“Captain EO” is coming back.
The word from Hollywood is that Disneyland is planning to revive Michael Jackson’s 3D film beginning in January. Heavily influenced by “Star Wars,” the 1986 short film was produced by George Lucas and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Back in those days, Michael had the money from “Thriller” to make anything happen.
Among the cast: Michael, Anjelica Huston, Dick Shawn -- the latter died less than a year after “Captain EO” was released.
It’s the 3D version coming back to Disneyland, but you can watch a less complex version on YouTube (see below).
“Captain EO” was pulled from Disneyland years ago. But with Jackson’s “This Is It” up to about $220 million worldwide, interest in him is rekindled. It’s another tragic irony for Jackson. And, believe it or not, the “This Is It” companion CD looks like it sold well over 125,000 copies last week — even though it’s just greatest hits.
“Captain EO” contains a video of Jackson dancing and singing a song called “We Are Here to Change the World.”
No word yet on whether Huston or any of the other “Captain EO” cast members will get paid for this revival. According to sources, Disney has the right to use the film whenever it wants to. I’m told they’re even thinking of having a premiere — with a red carpet — if they can get Jackson family members to attend. Hey, La Toya — you should call them right away!
November 16th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
[...] It’s the 3D version coming back to Disneyland… (Source) [...]
November 16th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
While they are at, universal studios should return the back to the future ride — the best ride of it’s kind.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Mike just looked perfect then…that smile would have changed the world!
November 16th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Another reason to visit Disney. This is great news!
November 16th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
I AM “THRILLED”!!! CAN NOT WAIT! Loved it then…will love it again!! Michael is and will always be AMAZING! So much love for MJ!!! ETERNALLY!
November 16th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
I’d visit Disney just to see it.
November 16th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Now if only somebody would re-release “Moonwalker”!
November 16th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
I believe Eo was taken off the market when Paul Reubens, who did a voice-over, was arrested at that porn theater. Now the problem surfaces again because, unlike Michael Jackson who was acquitted in his child sexual abuse trial, Reubens was arrested and pleaded guilty to possession of child porn. (It was not “kitsch art” as his handlers pretended.) What a terrible thing when you can’t trust the Disney company to offer proper role models for children.
November 16th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Sorry Sayz, you’ve got your facts incorrect in your attempt to do a bitting commentary against Disney. Paul Reubins did voice work for Star Tours which is still running and not for EO. EO was taken down and replaced by Honey We Shrunk the Audience, which due to the popularity of the ‘Honey’ movies, Disney felt to be more profitable. Big mistake. Glad to hear EO is comimg back. It was definately fun for all ages.
November 16th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
If this is true, I am so there.
November 16th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Roger, you should read TMZ…Joe is appealing the court decision.
He looks like Janet in that video.
This is just a guess on my part….but when MJ went through his many facial transformations, could it be he was trying to get the “perfect” (white) Movie star face? This is a long-shot guess, but it really seems that his facial transformations were not because of vitiligio, but because he wanted that perfect face, one that was acceptable to a cross over audience in the movie business. He made elegantly long videos (or short movies) independently; it wouldn’t surprise me if someone reports that he presented several ideas to studios only to be turned down and that’s why he was shooting his own produced videos.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Paul Reubens actually had nothing to do with Captain EO; he did a voiceover for Star Tours at Disneyland which was rumored to have been redone after his legal troubles. (That’s not true either.) Captain EO lasted until about 1997, which meant that not even MJ’s rapid public decline a few years before was enough for them to pull the ride. Still surprising that it’s coming back though.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Sally, Michael’s surgeries had more to do with not wanting to look like Joseph than anything. If you google the internets you can find a picture of a young Joe that looks amazingly like Michael between OTW and Thriller. He just kept cutting him out of his life literally and figurativly.
I have also heard a rumor that MJ was supposed to be an original partner in Dreamworks, but the deal fell through. This is what led to the falling out with Spielberg. Notice the similarities of the Neverland and Dreamworks logos. I do not believe that is a coincidence. Michael did have a facination with old Hollywood and obviously fashioned many of his short films after those classics.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
[...] Michael Jackson’s ‘Captain EO’ Will Return to Disneyland [...]
November 17th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Hey Roger:
Scandal in London by Andrew Rose of BBC which states that “THIS IS IT” has altered vocals from preexisting recording which includes “earth song” … I don’t know why it is such a uproar when it was credited at the end of the movie and the executives at Sony admitted to that fact … it is not like it took away from the fact that Mike was in top shape for his comeback concerts.
