Captain EO

Captain EO
Promotional poster for Captain EO
Ride statistics
Attraction type	3-D film with special effects
Designer	Walt Disney Imagineering
Theme	Space opera
Music	Written by James Horner
Starring	Michael Jackson, Anjelica Huston, Dick Shawn
Director	Francis Ford Coppola
Executive producer	George Lucas
Cinematographer	Peter Anderson
Visual, Lighting and Photographic Consultant	Vittorio Storaro
Writer and producer	Rusty Lemorande
Replaced	Magic Journeys
Replaced by	Honey, I Shrunk the Audience

Captain EO

Captain EO

Captain EO

Captain EO

Captain EO is a 3-D film starring Michael Jackson and directed by Francis Ford Coppola that was shown at Disney theme parks in the 1980s and 1990s.

The film's executive producer was George Lucas. The film was choreographed by Jeffrey Hornaday, photography by Peter Anderson, produced by Rusty Lemorande, and written by Lemorande, Lucas and Coppola. The score was written by James Horner, and featured two songs ("We Are Here to Change the World" and "Another Part of Me") by Michael Jackson. The Witch Queen was played by Anjelica Huston. Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro acted as visual consultant.

The story

The movie tells the story of Captain EO and the ragtag crew of his spaceship on a mission to deliver a gift to a wicked alien leader, the Witch Queen, on her home world of rotting, twisted metal and steaming vents. Captain EO's alien crew consists of his small flying sidekick Fuzzball, the double-headed navigator and pilot Idee and Odee, robotic security officer Major Domo, a small robot Minor Domo (who fits like a module into Major Domo), and the clumsy elephant-like shipmate Hooter (Tony Cox) who always manages to blunder the crew's missions.

Upon arriving on the planet, the crew is captured and sentenced to torture. Before being sent away, EO tells the Witch Queen that he sees the beauty hidden within her, and that he brings her the key to unlock it: his song, "We Are Here To Change The World".

The two robot members of the crew transform into music instruments and the crew members begin to play the various instruments. As Hooter runs toward his instrument, he trips over EO's cape and breaks his instrument, stopping the music. The spell broken, the Witch Queen orders her guards to capture Captain EO and his crew.

Hooter manages to repair his instrument and sends out a blast of music, providing EO with the power to throw off the guards. He uses his power to transform the dark hulking guards into agile dancers who fall into step behind him for a dance number. As EO presses forward toward the Supreme Leader she unleashes her Nich Warriors, two cybernetic defenders each with a whip and shield that can deflect EO's power.

The others all run away leaving Captain EO to fight the Nich Warriors alone. EO is trapped by a closing gate and is preparing for a last stand as both the whip warriors draw their whips back for a final blow. Fuzzball drops his instrument and speedily flies over to tie the two whips together, causing the Nich Warriors to be thrown off balance giving EO an opportunity to transform them as well. With no further obstacles, EO uses his power to transform the Witch Queen into a beautiful woman, her lair into a peaceful Greek temple and the planet into a verdant paradise.

A celebration breaks out to "Another Part of Me", as EO and his crew triumphantly exit and fly off into space.

Special effects

Captain EO made full use of its 3-D effects. The action on the screen extended into the audience, including 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.

Merchandising

The story was adapted with art by Tom Yeates in the comic book Eclipse 3-D 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 Hooter the elephant and the "Fuzzball" character. Trading cards, pins, and keychains were also produced.

Music

Two new songs appeared in the film. The first, an early version of "Another Part of Me. Later, it was re-mixed and later appeared on Jackson's hugely successful Bad album. It also makes a brief appearance in the movie "Rush Hour" in which Chris Tucker mimics Captain EO after blowing up a car.

"We Are Here to Change the World" was not officially released until 2004 as part of Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection. Soul/R&B singer Deniece Williams covered the song on her As Good As It Gets album (1988).

Renewed interest and possible return engagement

Since the death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009, the short movie has regained popularity on the internet on such sites as Twitter and Facebook, as well as MTV.com's movie blog. Many fans have suggested that The Walt Disney Company should bring the Tomorrowland attraction back to Disneyland Park. According to MiceAge and OC Weekly, Disneyland is currently considering bringing the attraction back for a short engagement to Disneyland Park as part of the Halloween Celebration for 2009. A final decision has yet to be made.

See also

• Epcot attraction and entertainment history
• Tokyo Disneyland attraction and entertainment history
• List of past Disneyland attractions

External links

• Captain EO at IMDb
• Captain EO at WDWHistory.com