Captain EO returns to Disneyland, but will it also return to Epcot? February 24, 2010

Due to the untimely death of Michael Jackson, both Michael Jackson and fans of the Disney movie Captain EO fans have spoken: they want Captain EO to return. Disney executives have honored that wish and has returned to Disneyland’s

Captain EO comes back to change the world at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA

Tomorrowland today. It replaces Honey I Shrunk The Audience.

Among a new generation of Michael Jackson fans, this film has been all but forgotten. Yet, when it premiered, it was a huge event. Many major celebrities of the time including Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Molly Ringwald, Sissy Spacek, Whoopi Goldberg and John Ritter as well as members of the Jackson family including sisters Latoya and Janet as well as Jackson’s mother Katherine attended the grand premiere at Disneyland’s Magic Eye Theater on September 18, 1986. The ride closed at all Disney parks by 1998.

One question still remains: will Captain EO return to Epcot?

It should return to Epcot for many reasons. One of the main reasons is that Michael Jackson appealed to everyone. Disneyworld attracts more people from around the world yearly and most of them would love to see the beloved King of Pop sing and dance once again – as Jackson was later more popular overseas than he was in his native USA.

Also, many of those that are visiting Disneyworld this summer, such as myself, would love to see Captain EO once again at Epcot in all its glory. The movie, though cheesy in acting, is still an excellent film when it comes to special effects. The film alone serves as a foreshadowing of other great special-effects films that were later put out by Walt Disney Pictures including the upcoming Tim Burton movie Alice In Wonderland, Toy Story, and Tron Legacy. Disney has probably updated Captain EO by giving it a restoration in both film and soundtrack.

It would be a glowing tribute to bring back Captain EO to Epcot because everyone was sad when Jackson died and it would be a great tribute to have the film play at both Epcot and Disneyworld.

Read the original examiner.com article here.

history surrounding the ride

Captain EO returns, but does that mean that other classic rides will follow soon? December 23, 2009

Disney announced that, after 23 years of being absent, Captain Eo, starring the late Michael Jackson, will be returning to Disneyland for a limited engagement in February 2010.

However, does this mean that other classic rides will follow suit and re-emerge? Will we see a reboot of such classics as Cranium Command, Mission To Mars,  The Timekeeper, or ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter?

Cranium Command was an attraction at Epcot that ran from October 19, 1989 through January 4, 2004. The ride starred Jon Lovitz, George Wendt, Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey as various parts of the body.

Alien Encounter opened in June 1995 and closed in 2003. It was a much darker-toned Disney attraction due to the ride's intensity and carried a warning to parents of potential riders.

It would be nice to see these great rides and experiences return

Mission to Mars, an attraction sponsored by Mcdonnell Douglas, opened in 1975 at both Disneyland and Disneyworld. Since the inception of Disneyworld, the attractions that have been housed at the pavillion that housed "Mission To Mars" have been entirely devoted to space exploration.

because it would bring them to a new generation of children and adults alike. However, it must be done right because some of the technology is rather dated.

The Timekeeper opened in France in 1992 but finally came to the US in November 1994. It was one of the few attractions that had to be altered after the events of September 11, 2001 due to images of the World Trade Center in the film. The ride closed in April 2006.

However, some of these rides would be a welcome return, but they must not replace some of the more newer, sophisticated rides such as Mission: Space.

Captain EO to launch once again at Disneyland December 22, 2009

Captain EO, starring the late Michael Jackson, originally ran for over 10 years at Disneyland. All incarnations of the ride closed in 1998

LOS ANGELES – “Captain EO” will once again return to Disneyland in February 2010. The theme park said last week that plans have been enacted to bring back the 3-D film starring the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The 17-minute film starred the late King of Pop as a song-and-dance intergalactic space captain. The film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola with George Lucas serving as executive producer.

In the film, Jackson leads a rag-tag team consisting of an alien and a robot as they battle the evil queen played by a nearly-unrecognizable Anjelica Huston. “Captain EO” originally debuted in 1986 at Disneyland’s Tommorrowland in  and ran for more than a decade. Identical versions later opened at other Disney theme parks. They were all closed by 1998.

Jackson died June 25 at age 50.

Associated Press