The Alien Encounter Cast The casting of Extra-Terrorestrial Alien Encounter was as good as any movie project. This group of talented actors brought a very intriguing science-fiction story literally to life and introduced you to these wonderful characters very quickly. This was important because there was a limited amount of time to give us an idea of what was going on and why. I don't think any other attraction not backed by a movie has ever been more developed and understandable.
Tyra Banks plays an Alien Spokeswoman in the attraction's video presentation where she introduces the world of XS. Her narration of the XS company history gives you the image of a vast and quickly growing entity on the verge of becoming universally recognizable and very profitable; think Haliburton in space. Tyra is a model and now a Talk and Reality-Show host.

Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Bueler's Day Off, Sleepy Hollow, Beetleguise) is a very easily recognizable face, even through the green make-up and big head. Jones plays Chairman L.C. Clench of XS Technology. Clench is a relentless businessman ready to do anything to make a profit and push his brand. He may remind you of an alien car salesman or infomercial host. In the end, it’s Clench’s own drive to “Seize the Future” that gets him lost, and you into trouble. Jeffrey Jones, born 1946, is an actor best known as the principal from 'Ferris Bueler's Day Off'. His many other movies include 'Amadeus', The 'Hunt for Red October', various voice acting, and many Tim Burton films including the 2012 remake of 'Frankenweenie'. Jones' legal troubles may have aided the the decision by Disney to change the attraction which was already slightly controversial because of it's lack of child-friendly fuzziness.

Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, ect.) plays the cocky and very cool Audio-Animatronic character SIR, “which stands for Simulated Intelligence Robotics”. The robot SIR is much like Clench in character, trying to sell the product without caring about the consequences. The voice of Curry is not the only cool thing about this character though; the way the robot moves is flawless, making you forget that this is a program run over and over again by computers and gears. It seems as if you could have a conversation with SIR after the presentation. SIR is visible from the waist up with fully moveable arms, hands, fingers, neck, head, and mouth. Many of his parts look like they were made of bike and dirt-bike accessories: his head is a helmet, his chest looks like protective chest-gear, his hands look like they have some glove covering, ect. His eyes are little digital screens that show movement. Tim Curry is an actor remembered for his voice and playing the famous Doctor Frank-N-Furter in the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'. He was also in the 'Hunt for Red October' and 'Tales From the Crypt' like Jeffrey Jones, cult classic 'Legend', and the second 'Home Alone'. He can be heard in countless, and I mean countless cartoons and games to this day, like 'Darkwing Duck', 'Talespin', 'Gargoyles', 'The Wild Thornberries', and more recently 'Ben10' and 'Phineas and Ferb'.

Dr. Femus, it seems, is the only intelligent mind of this whole species. Played by Kathy Najimy, (Sister Act, Veronica’s Closet) the character tries to be rational in the group of company-men and is the Heroin who defeats the Alien, saving the crowd of screaming humans light-years away by, well screaming. Kathy Najimy has had a long career in the movies, television, and voice work. One of her more memorable roles has been Peggy Hill from the long running 'King of the Hill'. Recently she has also been in Pixar's 'Wall-E', 'Ugly Betty', and 'Desperate Housewives'.

Kevin Pollak (Willow, L A Story, Avalon) plays the part of Spinlok. Spinlok manages the teleportation project for XS TECH. His mistake comes when he tries to appease the impatience of Chairman Clench and starts the teleportation too early, sending Clench to another planet instead of Earth. During the crisis in the main chamber Spinlok tries to take charge, but it is his associate Dr. Femus who saves the day. Kevin is an actor famous for impersonations, like his impression of William Shatner and Christopher Walken. Kevin has appeared in many films including 'Casino', 'A Few Good Men', TV miniseries 'The Lost Room', and 'The Santa Clause' 2 and 3.

Danny Mann is the Voice-Actor who plays the adorable alien Skippy who gets burnt to a crisp by SIR in a teleportation demonstration accident which shows you XS is, "putting sales before science". Mann has been credited on just about any cartoon you can think of including the 'Smurfs', 'The Transformers', The Real Ghostbusters','The Tick', 'Batman', 'Rugrats', 'Ferngully:The Last Rainforest' alongside Tim Curry, 'Darkwing Duck', and recently 'Toy Story 3', 'Up', 'Ponyo', and 'Ice Age'.

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