Alien: Terror Incarnate

**Alien: Terror Incarnate** is a "theater-in-the-round" attraction located in the Tomorrowland section of the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort, and is also located at the corresponding Tomorrowland or the like locations at Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland. The attraction is a co-production between Walt Disney Imagineering, Springbok Productions, Brandywine Productions (the original production company behind the *Alien* franchise, and was done before Springbok purchased the company) and Lucasfilm, all of whom, except Brandywine, received a license to make the attraction. the attraction is a dark, intense, survival horror science-fiction experience that uses binaural sound and various practical effects to immerse the guests in the story. The attraction is a continuation from an alternate ending of the film *Aliens*, which is not meant to be considered part of the franchise's canon, and was heavily influenced by the extremely similar Universal Studios Florida attraction *T2: 3-D Battle Across Time*.

The attraction replaced The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, though it included many of the creative figures involved in the previous attraction to return to craft the new experience. Most notably, ride writer and director Jerry Rees, who took on the reins of this attraction, and notable Lucasfilm staff, notably Rick McCallum, who helped supervise while George Lucas was busy filming *Attack of the Clones*. The original Florida version began soft opening previews on November 15, 2001, and then opened to the public on February 13, 2002. When it opened, the ride was hailed by the critics and public as superior to its predecessor, as establishing a firm experience that parents would know for certain whether or not their children would want to go on, and for creating an attraction with mature storytelling to appeal to older guests. In addition, a professionally filmed version of the ride film and the attraction itself was made available for purchase on VHS and DVD through the various Walt Disney World gift shops and online, and it is still readily purchased by guests.

## Attraction experience

### First preshow area

The attraction is an alternate continuation from *Aliens*, in which Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) succeeded in smuggling xenomorph eggs and samples from the planet LV-426 in order to deliver them to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Guests are ushered into the "Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center" (mentioned as such in the Tomorrowland Transit Authority narration) for a demonstration/angel investors pitch of the xenomorphs by Weyland-Yutani. The company CEO and chairman, Michael Bishop Weyland, also the basis for the Bishop model of androids (Lance Henriksen), gives a confident spiel about the history of Weyland-Yutani, with its involvement in faster-than-light space travel, interplanetary exploration, terraforming and colonization of other planets, and military weapons. Weyland states that the company has discovered the next important step in their evolution, a living organism than can be exploited for use of bio-weaponry and help further establish their strength in colonization. The preshow ends with a slick, happy montage that winds down with the Weyland-Yutani slogan: "Building Better Worlds."

### Second preshow area

Guests are then ushered to a second area where they are introduced to an experimental (and compared to the androids, less advanced) robot called **Simulated Intelligence Robotics** or **S.I.R.** for short, voiced by Tim Curry (and is a carryover from Alien Encounter, except rewritten to be less humorous and more menacing, and to fit the attraction better), who demonstrates a special laser-powered cage meant to contain "even the most dangerous organisms the history of the universe", with a human convict (played by a park cast member) attempting to break free from their prison, with what appears to be painful failure. This preshow is meant to further establish the mood of what is to come and weed out those who wish to leave for the exits early.

### Main attraction

Finally, guests are seated in harnesses within a circular chamber surrounding an enormous plastic cylinder, the "laser cage." Weyland and two unnamed company scientists (Charlize Theron and Anthony Michael Hall), communicate to the guests via rear-projected video screens. The trio confidently build up the demonstration to come, as well as how they can easily control and tame the xenomorph contained inside the cage, as well as show off its various attributes and abilities.

The lead-lined shield is lowered, exposing the xenomorph to the guests, and Weyland orders a series of demonstrations regarding its strength. The demonstrations seem to go well, but then the laser cage suddenly begins failing. The scientists try to enclose it in "shatterproof" glass to keep it contained, but it is no uses, as glass breaks anyway, and the shards also cut through the room's power supply, plunging the chamber in total darkness. Employees, with pre-recorded dialogue and sound playing, attempt to re-contain the xenomorph with the two scientists prodding through the intercoms, but are eviscerated, with blasts of fluid hitting the guests. The xenomorph's acid blood cuts through the walls of the chamber. Intermittent sparks from a live wire briefly fill the chamber with light, and holes in the walls, human blood, body parts, and other visible signs of struggle can be seen during these moments, getting progressively worse and gorier with each flash.

A maintenance worker, played by a cast member holding a flashlight with pre-recorded dialogue playing, attempts to restore the power, and also manages to hookup a body cam similar to the Colonial Marines from *Aliens*, and shows the guests the carnage in the maintenance hatch of more dead bodies and also of workers cocooned. The worker reconnects some lines, but before flipping the breaker to turn back on the power, ends up mauled by the xenomorph as shrieks fill the chamber and more fluid hits the guests' faces. After that, guests feel their seats rumble and shake as the xenomorph swiftly makes its way through the crowd, during which time the guests feel the "breath" of the xenomorph on their necks and drool dripping on them from its two mouths.

Suddenly, the two scientists from the video call attention to the fact there is another person in their location, saying the individual is not authorized to be in the control booth. The person speaks and is revealed to be Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), demanding to take control of the situation. Sounds of a physical struggle between Ripley and the two scientists ensue, eventually resulting in her winning the fight, and taunting the xenomorph to lead it to a "negative matter chamber" (the space that was the laser cage now doubles as this place) so that the xenomorph is disintegrated. After which the power is fully restored, and the video screens show Ripley addressing the guests, apologizing that they ended up involved in the situation, and admonishing them to leave at this moment. Guests are then released from their seats and ushered back out through the Merchant of Venus gift shop.