@Sally in Chicago … you are reaching but it is a theory … for what it is worth it is a dead issue … he is not here to defend it so we will stick with the fact that his autopsy did confirmed that he had VITILIGO, which it did.
November 17th, 2009 at 1:27 am
Just look at him, how boyish and gorgeous and happy he looked back then. I’m moved.
Sally – in this period, he actually had a movie star face. He always looked good, but in the late eighties he was downright handsome, before he had to take out all his pigment.
Being white as snow is not considered a movie star look though, and I think it depressed him deeply to have that happening to him. Had he had a choice, I think he’d wanted to look “tanned”. As you say, he wanted to cross over and reach all audiences – he did that in his music, so it’s likely he wanted to do it in his performance and looks as well. Race just like gender puts you in a box.
November 17th, 2009 at 2:25 am
@Sally in Chicago….this is Joe, wanting what Joe wants. No one else matter. That’s why I believed every word MJ said about him. About captain EO….will any money made go to MJ’s estate for his kids and charities? @Who’s Bad…Michael did have a smile that was so beautiful and those eyes of his.WOW!!! Later on you saw sadness…but in those early years the 80’s and 90’s. Those eyes and that smile of his was just…..WOW!!!!!!!!
November 17th, 2009 at 2:51 am
Sayz, Eo was pulled because the Tomorrowland area of Disneyland was being remodeled and a new movie”Honey, I shrunk the audience” was going into that theatre.
Besides if that was true, Disney would have closed Star Tours also.
November 17th, 2009 at 4:44 am
Now that MJ is dead Disney decides to bring Captain EO back. Shame on you Disney! Many people in the media treated MJ badly and now that he is gone they are trying to undue the wrong that they did to this wonderful man. All I can say, is a little too late Disney, shame on you! Many of us have always known what kind of a man MJ was… but there were some (and still some today)who really cannot see what really lies in front of them. Honesty, loving, giving, caring, innocence …. some of the words that describe MJ. Believe me when I say, the fans will never forget what you did to him!You are one of many who caused the pain in MJ’s life!
November 17th, 2009 at 4:48 am
Axon and A. Darton: Yeh, it’s a theory but the more I think about it and look at his facial transformation — why else would he keep trying for the Perfect (white) face? Except to get into the movies.
November 17th, 2009 at 4:55 am
[...] to the Hollywood Reporter: “Captain EO” is coming [...]
November 17th, 2009 at 5:05 am
[...] to the Hollywood Reporter those hopes might come true as guests at Disneyland might get to see it again as of [...]
November 17th, 2009 at 5:55 am
Sally – His skin was not literally white, it was actually translucent, darn near clear. I can’t imagine a human being that would want that. And btw, do you equate white with perfection yourself?
November 17th, 2009 at 7:24 am
Roger — do you know if Dr. Murray was intro’d to MJ through his father? Since Janet & Latoya are claiming Murray killed MJ, it came out that he met Murray through his father.
November 17th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Sally: It seems MJ had BDD, that is, he couldn’t see his face the way it really looked – he always believed he was ugly. This disorder, which is as difficult to overcome as anorexia, is why he never stopped having “procedures” done. So the psychological need MJ felt for all the plastic surgery went deeper than just wanting to be in movies. From he was a young adult he literally thought he looked hideous.
Among others, Arnie Klein profited from it, whatever he calls it himself.
November 17th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Kathe, what’s wrong with trying to undo the wrong done to Michael? Isn’t that exactly what we, his fan, desire for Michael? I’m all for it and, in fact, here’s a group working to right one more wrong by getting Martin Bashir fired at ABC News Nightline. Join the movement to put Bashir on the street–where he belongs.
mjtruthnow dot com
No, not “shame on Disney.” Thank you, Disney, for doing the right thing!!
November 17th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
[...] of Michael Jackson’s final rehearsal/concert film This Is It, there are new reports that MJ’s 1986 classic sci-fi 3D film Captain EO will return from exile to be shown again at the Di…. Now, none of this has been officially confirmed by the folks at Disney but it makes total sense [...]
November 17th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
axon, stop your parlor diagnosis of MJ as having body dysmorphic disorder. The FACT is, no one knows why he submitted to procedures, even if anyone knew how many there were. Don’t you think it’s time to stop speculating about Michael Jackson? In any event, think what he would have looked like if he lost all skin pigmentation but still retained black features? He likely understood how silly he would look, so tried to sculp features more in tune (so to speak) with white skin.
