When Stitch’s Great Escape! closed its doors on January 6, 2018, few knew that it was never going to reopen, as it was listed as a “seasonal operation.” Leaked photos surfaced later that year, showing Stitch’s animatronic completely dismantled, and by 2020, Disney confirmed the attraction’s permanent closure. Fast-forward to 2025, and the building that once housed Stitch’s Great Escape! still sits largely unused. Aside from the PeopleMover gliding through, no new major attraction has opened in the northern show building since Stitch bid his final farewell.
This leads to an obvious question: What was the rush to shut it down in the first place?
Was Stitch’s Great Escape! a beloved attraction? For most people, including myself, not really. But like it or not, it served a critical function: helping absorb crowds. In a park where capacity is a huge factor in guest satisfaction, even a “filler” attraction has value. Removing it without a ready replacement only puts more strain on other areas of the park, increasing wait times and congestion elsewhere.
If Disney had immediate plans for the space, its closure might have made sense. However, if there was a replacement project, it’s either been shelved or indefinitely delayed. Meanwhile, other projects across Walt Disney World — from new rides to entire hotel expansions — have moved forward. Yet this corner of Tomorrowland remains empty, feeling more and more like an abandoned storefront in a dying mall.
Over the years, various rumors have floated around — from a Wreck-It Ralph VR experience to other Tomorrowland reimaginings — but nothing has materialized. And honestly, if Disney needed space for something like the new Disney Vacation Club lounge (which replaced the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade), why not put it here instead of knocking out other operating areas?
This raises a broader question about Disney’s current development philosophy: Why is there such a tendency to tear down active, functioning spaces when there are already dormant ones waiting to be reimagined? Why let buildings sit and rot instead of revitalizing them?
Yes, Stitch’s Great Escape! wasn’t a fan-favorite, and it’s understandable that Disney would want to eventually replace it with something better. But closing an attraction — even a mediocre one — without a clear and timely replacement plan feels shortsighted. Empty show buildings don’t enhance the guest experience either. Sometimes, even the rides we don’t love still play an important part in the bigger theme park ecosystem.
In the end, the closure of Stitch’s Great Escape! Feels less like a bold step forward for Tomorrowland and more like a half-finished sentence — one that, seven years later, is still waiting for its ending.
