Amidst all the closures and changes that the theme park world is grappling with in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, it might seem strange to get some construction news out of Walt Disney World. But it looks like, some time before things ground to a halt in the theme park world, permits were filed for the demolition of an attraction we’ve long since known was DOA…
Stitch’s Great Escape demolition permits have officially been filed
Rumors have swirled for several years about the imminent demise of Stitch’s Great Escape, especially as this attraction operated for over two years, with the pre-show space serving as a temporary meet and great a few times during periods of heavy park traffic. And though this attraction has been in a bit of a limbo space over the past few years, it looks like Disney is finally ready to put the final nail in this attraction’s coffin.
According to WDWMagic forum poster danlb_2000 it looks like permits have been officially filed that will gut the theater formerly used for Stitch’s Great Escape. Of course, since these permits were likely signed off on long before the current construction moratorium, so there’s no way to know when this project will actually commence.
And even if the demolition does occur soon, we could be waiting even longer to hear about any kind of replacement as there are a number of factors that are working against this project at the moment, and not just the current Walt Disney World closure.
Wreck-It Ralph attraction scrapped
Image: Disney
Though rumors swirled several years ago about a potential VR-based Wreck-It Ralph attraction in this area, well-placed sources indicate that this project was shelved a long time ago for unknown reasons before Wreck-It Ralph went on to have a VR attraction at The Void in Disney Springs and a “portal” at the Imagination pavilion at Epcot. What seems strange is right now there are no rumors about what Disney could be planning to put in the area formerly occupied by Stitch’s Great Escape. Though we don’t know for sure, it seems like Disney could be dismantling this attraction with no real plan for what to do with this space moving forward.
Adding to this is the climate in which Walt Disney World will reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic closure ends. Right now, we are expecting many projects to be downsized or cancelled, and even if Disney had some kind of plan for this space right now, with budget cuts expected to hit the resort hard, we’d guess a project that hasn’t even been confirmed with demolition not even begun yet will be on the furthest back burner there is.
Image: Disney
With this facility’s unique structure, there are plenty of options for this attraction space in the future, including putting another show in this area. However, we’re not expecting to hear anything in the near future about this project, so for now, it will just be empty attraction space until further notice.
