Disneyland has "no definite plans to bring back" the Michael Jackson 3-D movie "Captain EO," Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said today during an impromptu news conference at D23 Expo in Anaheim.
"There aren't plans to bring back 'Captain EO' at this time," Iger said. "We are looking at it. It's the kind of thing that, if we did it, would get a fair amount of attention and we'd want to make sure we do it right."
Iger and other Disney brass watched a screening of the 1980s-era sci-fi fantasy film this week and determined that the old music video needed to be further evaluated before it could be brought back into the Anaheim theme park.
Back in 1986, everybody wanted a piece of the hottest pop star in the world. So it was with much fanfare that Disneyland introduced "Captain EO," starring Jackson.
It was an association the family-friendly amusement park would eventually come to regret as the bizarre pop star became increasingly embroiled in controversy.
The 17-minute "Captain EO" cost an estimated $30 million and featured a star-studded list of credits, including executive producer George Lucas, director Francis Ford Coppola and Anjelica Huston as the evil Supreme Leader.
The 3-D movie — featuring lasers, smoke and stars that extended into the audience — told the story of Captain EO's mission to deliver a musical gift to a wicked alien queen on a dystopian planet. EO's rag-tag crew included his sidekick Fuzzbucket, security officer Major Domo and blundering shipmate Hooter.
"EO" used music — specifically the original song "We Are Here to Change the World" — to defeat the queen and her whip-wielding henchmen.
"Captain EO" opened in Disneyland's Magic Eye Theater in 1986 and ran for more than a decade, quietly closing in 1997.
Identical versions of the film eventually opened at Epcot in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. All closed by 1998.
Michael Jackson died in June.
