Post by JLAIts getting closer.
This month February 2010 (sometime between the 10th - 18th w
think) Captain EO starring Michael Jackson returns to Disneyland
Post by JLAThe posters hit the park (to be removed soon after) until th
releas
Post by JLASee this thread for more Captain EO inf
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=2631338
Poster belo
Its titled Captain EO TRIBUT
Here is some additiona
information on the Captain EO fil
With Michael Jacksons tragic death in June 2009, there was a floo
of special magazines and media tribute projects that detailed th
life and achievements of the innovative singer/dancer. Strangel
Captain EO wasnt even mentioned in most of these tributes
Even in Jacksons own autobiography, Moon Walk, published just tw
years after the premiere of Captain EO, there are barely thre
paragraphs. One paragraph devoted to Jacksons affection for Wal
Disney, another describing briefly the plot of the film, and
finally, a mention that Jackson flew up to Skywalker Ranch to consul
with George Lucas on the project. Thats all
Jacksons affection, some might even say obsession, with Disney wa
well-known. He often visited the Disney theme parks (sometimes i
disguise), the entrance to Neverland Ranch was inspired by th
entrance to Disneyland, and he had a large collection of Disne
memorabilia (some of it exclusively created by Disney artists)
Jackson was a huge fan of our parks, sometimes visiting several time
a month, in and out of disguise, said Michael Eisner. He knows mor
about Walt Disney than anybody who ever existed. He certainly know
more than I do.
Michael's older brother Jackie once stated: "[Michael] alway
studied Walt Disney. He loved Walt Disney. He read books on him ever
day on the road. He worshiped the guy.
With the announcement that Captain EO will return for a limite
engagement at Disneyland this February (test screenings have alread
been done for Disney executives and the Jackson family, includin
Jacksons three children who had never seen the film), this seem
like a good time to write as much of the story of Captain EO that
know in the hopes that others will help fill in the gaps to thi
little documented footnote in Jacksons amazing career
A month after Eisner took over as CEO of the Disney Company in 1984
he arranged for filmmaker George Lucas to take a tour of Disney
Imagineering facilities in Glendale and encouraged Lucas to creat
some new theme park attractions. Having a good relationship wit
Eisner when he was at Paramount and supported Raiders of the Los
Ark, Lucas was very open to coming on board, especially on developin
a flight simulator ride based on his popular Star Wars franchise
Soon afterward, Jeffrey Katzenberg, who had just come on board a
chairman of the Disney Studios, took Michael Jackson around th
Imagineering facility and first opened discussions with the pop sta
about appearing in a Disneyland attraction
In 1984, Jackson had been considering developing several movi
projects as he discovered he enjoyed the process of filmmaking. Davi
Geffen had suggested that if Jackson was serious about starring in
movie that he should make a movie for Disney. Geffen called hi
long-time friend, Katzenberg with the idea. Katzenberg and Eisne
countered with creating a 3-D movie/rock video for Disneyland t
duplicate the unprecedented success of the innovative Thriller vide
that had been released about two years earlier and was stil
popular
We wanted to create something with Michael Jackson, who appealed t
teenagers, but also to young kids, and even their parents, Eisne
said
Jackson liked the idea, but to protect himself, insisted that eithe
George Lucas or Steven Spielberg be a part of the project
Imagineering's Rick Rothschild drew up three different storylines
Both he and Jackson picked the same one to do: Captain EO
The name EO comes from the Greek Goddess of the DawnEOS. Her ros
fingers open the gates of heaven to the chariot of the sun
Rothschild became the Show Director. In addition to many othe
credits, Rothschild would later head the teams for other Disney 3-D
attractions including Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Its Tough To Be
A Bug and Mickey's Philharmagic at Walt Disney World.
Spielberg was unavailable, working on the film The Color Purple. On
the other hand, Lucas was already working closely with the Disney
Company on Star Tours.
Lucas brought in Francis Ford Coppola, Rusty Lemorande, and Angelica
Huston for the film. Coppola, a longtime friend of Lucas, needed to
repair his reputation after the recent box office failure of the film
The Cotton Club so he was brought on as the director.
