Behind the Scenes: Captain EO return

Here you are an interesting article that shows the Behind the Scenes of Captain EO!

Courtesy of a Walt Disney World Cast member:

It was exciting, nostalgic and just a bit poignant to see Michael Jackson moonwalking through the air in 3-D once again. The symbol of Captain EO is popping up again around Epcot.

I just watched the King of Pop jump, spin and float above a cheering audience at a preview of the renowned 3-D Captain EO film that will re-open at Epcot on July 2, after 16 years out of public view.

The revamped and enhanced 3-D experience I saw on June 30 at the Imagination Pavilion makes the man who was loved by millions from his days as child star until his untimely death in 2009 seem startlingly life-like. 

Seen through 3-D glasses, Jackson's dazzling pivots and twirls appear just out of reach. And so does one of his shipmates named Fuzzball - a wing-flapping, orange space monkey who seems to dart about the theater.

It was fun to hear cast members at the preview cheering and yelling each time Jackson - decked out in spaceman attire - got ready to sing and dance his way across the drab planet on which he and his wacky crew crash-landed.

The experience seemed even better than I remembered them from nearly a quarter century ago when I first saw them. Disney specialists have spiffed up some of the special effects that accompany the film. Be prepared for some in-your-face asteroids, ray-gun beams that whoosh by your head and the close-up snorting of Hooter, a green space elephant.

A short video playing in the waiting area before the show gave some background on the groundbreaking film and featured some vintage clips about the making of Captain EO in 1986.

Cast members, who participated in Magic Backstage, lined up to get a preview of Michael Jackson's famous 3-D film.

Inside the theater, Dan Cockerell, vice president of Epcot, told the cast members, who were participating in the Magic Backstage opportunity to see the film, that it was Jackson fans such as themselves who kept asking Disney to bring back Captain EO and his musical crew.

The 17-minute movie also boasts the creative talents of three Hollywood giants: Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola, who directed the film; Star Wars creator George Lucas, who was the executive producer; and Oscar-winning actor Anjelica Huston, who plays the wicked queen.

It was exciting to see the entertainer in top-notch form and to recall how he launched himself into a space-fantasy musical with such verve back in 1986. 

But it was nostalgic, too, because as you watch the futuristic Captain EO bring color and mirth to a dingy netherworld somewhere beyond our solar system, you can't help remember how the pop idol seemed to do the same for millions of fans worldwide. And you recall how he was on the verge of doing it all again, rehearsing for a new concert tour, when he died little more than a year ago.

Attraction Hostess Penny Hendrix is happy to see Captain EO return. She also helped guests around the theater during the film's original run from 1986 to 1994.

However, Jackson is nothing if not a grand performer, and he quickly transports you not to the past but into a fanciful tale where rainbow colors struggle against the darkness. 

Interestingly, when Cockerell asked the large crowd of cast members if this was their first viewing of Captain EO, nearly everyone raised their hands. It's clear that Disney didn't simply dust off an old relic and put it back on a shelf to be viewed respectfully; they revived a thrilling experience for a whole new generation.

A variety of Captain EO merchandise is now available.

Our update is coming tomorrow! Don't miss it!