Disney's Journey Into Terror - Alien Encounters From New Tomorrowland with Robert Urich (1995)

This infamous promotional TV special is a pseudo-documentary on the UFO phenomenon that was part of pop culture in the 1990's. At the time, such serious documentaries on UFO's, close encounters, and alien abductions had become common place and such series as The X-Files were quite popular. A few years later such related theatrical films as Independence Day and Men In Black further demonstrate the interest in this topic. The Walt Disney Company decided to market their most controversial new attraction, Extraterrorestrial Alien Encounter, rooted in such a manner.

Extraterrorestrial Alien Encounter was the first real horror ride in a Disney Park and a lot of guests as well as employees felt that it was too scary for their family friendly image. Disney licensed the content of the Alien franchise from 20th Century Fox with the premise that the alien from those films gets loose in the theater among around the audience. Lucasfilm collaborated with Walt Disney Imagineering in the creation of this 4-D experience. There was controversy from the start stemming from the Alien films are rated R and at the time Disney Park attractions were only based on G or PG properties.

Disney CEO Micheal Eisner was a champion of this attraction and brough George Lucus in to make it work, having already collaborated with him on Captain EO and Star Tours. The first version of this ride opened in December 1994 before Eisner shut it down for retooling believing it wasn't intense enough. The second version of this attraction opening in summer 1995 and guest complaints began immediately. The majority response from families was that this ride was far too scary for their children, but Eisner remained firm and even had the ride made more intense for a third version. Disclaimer signs were also installed outside the entrance, but this didn't deter the guest complaints. This was one of the many things that added to the rift between Eisner and Roy Disney Jr who was against this attraction being associated with his family name from the start. Only after the death of Disney President Frank Wells, did Eisner go ahead with his plans to install this ride. Due to the negative feedback, Tokyo Disneyland and Euro Disney refused to allow this attract ion to be installed in their parks.

In 2003 Extraterrorestrial Alien Encounter was shuttered and replaced with Stich's Great Escape! This ride was based on Walt Disney Feature Animation's 2002 film Lilo & Stitch and used the same premise but was much more friendly for a family audience. Stitch's Great Escape opened in 2004 to much acclaim from guests.

This TV special hosted by beloved actor Robert Urich has become legendary among Disney buffs. It only aired once and for years many urban legends began to take root about the content. If you didn't catch it during the one time you didn't see it at all. Some believed it was an update of Walt's own Man in Space series produced by Disney Legend Ward Kimball. For years Kimball claimed there was to be a fourth installment of that series that would have focused on UFO's and aliens but the United States Government shut it down. Kimball was a practical joker and is even credited with starting the urban legend that Walt was frozen so we can't take his claims as gospel.

When Disney produced this TV special, they portrayed it as a serious documentary to the UFO experts they interviewed without telling them it was a pseudo-documentary to promote a theme park attraction and many of them were angry about it. Disney ignored their demands for an apology but never reaired this TV special again hoping it would be forever forgotten. Here is that special.

Original airdate February 27, 1995

Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.