So let's begin with the 3D movie by the name of Captain EO, starring the extremely talented Michael Jackson in his prime. To give a very brief synopsis of the film, Michael Jackson is a space captain out on a mission with his crew of various aliens to save a planet from an evil witch queen. Sounds bizarre? Well, yes it is. It is pure 80s cheese, but as one of my friends said, that's the best kind of cheese there is.
The film premiered at Disneyland in 1986, and I was there for opening day. I was only 4 at the time, but I remember walking into the park and getting a wrist band which had the Captain EO logo (as seen on the poster here). We also received t-shirts that day which had the same design of the shirt that Michael wears under his jacket in the film; the back of the t-shirt says something along the lines of "I was here to change the world," referring to the song featured in the film called "We Are Here to Change the World." We waited in this loooong line to see it, but my brother and I were both excited at the prospect of seeing Michael Jackson dance in 3D. We finally got into the theatre and sat down, putting on our purple 3D glasses.
We were amazed. I mean, think about it. I was 4, and my brother was 8. This was cutting edge stuff at the time that we were being exposed to. The theatre had lasers and smoke effects installed to correspond with the scenes in the movie. It went beyond 3D as it actually engaged the audience with these physical effects. I vividly remember the opening of the film. The lights dimmed, and the stars on the screen expanded out to the rest of the theatre. They did an amazing job creating this starfield with points of light that stretched out onto the walls of the theatre. I mean, this may sound cheesy, but it was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful to see.
While Michael Jackson did two of the songs of the film, the score itself was done by James Horner. Whenever I hear the opening instrumental music of Captain EO, either on YouTube or in person (thanks to the reopening of the attraction at Disneyland), it still gives me chills. A big group of us went to see it this past weekend, and my brother and I were both screaming and whooping when that music began to play as we entered the theatre.
I remember seeing Michael do his moonwalk...in 3D. Oh yeah, this film was not screwing around. It was hardcore. We had Fuzzball, Captain EO's cute companion, which was a creature that had a long tail and butterfly wings. He flew out to the audience, taking full advantage of the 3D effects. I remember reaching out to him. And then there were the parts that just absolutely freaked me out as a kid. The witch queen, played by Anjelica Houston, had these claws, and she, too, took advantage of the fact that the film was 3D. She reached out to the audience, and I remember a few people screaming in our audience. I remember covering my eyes and just hoping I would see Michael dance soon. Also when the queen sends her troops to close in on EO, the camera has a shot of Captain EO's perspective when they jab their spears at him. I always flinched whenever I saw that part.
So is the magic still the same after all these years? Of course, I'm going to mention seeing this film in the present day. Like I said, my brother and I were psyched when we saw this film again. The nostalgia factor is high, but it is just a fun movie to see again from an adult perspective. As a kid, I didn't pay much attention the storyline, but now as an adult, I can fully appreciate the humor (as kiddish as it is sometimes) and laugh at the mishaps of Captain EO's crew. It has been 24 years since I first saw it, but I still sing along with Michael Jackson and marvel at the dance sequences. They didn't replicate the exact effects from the 1986 run, but the light effects were still well done. No more starfield, but that's nothing to complain about. I really didn't think this would ever happen. It's unprecedented. Disney brought back an old attraction? I mean, I know it's Michael Jackson, but still. Unthinkable!
They also modified the acoustics in the theatre so that the sound is significantly better. The only modification that I had a complaint about was the use of the motion floor. The previous attraction in that theatre was Honey I Shrunk the Audience, and instead of getting rid of the motion floor, they decided to utilize it for Captain EO. It was pretty excessive because they had the floor bounce in time with the beat when the first dance sequence starts up. It was just too distracting the first time I experienced it, but because I was prepared for it the second time, it wasn't too bad during my second viewing. Yes, I have already watched the film twice since its return.
I think they did an overall good job with bringing the film back. There's a spanking brand new sign (as you can see in the picture of me and my boyfriend), and for me, getting to see this film is a nice way to revisit my childhood. It brings back my memories of simpler times, and I still feel the same thrill that I felt when I first watched it in 1986. It was also done when Michael was in his prime, long before his life became a public relations mess. He was young, and he looked so happy. I got a little choked up when he smiles at the queen after he transforms her back into a beautiful woman. It was simpler times for him as well, and being a big Michael Jackson fan, it was nice getting to see this film and get to experience Michael performing when he was on top of the world.
Thus, concludes my Captain EO post. This film was one of several projects that George Lucas was involved with at Disney. The other two projects are Star Tours and the Indiana Jones Adventure: The Temple of the Forbidden Eye, which I am sure I will talk about at a later date. Both are fantastic attractions as well.
Well, I hope you enjoyed reading the first attraction post, and go see Captain EO if you're at Disneyland! And if that's too expensive for you, check out the film on YouTube. There are some good quality versions of it on there. Of course, the experience is not the same, but you'll at least get to see the parts of the film that I refer to in this post.
