PDA

View Full Version : Captain EO



pinksand
04-12-2011, 06:57 AM
Do I understand that Captain EO is still open? It seems to be according to the Disneyland website, but I thought it was just open for a few months last year. I've actually never seen it and I'm going in May. Thanks!

Drince88
04-12-2011, 07:24 AM
It is still open.

pinksand
04-12-2011, 08:59 AM
thanks!

DisneyVillains
04-12-2011, 03:41 PM
I wonder when they are going to close EO... that would be terrible.

ShelbyH
04-13-2011, 12:31 AM
Well, they closed it for quite a while and had Honey I Shrunk The Audience (which I never saw), and then when they brought Michael back, they added some effects too.

danyoung
04-13-2011, 06:54 AM
I'm not sure it's really correct to say they ADDED effects. They just used the effects from HISTA like the moving seats. And many people (myself included) think they used this effect very badly, kinda making you bounce up and down a lot with no real reason for it. If they had kept it to just the explosions it would have been great. But once the music starts they bounce you more or less to the beat of the music, and it really becomes annoying after awhile.

I totally loved the EO show back when, and am glad for nostalgia's sake that they brought it back for an encore. But with the "new" effects combined with the effects that they didn't put in (smoke and steam on the crash landing, the lasers in the theater during the attack scene, etc.), it's not quite the same.

IllusionOfLife
04-13-2011, 09:17 AM
It's obvious that the Captain EO Tribute is a temporary thing, it was brought back because Michael Jackson was a hot topic again and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience was long past being relevant. To make this a permanent attraction they would need to do some serious remastering of both the film and the 3D effects as well as change the in-theater effects to better match the show, however, I don't think this is permanent. I think it's a stop gap until Imagineering can find something better to do with that space.

I keep hearing rumblings that a new Tomorrowland is next after the DCA update is finished, and if that's true, I imagine EO will be the first thing to go. It's still entertaining, but it's extremely dated, and to be perfectly honest, I'm surprised the nostalgia hasn't already worn off.

disneyis4us
04-13-2011, 11:20 AM
We saw Captain EO last March and just loved it! My kids who were 14 and 8 thought it was GREAT! We will be at Disneyland in June, so I am happy to know that it is still around. I do have a question though, when did Captain EO orginally open? And was it the first show ever in that theatre?

danyoung
04-13-2011, 12:00 PM
According to yesterland.com ( a GREAT site!), EO first opened in September of 1986. And even tho theater was built for EO, replacing the Space Stage, it briefly hosted the 3D movie Magic Journeys. In Orlando, the show also opened in September of 1986, in the theater in the Imagination pavilion that had previously hosted Magic Journeys.

oregontraveler
04-13-2011, 12:09 PM
The Magic Eye Theater opened in 1984 with Magic Journeys (theme song written by the Sherman Brothers)
It replaced the Space Stage which was an open air amphitheater.

Captain EO debuted in:
DL: Sept. 18, 1986, closed July 6, 1994 & reopened Feb. 23, 2010
EPCOT: Sept. 12, 1986, closed July 2, 1994 & reopened July 2, 2010
Tokyo: March 20, 1987, closed Sept. 1, 1996 & reopened July 1, 2010
Paris: April 12, 1992, closed Aug. 17, 1998 & reopened June 12, 2010

BlkPearlCptn
04-13-2011, 01:16 PM
OFF TOPIC: Oregontraveler...just have to let you know that "Mongo only pawn... in game of life" is one of my all time favorite quotes from Blazing Saddles! Good job!!!!

danyoung
04-13-2011, 01:16 PM
Again, according to yesterland.com -


Although built for Captain EO, Disneyland’s Magic Eye Theater opened in May 1986 with the delightful Magic Journeys...

oregontraveler
04-13-2011, 04:28 PM
Sorry Dan, thought I had all my ducks in a row with the dates. Interesting 'factoid' from Wikipedia that says Journeys debuted at the outdoor Space Stage theater in 1984 until it was converted to the Magic Eye in 1986. That's difficult to visualize right now, unless they somehow did a temporary enclosure.

danyoung
04-14-2011, 05:25 AM
Going back to the Yesterland article -


Actually, Magic Journeys was no stranger to Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, having enjoyed a previous run at the outdoor Space Stage.

So your dates are probably correct in that Magic Journeys started back in 1984, but it was in the outdoor Space Stage for a couple of years.

Dragonlady53
04-23-2011, 09:31 PM
I remember when Captain EO first opened...such a huge deal. I just saw it in February this year and sad to say I am older. It was very outdated but was interesting to watch for the special effects - and just how much 3D has improved. I won't be sorry to see it go, but what to put in its place? I was never a fan of HISTK either. Does anyone know what might be coming up?

IllusionOfLife
04-23-2011, 09:46 PM
Does anyone know what might be coming up?

I'm nearly certain that EO is an indefinite placeholder until Imagineering can come up with the idea/funds for something better for that space. The problem is that the space is fairly limited so short of doing another 3D show which I find unlikely it'll either be something smaller scale (think Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor) or they'll have to expand the space somehow.

I heard rumor that they had once considered porting Animal Kingdom's Dinosaur attraction (then called Countdown to Extinction) to that space, but the trade-off would have been demolishing the dioramas to make room for the new attraction. The other option I can think of is re-routing the exit of Space Mountain and merging the Magic Eye Theater with the Starcade, not a lot more space, but it'd give them potentially more options (either that or ditching Redd Rockett's Pizza Port and re-routing the entrance to the Space Mountain queue).

revwog1974
04-23-2011, 09:46 PM
We'll be at DL with our DD 5. I saw Captain EO in '90 but I don't remember it very well. Is it an appropriate show show for a 5-year-old? She doesn't get scared too easily, except by strangers, but I don't remember it well enough to know if the plot and dialog are ok for kids as young as she is.

IllusionOfLife
04-23-2011, 09:54 PM
We'll be at DL with our DD 5. I saw Captain EO in '90 but I don't remember it very well. Is it an appropriate show show for a 5-year-old? She doesn't get scared too easily, except by strangers, but I don't remember it well enough to know if the plot and dialog are ok for kids as young as she is.

It's not nearly as intense as HIStA or It's Tough to Be a Bug! but there's still some sci-fi action that could be frightening, it really just depends on your kid. If you're ok with spoiling it for yourself you can watch the whole thing (sans 3D) on YouTube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7XS8e0z2AA&feature=related

revwog1974
04-24-2011, 11:29 PM
Thanks. I saw it years ago, so I'm not spoiled. I guess I figured that something that old woudn't be on Youtube. The link helps.

Grandpa Louie
04-27-2011, 12:35 PM
I expect the Park will continue to show Captain Eo until they come up with something else new. The last few times I've been by there you can generally walk right in because other than the show cycle there's no wait.

danyoung
04-27-2011, 02:17 PM
Well, this has been basically true for most of HISTA's run as well, both in DL and in WDW.

Mickeygirlforever
05-02-2011, 04:26 PM
Oh man, I never got to see EO when it first debuted, but of course, being a mousepadder, am a huge Disney fan and now LOVE Captain EO. I went crazy with merchandise, my friends and I watched it about 6 times in our 4 day trip and we love it!! We all sing along and cheer for the Captain when he appears!!! I'll be sad when they take it away again, because I think it's so cheesy and fun!! It's what Disney used to be like!! More imagination!