Stitch have transformed it into such a depressingly sub par ride? That is certainly one of the great conundrums surrounding Walt Disney World.

Word of advice to anyone visiting Disney’s Magic Kingdom. If there is a line at Stitch’s Great Escape you will do yourself by avoiding it. Space Mountain is within skipping distance and even if the wait is over two hours, it will still be more exciting than Stitch’s Great Escape. (The wait, I mean, though the ride rocks as well). What an amazing disappointment is Stitch’s Great Escape. My family and I went last October during the Disney World Halloween night and were treated to the surprise of there being no line. We walked right up and into the ride.

Disappointment all around.