Vandalism is not any laughing matter, children. This present day, punks and pranksters are fueled to fan and fortune on the TikTok and whatnot, garnering trillions of views and cult-like adoration as they poison the minds and morals of our nation’s youth. It’s thus exceedingly disappointing that Walt Disney World, as soon as a beacon for household values, is celebrating criminality but once more.
All of it occurred for the primary time again on November 16, 2004. On that fateful day, one of many worst points of interest in Walt Disney World historical past opened, with Sew’s Nice Escape changing the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, one among my favourite points of interest of all-time. It got here amidst some darkish days for Walt Disney World, with a multi-year lull in new choices and several other artistic misfires. (No matter you consider the previous couple of years, the early to mid aughts have been worse.)
The identical might be mentioned for the Walt Disney Animation Studios, which was why Lilo & Sew was such a vivid spot and there was a lot pleasure for Sew’s Nice Escape. It was billed by Walt Disney World as that includes probably the most refined Audio-Animatronics ever developed by Imagineering, with the multi-sensory Tomorrowland journey placing friends in the midst of the mayhem brought on by “Experiment 626” when he’s despatched to the Galactic Federation Prisoner Teleport Heart.
Within the distinctive theater-in-the-round attraction, park friends arrived as new recruits at a detention facility designed to separate the galaxy’s naughty from the great. Throughout Sew’s Nice Escape, friends have been ushered into the middle’s high-security teleportation chamber because the six-limbed Sew beams in, tracked by two ceiling-mounted “plasma cannons” that comply with his DNA each time — and wherever — it strikes.
With friends seated in DNA scanning restraints, Imagineering’s proprietary “proximity audio” expertise supplies a detailed encounter with the playful Sew as he makes an attempt to outwit the galactic authorities within the round chamber. Sights, sounds and — ewwww! — smells add to the pandemonium.
On-line, followers of the artful alien might be taught extra concerning the new attraction and assist Sew discover Magic Kingdom in Sew’s Escape Sport, a free obtain out there for Home windows PCs at stitchescape.com. (Most of that is verbatim out of the unique press launch.) Suffice to say, there was a number of pleasure and fanfare for Sew’s Nice Escape forward of its debut.
As a part of the promotional push for the brand new attraction, friends to Magic Kingdom on November 16, 2004 have been greeted by an enormous inflatable Sew outdoors the Important Avenue USA Prepare Station on the park’s entrance entrance. The mischievous Experiment 626 was as soon as once more on the unfastened to mark the grand opening of Sew’s Nice Escape. (This inflatable was used on numerous events from 2004 till at the very least 2007; we noticed him repurposed for Christmas, sporting a Santa hat one 12 months.)
The most important shock got here when friends turned the nook on Important Avenue, and have been greeted with that iconic sight: Cinderella Fort. Besides lined in bathroom paper. Because it turned out, Sew had TP’d the Magic Kingdom icon in a single day, whereas additionally spray-painting “Sew is King” on one of many Cinderella Fort turrets.
To additional clue in friends that it was Sew who had wantonly vandalized Cinderella Fort moderately than a rogue felony who broke into the park (how would that even work?!), there have been “Needed” indicators throughout Important Avenue for Experiment 626. Later that day, there was additionally a particular grand opening stage present for Sew’s Nice Escape that includes Elvis impersonators.
Listed here are images of the one-day festivities sourced from Pinterest and Imgur (sorry for the shortage of attribution–unable to trace down the unique sources):
I actually remorse not seeing this in individual. Sarah and I didn’t first go to Walt Disney World collectively as adults till one other year-plus after this, so we missed it. I acquired into the Disney fandom fairly deep across the similar time in Summer time 2006.
Already, this was the stuff of legends. There was no social media outrage machine again then, however relaxation assured, there was most undoubtedly outrage. It was just like the twenty fifth Anniversary Cinderella Fort Cake over again, with complaints about how disrespectful it was, how dangerous it appeared, and the way upset friends should’ve been who solely had in the future in Magic Kingdom and this was in all of their images. (Since so few images exist, I assume these complaints are on behalf of different friends, not firthand suggestions.)
As with the controversial Fort Cake, my favourite is its detractors expressing sympathy for brides of the nascent “Disney Fairy Story Weddings” division who arrived to Magic Kingdom on November 16, 2004, shocked and heartbroken to find that the regal fortress they wished within the backdrop of their images had been vandalized.
To every their very own, however the official place of this web site is that we’d cherish our marriage ceremony images much more if that they had a toilet-papered fortress within the background. Consider how distinctive that may be–an superior conversation-piece when guests to your property noticed your marriage ceremony images! (Correction/retraction: I’ve been suggested that, actually, we’d not cherish such images. This weblog condemns toilet-papering Cinderella Fort within the harshest of phrases.)
Quick ahead to Might 23, 2025–the discharge date of the “reside motion” Lilo & Sew remake. Oops, he did it once more:
Caught within the act of virtually turning the enduring Cinderella Fort right into a roll of chaos 😉🧻 Don’t miss this troublemaker in #LiloAndStitch, now in theaters! 🌺 pic.twitter.com/Shn5f43TQP
— Walt Disney World (@WaltDisneyWorld) Might 23, 2025
As a part of a brand new advertising and marketing marketing campaign for the remake, the Walt Disney World and Disney Parks social media accounts have shared a brand new video of Sew with the caption: “caught within the act of virtually turning the enduring Cinderella Fort right into a roll of chaos 😉🧻 Don’t miss this troublemaker in #LiloAndStitch, now in theaters! 🌺”
The video options Sew in his live-action look rolling in entrance of Cinderella Fort, which has been digitally adorned as a call-back to the notorious IRL November 2004 overlay. The one variations are the Cinderella Fort shade scheme and that it learn “Sew is King” in 2004 and now readers, “Sew was Right here.”