November 17th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
this is fantastic! wish Michael was around to see his own comeback! it’s really sad that we recognize people’s genius once they’re gone. disney once said that they will “never” bring captian EO back because it was a thing of the past and now they’re just trying to get a piece of the pie and joing the hype with everyone else. if the world had shown MJ this kind of love when he was still alive, he would still be with us. and although i’m glad that he’s finally getting the respect that he always deserved, but i’m sad that he’s not here to see it and i’m angry at the world for always following the hype.
i’ll be at disneyland the day it opens =)
@loonest – oh man, moonwalker!!!!
November 17th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
and about his looks – dude get over it. he for sure had vitiligo and probably BDD. but does it really matter? he was a work of art in every which way you looked at him. he was beautiful in captain EO and he was beautiful in TII. he was a beautiful man inside and out and i truly feel sorry for anyone that didn’t see it.
November 17th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Sayz – Paul Reubens has nothing to do with this. He is still the voice of the robotic captain on the Star Tours ride. Why take him out of one ride, but not the other? This claim is ridiculous.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:25 am
SoCalGal: Many, many have believed MJ had BDD – including, if I remember correctly, Arnie Klein himself on camera. Btw, he began changing features before pigmentation was lost.
It’s impossible to stop speculating about MJ. I have tried, but every time you think you understand something, something else pops up. If you don’t want to talk about him, just don’t read what we are writing. It’s not as if the whole world is talking endlessly about Michael Jackson. You can live happily for ever after without having to read anything about him again.
November 18th, 2009 at 4:55 am
[...] I reported on Monday that Disneyland was reactivating “Captain Eo” in January. But the Jackson estate has [...]
November 18th, 2009 at 4:58 am
Paul Rubens did NOT do a voiceover in EO. He is the voice of the robot pilot on Star Tours, an attraction that is still playing both in Disneyland and in Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.
November 18th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Sayz wrote: <I believe Eo was taken off the market when Paul Reubens, who did a voice-over, was arrested at that porn theater.
Actually, Paul Rubens (the actor who played Pee Wee Herman in TV and movies) is actually the voice of the Animatronic RX-24 robot who pilots your spaceship in the ‘Star Tours’ attraction.
To my knowledge, Rubens did not have a role in ‘Captain EO.’
November 18th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Roger, it’s not Captain “EO”, it’s “Eo”. It’s a Greek word meaning ‘light’.
November 18th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
DUDE. This used to be my favorite part about going to Disneyland, then they replaced it with that stupid “Honey I Shrunk the Audience” thing. I am SO there to see Captain EO, it’s sad that it took Michael dying for them to finally bring this back though. =( They should have never replaced it in the first place!
November 18th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
[...] the film was pulled from Disneyland several years ago, the Mouse House is planning to bring back Captain [...]
November 18th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
[...] the film was pulled from Disneyland several years ago, the Mouse House is planning to bring back Captain [...]
November 18th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
[...] the film was pulled from Disneyland several years ago, the Mouse House is planning to bring back Captain [...]
November 18th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
[...] the film was pulled from Disneyland several years ago, the Mouse House is planning to bring back Captain [...]
November 18th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
[...] the film was pulled from Disneyland several years ago, the Mouse House is planning to bring back Captain [...]
November 18th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
[...] the film was pulled from Disneyland several years ago, the Mouse House is planning to bring back Captain [...]
November 18th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
yay! i can’t wait. I was hoping my son would get to see this..too bad he’s only 2 months old
November 18th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
this is probably the worst fake entertainment news article i’ve ever read.
at no point after mentioning that ““Captain EO” is coming back.” are any sources identified or quoted. this is especially unconvincing in the face of a recent reuters article stating otherwise and quoting from Disney’s CEO.
the author simply states a buzzline and then general information about captain eo (likely sourced from wikipedia) is copied, pasted and massaged to keep the gullible excited.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
[...] can’t express to you my excitement right now! there are rumors from hollywood are that Captain EO is making its way back to [...]
November 24th, 2009 at 8:12 am
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November 28th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Great site, thank you. I really like it.
January 5th, 2010 at 3:52 am
Спасибо за занимательную точку зрения. Я с ней не совсем согласен, но она имеет право на существование.
January 12th, 2010 at 12:34 am
Bookmarked your site. Thanks for all the good reading material. I really enjoyed it!
February 23rd, 2010 at 1:15 pm
[...] Michael Jackson’s Captain EO is coming back to Disneyland [...]