Originally Posted By sjhym333 Not to mention that AE took up residence at what was considered a quaint attraction by the time that it closed...Mission to Mars. My guess is that people didn't make the jump mentally from one attraction to another.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<That sense of the unknown and trepidation is what made AE so unique those first few experiences - it wasn't like anything I'd ever experienced from WDW before.>> So true. I still remember the first time I went on the attraction, and how nervous I got after that robot suspended Skippy's transfer "indefinitely". I was so shocked that Disney had basically just showed a cute little creature getting killed! It really heightened my nervousness going into the main show area!
Originally Posted By LacyBelle <<There were a lot of signs saying "may be too frightening for small children" - I'm not sure what else Ops could have done in this instance.>> I went on this my one and only time as an adult and it was too intense for me. I don't feel that I'm one that scares all that easily. I likely ignored or disregarded the warnings, as I couldn't imagine that Disney would do something like that to me! Despite the warnings, I was woefully unprepared for the experience. I've never been back into the building since. No interest in having Stitch burp on me and have that same 'locked in' experience as AE provided.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox My experience with AE was also jarring. I have an usually high startle response, so haunted house type experiences aren't pleasant. Friends pretty much warned me about the show and what to expect, so it wasn't a complete surprise. I knew it wouldn't be pleasant, but I really wanted to experience it at least once. And one Imagineering friend gave me the advice that if I was still feeling afraid as the shoulder restraint was coming down, to place my forearms up next to my ears so the speakers and special effects would stay up high, out of range. That trick worked. Not being able to hear the sound effects or feel the 'breath' on my neck lessened my fear quite a bit. And as others have noted, it is a one-trick pony. Once you know what's coming, it isn't frightening anymore. I went a second time that day, around park closing. It was the last show, and only 3 other people were in the theater with us. Actually, the show is really funny when no one is there. You can hear the theater sound effects better, like the canned screaming, without the real audience screaming. By not having anyone else around to amp up the fear, it comes off as incredibly hokey. It's a psychological effect show, obviously. But I'm still amazed that it was ever approved for MK. It should have gone to the Studios.
Originally Posted By Socrates Skinnerbox, that was my experience too. I went on it the first time with a girlfriend and she was so unsettled we held hands the entire time. But we left the theater laughing. And I had to buy a Skippy plush after all they put that poor guy through... Socrates "The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."
Originally Posted By leemac <<And as others have noted, it is a one-trick pony. Once you know what's coming, it isn't frightening anymore. >> I bet you still flinched even when you know what was coming! Even though I knew the show script by heart it still made me jump. Same on ToT - as much as I know exactly when the conveyance locks in place (and at D-MGM that takes forever) I still can't quite prepare myself 100% for the shock of the first push. It would have been better if the effects had been randomized around the theater so every experience was slightly different. I still miss AE - it was a product of the nineties but it was a time when WDI had virtually a carte blanche to do whatever they wanted. Granted it was the usual "something goes terribly wrong" conceit but it had a really witty script and fun characters. It had a playful charm about it that poked a lot at the likes of Star Trek etc. It didn't take itself seriously ( those "audience" comments always made me laugh). I wonder if TL2055 had been built under the Disney Decade umbrella whether AE would have survived at DL.