Lemorande, who had produced and scripted a recently released
science-fiction-themed film with comedy elements, Electric Dreams,
was to script Captain EO with input from Coppola and Lucas. Lemorande
had also recently produced Yentl, so he would be the on-site producer.
He later did uncredited work as a second unit director and film
editor. Lucas would be credited as the executive producer.
Huston, who would win the Oscar for her performance in Prizzis Honor,
which was released in 1985, would play a spider-like H.R. Giger
Alien-version of the Evil Queen from Disneys classic Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs, suspended in the air by web-like cables.
In later years, Lemorande shared that one of the factors that made
Captain EO a troubled production was the resentment that Disney
Imagineers had about outsiders being brought in to handle a Disney
theme park attraction. In fact, the high hourly rates charged by
Imagineering resulted in Katzenberg giving some of the work on the
film to outside contractors.
Tony-award winner John Napier, who had just been recognized for his
work on the musical Cats, was brought in and he built a miniature
theater in scale to demonstrate the interactive effects for the show.
That model greatly impressed Eisner and later, when Napier wanted to
lift the ceiling of the theater to eliminate an interfering beam,
Eisner quickly approved the additional expense.
Napier worked on the costumes that not only had to represent the evil
nature of the dark planet and its twisted metal and steaming vents,
but still had to have the flexibility of movement for the dancers to
showcase Jacksons style of movement.
What I am doing with the costumes is trying to make people able to
move in these things, where they wont fall apart in these robotic
characters," Napier said. "I put in a lot of detail that
should work well in 3-D.
Most of the project was supervised by Katzenberg but Eisner
occasionally dropped by to see the work in progress and felt that
this was his project that would demonstrate how he could revitalize
Disneyland.
Jeff Hornaday had done the choreography for Flashdance (1983), and had
recently worked with Paul McCartney and Jackson on the Say, Say, Say
music video so he seemed a natural addition as choreographer.
We wanted the dances to be a storytelling element, directly connected
to a character, said Hornaday, who was supervising 36 dancers.
Working with Michael for me has been a unique experience in that
usually a choreographer will devise sequences of dance and then give
it to the dancers to do. Michaels talent and approach is so unique
that you are limiting yourself by just giving him what you do.
Rick Baker who had done the makeup for Jackson's Thriller video was
brought in to supervise the makeup for Captain EO. Tom Burman (who
had done work on the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special) did the
makeup design for Hustons character and it took three hours each day
to apply that detailed makeup.
Lance Anderson, who among other credits was a creature designer on the
recently released Ghostbusters is credited as the co-designer for EOs
ragtag crew of Hooter, the Geex, and Major and Minor Domo. Baker was
credited as being responsible for Fuzzball.
James Horner, who had recently scored Disney's Something Wicked This
Way Comes (and decades later would score Titanic) provided the
original score for the film. Jackson himself wrote the two songs
featured in the film: "We Are Here to Change the World" and
"Another Part of Me."
Another Part of Me," later appeared on Jackson's hugely
successful Bad album (1987) but "We Are Here to Change the
World" was not officially released until 2004 as part of Michael
Jackson: The Ultimate Collection.
Pre-production on the project began March 1985. There was three weeks
of principal photography. The same big blue screen from Disneys
sci-fi film Black Hole was used for filming the scene where Michael
Jackson danced out over the audiences heads.
It was not surprising that this production, with all this high-profile
talent, quickly ran over the budget. While Disney never confirmed the
actual cost, it was reported that the 17-minute film ended up costing
somewhere between $17 million and $30 million, or roughly more than a
$1 million a minute, making it at the time the most expensive film
ever made. The original budget was $11 million.
Captain EO ran over budget. The biggest factor was special effects,
some 150 of them, more per minute than Lucas had used in Star Wars,
Eisner said.
