Captain EO is a 3D science fiction film starring Michael Jackson and directed by Francis Ford Coppola (who came up with the name "Captain EO" from the Greek Goddes "Eos", goddess of dawn) that was shown at Disney theme parks in 1986 through 1994. The attraction returned to the Disney Parks in 2010, as a tribute after Jackson's death. It is produced by George Lucas.
Songs[]
Cast[]
- Michael Jackson as Captain EO
- Anjelica Huston as The Supreme Leader
- Dick Shawn as Commander Bog
- Tony Cox as Hooter
- Debbie Lee Carrington as Geek (Idy)
- Cindy Sorensen as Geek (Ody)
- Gary DePew as Major Domo
- Percy Rodriguez as Narrator
- Dancers - Kahea Bright, Donald Devoux, Cameron English, Bruno Falcon III, Eric Henderson, Hugo Huizar, Evelyn Jezek, Ben Lokey, Lezlie Mogell, Stephen Nicholas, Mary Oedy, Beverly Shofner, Timothy Solomon, Kevin Bender, Janeen Best, Derrick Brice, Bill Burns, Alex Cole, Dennis Daniels, Felix Montano, Tony Fields, Forrest Gardner, Barry Lather, Reggie O'Gwin, Smith Osborne, Michelle Rudy, Darrel Wright, Tim Scott, James Everett, Bobby Walker, Paul Scott Adamo
Special Effects[]
Captain EO made full use of its 3D effects. The action on the screen extended into the audience, including asteroids, lasers, laser impacts, smoke effects, and starfields that filled the theater. These effects resulted in the seventeen-minute film costing an estimated $30 million to produce. At the time, it was the most expensive film ever produced on a per-minute basis, averaging out at $1.76 million per minute.
The 2010 version did not include the in-theater laser and starfield effects. It did utilize hydraulics previously used for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience to make the seats shake along with Captain EO's spaceship, as well as LED floodlighting which was new to the theater. They were also used for the bass-heavy musical numbers. The seats also bounced to the beat of Jackson's song. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience's seat-back misters were employed when Hooter sneezed. The leg ticklers from Honey, I Shrunk the Audience was also reused.
Production[]
Captain EO made full use of its 3D effects. The action on the screen extended into the audience, including asteroids, lasers, laser impacts, smoke effects, and starfields that filled the theater. These effects resulted in the seventeen-minute film costing an estimated $30 million to produce. At the time, it was the most expensive film ever produced on a per-minute basis, averaging out at $1.76 million per minute.
Music[]
The show's orchestral score was composed by James Horner, while the area and pre-show music was written by Richard Bellis.
Two new songs appeared in the film. The first was an early mix of "Another Part of Me". The song was re-mixed and later appeared on Jackson's hugely successful Bad album. It was released as a single in 1988.
"We Are Here to Change the World" was not officially released until 2004 as part of The Ultimate Collection. However, this version was a shorter edit of the full-length song. Soul/R&B singer Deniece Williams covered the song on her As Good As It Gets album in 1988.
Merchandising[]
Concurrent with the opening of the attraction, a behind-the-scenes documentary special entitled Captain EO: Backstage was produced for television by MKD Productions. The piece was directed by Muffett Kaufman and was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. It featured interviews with the cast, writers and director.
The story was adapted with art by Tom Yeates in the comic book Eclipse 3D Special #18 and issued in two formats: regular-sized for distribution to the national network of comic book stores and tabloid-sized sold at Disneyland as a souvenir. Toys available included plush versions of Idey and Ody, Hooter, and the "Fuzzball" character. Other merchandise included trading cards, pins, keychains, a T-shirt of the film's logo, and a glow-in-the-dark T-shirt with the same three-color pattern painted across it that Captain EO wore in the film.
Reception and legacy[]
Several years after the attraction originally opened, it made its only network television appearance on MTV, albeit in a down-converted 2-D version. It has not aired again since, nor has it officially been issued on home video, although bootleg videos exist.
After the death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009, Captain EO regained popularity on the Internet. For several years, a small group of fans had petitioned Disney to bring back the attraction and Jackson's death had brought this campaign to a peak. Soon afterward, Disney officials were seen in Disneyland at the Magic Eye Theater and reportedly held a private screening of Captain EO to determine if it could be shown again. On September 10, Disney CEO Bob Iger said, "There aren’t plans to bring back Captain EO at this time ... We are looking at it. It’s the kind of thing that, if we did it, would get a fair amount of attention and we’d want to make sure we do it right."
On December 18, 2009, Disney announced that Captain EO would return to Tomorrowland at Disneyland beginning in February 2010. Social and Print Media Manager Heather Hust Rivera from Disneyland Resort confirmed this on the DisneyParks Blog and stated that Honey, I Shrunk the Audience would be closing. That attraction hosted its final public showing in the Magic Eye Theater at midnight on January 4, 2010, to make way for the Michael Jackson film's return.
The attraction re-opened at Disneyland on February 23, 2010. The attraction returned to Discoveryland at Disneyland Park (Paris) on June 12, 2010, returned to Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort on July 2, and to Tokyo Disneyland on July 1. At Epcot, the film had a "soft opening" (actual opening to the public prior to the official opening) on June 30, 2010, two days prior to its official re-opening.
The attraction was billed as "Captain EO Tribute" to distinguish the presentation of the film from its original 1986–1997 run. The new presentation made use of existing in-theatre special effects held over from Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, but many of the original "4-D" effects such as the enormous fiber-optic "starfield" wall along with smoke and lasers were removed from the building at the show's first closing and were not returned for the revived presentation. The removed special effects from the original presentation are also missing in the Epcot, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris revivals that followed.
On December 19, 2013, Tokyo Disneyland announced it would be closing Captain EO on June 30, 2014, to make way for Stitch Encounter in spring 2015.
Beginning July 4, 2014, the Magic Eye Theater at Disneyland was used to present a sneak peek of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy. Although Captain EO was expected to return to the venue at a later date, beginning September 26, 2014, the theater was used to present a sneak peek of Walt Disney Animation Studios' Big Hero 6. Beginning in mid-April 2015, the venue presented a sneak peek of Walt Disney Pictures' Tomorrowland. The venue was renamed the Tomorrowland Theater. Beginning November 16, 2015, the theater has been used to present scenes from the Star Wars films as part of the park's "Season of the Force" event.
On November 13, 2015, Disney announced that Captain EO would be closing on December 6, 2015, to make way for a "Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival".
Connection to Star Wars[]
Fuzzball in the Skeleton Crew trailer (2024)
It has always been pointed out, that Captain EO could take place in the Star Wars universe, as the film was produced by George Lucas and simply seemed to be connected in one way or another. On August 10, 2024 an official trailer for the Disney+ show Skeleton Crew was released, which featured Fuzzball.[1] It is currently unknown if it is pointing to Captain EO taking place in a galaxy far far away, or just a reference.
Trivia[]
- Along with the two new tracks on the movie, there was one more planned for it, "Starlight Sun", it was made in 1985 for the movie, it ultimately didn't make the cut however.