Captain EO Epcot Archives

Captain EO was shown in the Journey Into Imagination Pavilion in Epcot
from September 12, 1986 until July 6, 1994.

Captain EO opened to rave reviews in Walt Disney World. As you entered the theater you obtained a pair of 3-D glasses to view the show.

The following text is quoted directly from the September 1986 issue of the Walt Disney World News.

"The ultimate 3-D motion picture musical space fantasy, Captain EO, premieres this month at the Magic Eye Theater in Future World.

Combining the music, magic, and creative talents of superstars Michael Jackson as Captain EO, executive producer George Lucas, director Francis Ford Coppolo, and the Walt Disney Company, this 17-minute spectacular promises to be an electrifying three-dimensional event. In her 3-D screen debut as the evil forces' supreme leader is Academy Award winner Anjelica Huston.

Featured are original Jackson songs, exciting dance sequences by "Flashdance" choreographer Jeffrey Hornaday, and an amazing array of special effects. They bring to life the story of an electronic band of mythical space creatures who undergo a magical transformation and aid Jackson in conquering the evil forces of darkness.

Captain EO, starring Michael Jackson, is entertainment, fantasy, and fun in the grand tradition of Disney. This incredible 3-D film experience, presented by Eastman Kodak company, is playing continuously beginning mid-September at Epcot Center in Walt Disney World, Disneyland Park, and nowhere else in the universe."

Excerpts below from the official Captain EO press release from the 15th Anniversary Press Kit.

"The colorful new Disney-created musical instrument characters include: Hooter, the little green elephant who sneezes wild musical notes through his flute-like trunk; Fuzzball, the orange-haired space monkey with butterfly wings; Geex, a gold-encased, two-faced personality with two left feet, one right foot and two shaggy heads named Idy and Ody; Major Domo, whose mirrored silver costume becomes a complete set of drums, traps and string bass played by Fuzzball; and Minor Domo, with his sparkling purple torso that turns into an electronic synthesizer played by Hooter.

The new kind of motion-picture achievement required twice the lighting of an ordinary picture because it was shot on 70mm film. It required building a new theater at Disneyland and extensively changing the Kodak Magic Eye Theater in Walt Disney World so innovative special effects on the screen could be integrated with pyrotechnic lighting effects in the theaters."

Captain EO and Fuzzball

Hooter

Michael Jackson wrote two songs for the 3D film "Captain EO" (1986): "We Are Here to Change the World" or "Another Part of Me."

Captain EO was also shown in:

Disneyland's Tomorrowland from September 18, 1986 and ended on April 6, 1997.

Tokyo Disneyland's Tomorrowland from March 20, 1987 to September 1, 1996.

Disneyland Paris's Cinemagique in Discoveryland from April 12, 1992 to August 17, 1998.

We are always looking for additional images to enhance our archives. If you have any of Captain EO (including exterior photos of the pavilion signage) please email us at allearsnet at yahoo dot com.