The film tells the story of Captain EO, the leader of a spaceship'
ragtag crew," which included a dwarfish, clumsy gree
elephant-like creature called Hooter; a small, long-tailed orang
flying creature called Fuzzball; two conjoined creatures know as th
Geex (Idy and Odyalso sometimes spelled Idee and Odee) who served a
the navigator and pilot; and a robot security officer named Major Dom
who had a smaller robot, Minor Domo, attached as a module to hi
back
Commander Bog (a holographic head performed by the talented comedia
Dick Shawn who was never on the set) was displeased by the bunglin
of this group of misfits and has given them one final mission t
redeem themselves
They are to follow a homing beacon to a forbidding, dark industria
planet of sinister twisted metal and to give a gift to the Suprem
Leader (Angelica Huston). Crashing on the planet, the crew finds it
way to the palace of this witch queen creature and are captured b
her army and threatened with torture for their unauthorized visit
Captain EO agrees to that punishment, but also tells the queen tha
she is beautiful, but without a key to unlock that beauty. His cre
transforms into a musical band, but before he can share his magica
song, Hooter accidentally stumbles into the equipment rendering i
momentarily useless, angering the queen who orders her guards t
capture Captain EO and his crew. A short battle ensues before Hoote
repairs the equipment. EOs song transforms the dark, mechanica
inhabitants into agile and colorful backup dancers
EO is able to defeat the queens Whip Warriors and change not only th
queen into a beautiful woman, but also her palace into a peaceful
vibrant Greek temple. The planet is transformed into a verdan
paradise reminiscent of the work of artist Maxfield Parrish. EO an
his crew dance off back to the ship and leave the planet as th
grateful inhabitants wave them good-bye
The finished footage, supposedly hidden for a time from Eisner, wa
not as impressive as hoped. Jackson lacked a commanding presence a
the lead character, Hustons role had been trimmed severely and th
attempts at humor and urgency felt flat and forced. Even the stagin
of the 3-D effects seemed to pale in comparison to Kodak's Magi
Journeys that had previously run in the theater
By this point, Coppola was already involved in his next film, Pegg
Sue Got Married that would open a month after Captain EO, and Luca
was struggling with Howard the Duck, which would open one mont
before Captain EOand work on the Star Tours attraction was fallin
behind schedule
Reportedly, Lemorande and Jackson did some reshooting and recuttin
for the film (at one point using a spray painted ball cock from
toilet as a stand-in for the head of the Minor Domo puppet tha
couldnt be found). While there had been plans for Disney
Imagineering to work on the special effects (the talented Harriso
Ellenshaw is listed in the credits), Lucas gave the film t
Industrial Light and Magic to fix and delays on giving the film t
Disney was credited to Lucass notorious perfectionism.
However, it could have been the worse film ever made and it would hav
made no difference, because it was done at the height of Jackso
Mania and the opportunity to see Jackson singing and dancing to tw
new songs he had composed guaranteed its success
Captain EO opened at Epcot on September 12, 1986, but the big premier
was scheduled for its Disneyland opening on September 18, 1986. Th
film would later open in Tokyo Disneyland in 1987 and Disneylan
Paris in 1992
Although built for Captain EO, Disneyland's Magic Eye Theater, tha
seated about 700 guests, opened in May 1986 with the amazing Magi
Journeys, the original 3-D movie from Epcot's Imagination pavilion
in preparation for the Captain EO debut. Live theater special effect
were added for the Captain EO presentation including lasers
fiber-optic stars, and fog effects that were all painstakingl
synchronized with the action on screen
Frank Wells renegotiated Kodak's contract so that Kodak agreed to pic
up some of the costs of producing the film, building a theater a
Disneyland and renovating Epcots 3-D Theater to accommodate the new
special effects.
The week of the grand opening, the National Enquirer printed an odd
photo of Jackson lying inside a hyperbaric chamber. It was theorized
that, in order to live to be 150 years old, he slept in it each night
to get that influx of oxygen. In reality, several biographies of
Jackson pointed out that Jackson himself leaked the picture purposely
at that time to draw attention to the premiere of Captain EO,
especially with its sci-fi aspect.
