 "Photo: Gingi Edmonds")
About 200 Disney and Michael Jackson fans began gathering around the main gate of Disneyland on midnight February 22nd. At 10am of the 23rd, the crowd was led in from a special line to see the the "re-debut" of Captain EO, a science fiction themed 3D musical, which has been absent from Disneyland since 1997.
Captain EO was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and executive produced by George Lucas specifically for release in Disneyland Park in 1986. The film stars Jackson as a captain leading a crew of aliens, robots and a furry winged creature named "fuzzball" on a spaceship on a mission to deliver a gift to a wicked alien witch played by Anjelica Huston.
The film features the songs “We Are Here to Change the World” and “Another Part of Me,” both written and performed by Jackson. The latter song is 0n Jackson’s “Bad” album in 1987. Although the film is not available on VHS or DVD, you can currently view the film in it's entirety on YouTube.
Rick Rothschild, who was the show producer for the original “Captain EO,” was brought back as a consultant for the film’s revival. Disney was able to make a new print of the film, updating the audio and adding “tactile” elements to the movie.
Disney crews added some motion to the floor, something that wasn’t part of the original showing. The vibrations during a spaceship sequence gave the attraction a Star Tours feel.
News stations and local media gathered around the hub of Tomorrowland in Disneyland Park to interview the reunion of the cast and crew of Captain EO. Present for the rerelease was director Francis Ford Coppola, Rick Rothschild, Imagineer and Creative Developement artist Tony Baxter and four performers in the movie - three dancers and an actress in a costume. The actress, Debbie Lee Carrington, was half of a two-headed creature named Idy the Geek. She was strapped in a back brace to the other actor and shared a leg in the costume.
There is no timeline for how long the show will run. Disneyland has stated on their official website blog that it will stay for as long as it remains popular. As of this weekend, wait time averaged 40 minutes to an hour to get into the Magic Eye Theater which seats 600 guests per 17 minute show. Fans continue to stream into the park sporting Michael Jackson and Captain EO t-shirts.
Disneyland is reviving the 17-minute movie partly because of the renewed popularity of Michael Jackson after his June death, and partly because of their recent return to classics in the park. Earlier this year Disneyland re-debuted the original Great Moments With Mister Lincoln and Sleeping Beauty Casle Walkthrough.
Captain EO is worth checking out, if not for the entertainment value, but as a landmark in cinema technology. EO was the first 3D musical, and groundbreaking in it's special effects. But hurry! This blast from the past won't be around for long.
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