In case it’s not clear, that is all CGI or no matter, and no park icons have been harmed within the making of this advertising and marketing marketing campaign. So it’s not precise vandalism, and Sew can solely be charged with Tried Mischief. As I perceive it, that’s a second-degree misdemeanor. Good factor that Reedy Creek Jail nonetheless hasn’t been constructed, or Sew might do 30-days within the slammer. (Then once more, if city legends concerning the underground Disney Jail are true…)
Joking apart, a part of me actually needs Walt Disney World would’ve toilet-papered Cinderella Fort for actual. It could’ve been foolish and enjoyable, and social media would’ve had a discipline day with it. Then once more, I utterly perceive why they didn’t. Each little outrage is amplified extra today, and manufactured into greater than it’d in any other case be.
Even setting apart these performing in dangerous religion, there would have undoubtedly been common ole friends saving up 1000’s of {dollars} to step foot onto Important Avenue for the primary time (and solely time), devastated to see Cinderella Fort “vandalized.”
I’m very sympathetic to this attitude, and acknowledge my very own entitlement as a blogger who has seen the fortress numerous instances and would simply recognize one thing recent and zany–even when objectively ugly. So maybe Sew might’ve TP’d his previous attraction IRL? That’s ugly anyway.
Disney has had a number of enjoyable with the advertising and marketing marketing campaign for the Lilo & Sew remake. Earlier this week, Disney shared pictures of Sew wreaking havoc at Disneyland throughout its seventieth anniversary celebration, with Sew crashing a photoshoot for Mickey and Minnie, driving Tiana’s Bayou Journey, and extra.
Sew has additionally “crashed” the Disney Parks Weblog, with an “Alien Invasion” button that transforms pages. New menu gadgets impressed by “Lilo & Sew” are additionally coming to Walt Disney World and Disneyland to rejoice the remake’s launch.
The eagerly anticipated movie, a live-action reimagining of Disney’s 2002 animated basic, is now taking part in in theaters nationwide. Lilo & Sew is the wildly humorous and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian lady and the fugitive alien who helps to fix her damaged household.
The movie is directed by award-winning filmmaker Dean Fleischer Camp, from a screenplay by Chris Kekaniokalani Shiny and Mike Van Waes. Lilo & Sew stars Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, and Chris Sanders, with Courtney B. Vance and Zach Galifianakis, and introducing Maia Kealoha.
Disney reviews that the blue alien’s model has expanded throughout The Walt Disney Firm’s varied segments exponentially since 2002. There are in fact the animated sequels and the TV sequence, however friends at areas corresponding to Walt Disney World Resort and Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa can have enjoyable in-person encounters with the character. As a model for Disney Client Merchandise, Sew has grown 27-fold over simply the final 5 years.
I used to be shocked to learn that line about 27-fold progress for Sew, however largely as a result of it’s been within the final 5 years. Personally, I’ve actually come round on Sew, however during the last decade-plus. For the primary a number of years after the film got here out, I had “Sew Fatigue” and felt the character was poorly used, and annoyingly so. Disney by no means fairly captured the heat and coronary heart of the character, which was odd for a film that had simply come out.
Issues acquired higher across the time Frozen got here out and was a smash success. Sew was in a position to fade into the background, was used extra sparingly within the parks, and in conditions the place it really made sense. Disney additionally acquired higher about conveying his massive coronary heart alongside together with his mischievousness, making the character a lot much less abrasive.
This can be a massive motive why we cherished “A Completely Tomorrowland Christmas,” and hope that the success of the Lilo & Sew remake is what’s wanted to convey again that cult-classic stage present for Christmas 2025. Even when that doesn’t return, I wouldn’t thoughts Imagineering taking a second-crack at making a Sew attraction. They’ve a vacant area in Tomorrowland and an envelope-pushing Audio Animatronics determine, so would possibly as effectively give it a strive!
Sew is de facto lovable when specializing in his finest options, and has a ton of unrealized theme park potential. The character has a sure child-like high quality to him, which I assume is why he resonates with children and adults alike. This would possibly sound like heresy coming from me, however Sew is sort of like Figment for contemporary kids. (Nearly. He’s extra rambunctious and fewer imaginative–however there are clear parallels!)
Past that, the Lilo & Sew remake really seems good. Maybe I’m simply being “fooled” by a powerful advertising and marketing marketing campaign, as virtually all of those remakes have did not justify their very own existence (the largest exception being Pete’s Dragon, which I really like). We stopped watching the remakes ages in the past, realizing after Magnificence and the Beast that they have been by no means pretty much as good or higher than the animated movies they remade–so we would as effectively watch these.
I extremely doubt Lilo & Sew would be the exception to that rule, however I’m at the very least curious at this film since I do suppose the animated model had room for enchancment. We’ll most likely test it on Disney+ finally, which could appear tepid–however it’s pretty excessive reward for Lilo & Sew’s PR push provided that we haven’t watched any of those remakes since 2017. I want Disney one of the best of luck with this movie on the field workplace and hope it joins the billion greenback membership. However bear in mind children: crime doesn’t pay.
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Your Ideas
What do you consider Sew toilet-papering Cinderella Fort? Ought to he have completed it for actual once more, or is the digital homage one of the best of each worlds? Dissatisfied to see Disney celebrating criminality and wanton acts of vandalism? Excited to see Lilo & Sew in theaters, or have you ever been burned by too many reside motion remakes? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
