Sometimes it’s fun to poke your rival with a stick. In the rivalry between Universal Studios Orlando and the Walt Disney World Resort, Universal usually does the taunting. It’s typically small, like mocking the wait times for Disney’s online queue. Or talking smack about how proper Disney seems in comparison. But yesterday, Universal took a subtle shot at Disney, one that if you understood what was being said, you’d know that it cut deep.
In the early 2000s, Magic Kingdom had a ride deemed “too scary.” Extra TERRORestrial Alien Encounter was located directly across from the current location of Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor in Tomorrowland. On the ride, Guests were seated for an alien encounter, but it escaped and terrorized Guests in the dark. It was fantastic, but not necessarily the type of ride that Disney wanted in the Magic Kingdom.
In 2004, the ride was replaced by Stitch’s Great Escape. To promote the new ride, Disney thought it would be a good idea to allow Stitch to cause some mischief.
In typical Disney fashion, they let Stitch cover Cinderella Castle with toilet paper for the stunt. It was one of those things your grandfather tried to do to look “cool.”
Stitch’s Great Escape closed in 2018 and was widely considered one of the Magic Kingdom’s worst rides ever, possibly even Walt Disney World’s worst.
So, yesterday being “Stitch Day,” Universal celebrated by sending a cryptic tweet to honor the day. The tweet said, “It looked better with toilet paper on it.” In one fell swoop, Universal Studios Orlando took a shot at Disney, its worst ride, and its signature castle in eight words. It was a savage burn that required a little historical knowledge from the audience.
It looked better with toilet paper on it.
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) June 26, 2023
While the Magic Kingdom is still the most visited Theme Park in the World, Universal Studios Islands of Adventure is number two, and Universal Studios Florida is number three, just ahead of Disneyland in California. Universal also had a huge win this summer with The Super Mario Bros Movie (2023), while Disney’s summer releases mostly flopped.
It’s safe to say that the rivalry between Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando will continue as the two Theme Parks add new thrill rides and attractions to outdo each other. Still, at least for today, Universal Studios won the Twitter war.
We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.