There were more than 200 members from the international press who
attended the Disneyland premiere and were herded into the
Tomorrowland Space Place eatery, where they were given a press kit
containing nine separate releases, six photos and a commemorative
Captain EO T-shirt. Surrounded by free coffee, soft drinks and
croissants, the press could watch a trailer about the making of the
film on an endless loop.
Also in the Space Place were opportunities for interviews with people
connected to the production like choreographer Jeffrey Hornaday and
Tom Smith.
Smith, the former general manager of Lucass Industrial Light and
Magic effects shop recalled, The special effects shots were done one
camera, two passes. Smith also revealed that the last effects shot
for Captain EO was that of the logo that juts out into the audience
The big parade of celebrities started around 2 p.m. A variety of
celebrities attended the grand opening of the film at Disneyland,
including Catherine Bach, Elizabeth Montgomery, Alan Thicke, Erik
Estrada, John Ritter, Lisa Hartman, Whoopi Goldberg, Charles Bronson,
Sissy Spacek, Sarah Purcell, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Debra Winger, Elliot
Gould, Dolph Lundgren, Apollonia Kotero and even Jack Nicholson, who
rode with his then-girlfriend Angelica Huston down Main Street in an
antique car waving to cheering fans.
However, Annette Funicello seemed to get the loudest and most
enthusiastic response from the audience. Molly Ringwald was one of
the few stars who refused to ride down Main Street as part of the
parade.
Jack Wagner, well known as the Voice of Disneyland, announced the
celebrities as they drove by. The parade from the front of the park
to the Hub did not end until 3:30 p.m. and officially, there were 125
celebrities who participated. Even Michaels sister LaToya and his
mother Catherine were chauffeured down the street.
By 5 p.m., the rising heat had made things uncomfortable and the
children brought by their celebrity parents were beginning to show
how tired they were, but it was still not time to see the film. Jack
Wagner introduced the Pine Bluff High School and Washington High
School Marching Bands and Gregg Burge, from A Chorus Line who was
perhaps chosen because he was a young male African-American with a
singing and dancing background to perhaps represent the absent
Michael Jackson.
Burge burst into an original Disney song about Lets make way for
tomorrow! followed by a float featuring costumed character versions
of Hooter, the Geex and Major Domo.
At the end, CEO Michael Eisner smiled and addressed the crowd,
Michael Jackson is here. The crowd got very excited but Eisner
continued, But he is disguised, either as an old lady, an usher, or
an Animatronic character.
Nobody in the audience, especially the journalists, believed Eisner.
After a speech by Kodaks vice chairman, Coppola, Lucas and Angelica
Huston gathered at a red ribbon drawn across the entrance of the
theater. Nearby were Coppolas nephew Nicholas Cage and the newest
Jackson superstar, Janet.
Reading from cue cards, they proclaimed:
Huston: For all those who still believe in the magic world of fantasy
and imagination
Lucas: For all those who are still moved by the wonders of music and
dance
Coppola: For all those who share Walt Disneys dream and delight in
the promise of the future, we cut this ribbon signifying the opening
of the 3-D musical motion picture space adventure, Captain EO!
Animation Historian Charles Solomon, reviewing the film in the Los
Angeles Times, October 9, 1986 echoed the feelings of many people
when he wrote:
For all its wondrous imagery, Captain EO is nothing more than the
most elaborate rock video in history, like a hollow chocolate Easter
bunny, its a glorious surface over a void. No one expects an
amusement-park diversion to be Gone With the Wind, but given that
list of credits and the films lavish budget, audiences have a right
to expect more than empty flash.
Over time, the film attracted fewer and fewer guests and odd behavior
by Jackson in public certainly didnt help encourage guests to attend
the show.
Captain EO closed quietly and without fanfare at Disneyland April
1997. It had closed July 1994 at Epcot, September 1996 at Tokyo
Disneyland, and lasted until August 1998 at Disneyland Paris.
There must be much more to the story of Captain EO, but nobody has
written much of anything, so here, for future researchers is some
information to help them better understand that small footnote in
Jacksons life.
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