"Captain EO" Anaheim closing! [Update Pg 4 closing postponed indefinitely]

[morinen]

"...Meanwhile, Disney’s purchase 10 months ago of Lucasfilm turned the plans to remake Disneyland’s Tomorrowland on its ear. Out were ride concepts based on Tron and Marvel, and in was a Star Wars invasion of nearly the entire land. Disneyland operations teams don’t want the park in construction mode for the 60th Anniversary, so the plan to remake Tomorrowland is now being broken up into two phases.

The first phase is planned to get underway this winter with the closing of Captain EO and major “placemaking” work on the existing buildings that mostly date from 1967. The 15 months of work would wrap up by early spring 2015 in time for the 60th, and leave a new Star Wars 3D movie in the old Captain EO theater, new destinations programmed into Star Tours based on the seventh Star Wars movie to be released in summer 2015, and a freshened aesthetic to the buildings surrounding Space Mountain. Once the 60th Anniversary begins to wind down, the real work begins on plans to build a Star Wars speeder bike coaster on the old PeopleMover tracks, plus more Star Wars eye candy and freshened facilities throughout the land."

http://micechat.com/37890-miceage-t...ss&utm_campaign=miceage-tomorrowland-starwars


This is a real bummer. I don't know what we can do. It looks like the plans to rebuild the theater are already under way.
There is just no positive news in regard to Michael lately


ETA: The Disney World one is also closing this winter:

"We’ve heard rumblings for a while, and now it seems to be all but official that the Imagination Pavilion in Epcot’s Future World will be closing January 2, 2014. Details after the jump. Captain EO will be gone for good and replaced entirely, and the Imagination Ride will be closed for an “extensive renovation”.
http://www.illuminatingepcot.com/epcot-news/breaking-imagination-pavilion-to-close/

So there will be no more "Captain EO" in America.

 

[AtlasAir]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

I was going to make a post about this the other day, but I'll just expand on this here now.


I didn't read about the DisneyLAND version, but the Imagination Pavillion in Epcot Center in Florida is set to close in december/january (which is where Captain EO and other attractions are located).

Word is they are doing a complete refurbishment of that area (and honestly, it really needs it. Its the deadest part of the park).

And I'm not surprised the rest of the Captain EO locations will follow in those footsteps.

Rumors are going around of a Star Wars themed land in the parks (which is AWESOME).
In Disney LAND it would be in Tomorrowland (probably where the Star Tours ride is, of course), and it would be at Hollywood studios in Disney World.


Anyway, I'll be sad to see it go AGAIN, but we all knew this was just a temporary thing.

SO, if you haven't seen it yet and are going to Disneyland or Disneyworld anytime before december, do it!

 

[AtlasAir]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

This is a real bummer. I don't know what we can do. It looks like the plans to rebuild the theater are already under way.
There is just no positive news in regard to Michael lately

It sucks, but it was nice that they did this at all. The space it's in could be utilized or refurbed into something better (and not dated).

 

[morinen]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

After it closes, it should be released on a 3D-DVD for future generations

 

[MJJsBADEraLady87]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Shame to see "Captain EO" go, since I'd never gotten the chance to see it & will most likely never get that chance

 

[Kerry Hennigan]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

People were certainly still turning up to see it in Anaheim this summer... always great when there are other MJ fans in the audience to get excited with. I really think it should be screening in a 'nostalgia' part of the park - after all they have Steamboat Willie screening indefinitely in the main street cinema... a similar arrangement for Captain Eo could be organised. But otherwise - YES, 3D DVD/BLU-RAY for sure!!!

Anyone know about Disneyland Tokyo? Heard a year or two back that it was supposed to be on there indefinitely (not that that necessarily means anything!)

 

[Kerry Hennigan]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

I can suggest that fans go on the respective Disney Facebook sites and post their love and positive comments on Captain Eo... it doesn't help to show major support for Michael's landmark little show so they know there is at least a mass fan market for it to be available in some for or other!

 

[Pentum]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Should release it on Blu-Ray then with lots of extra stuff.

 

[WhoIsIt89]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Welp, I'm bummed, as I've never got to experience the Disney attraction. But I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. But I can't be mad, as Disney did us a solid by re-opening it after it waa closed for so long.

 

[AtlasAir]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

I can suggest that fans go on the respective Disney Facebook sites and post their love and positive comments on Captain Eo... it doesn't help to show major support for Michael's landmark little show so they know there is at least a mass fan market for it to be available in some for or other!

Absolutely. The show is going to close regardless, but at the very least, stuff like this can show an interest in finally releasing a DVD/Blu Ray.

I've said elsewhere already, but the release should be like all the current Disney releases. DVD/Blu Ray/3d Blu ray combo backs or bare-bones release.

It should also have the original MAKING OF hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, a new featurette about having it put back in the parks, and some new unreleased footage of making it.

 

[CN Nicholle]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Shame to see "Captain EO" go, since I'd never gotten the chance to see it & will most likely never get that chance

You do know it's on Youtube? Saw it at Disney World when I was a kid and loved it. Didn't see it this time around. I may check it out again since I live an hour from Disney World.

 

[HIStoric]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

after all they have Steamboat Willie screening indefinitely in the main street cinema... a similar arrangement for Captain Eo could be organised.

This is Disneyland. Not Michael Jackson land. It would make sense to have what is considered the debut episode of perhaps the most iconic cartoon character in HIStory to be repeatedly playing. Captain EO is 4D and requires a number of actual effects (like smoke) going off in sync with the video, whereas Steamboat Willie is just a plain old video on repeat.

Captain EO still seems to be relatively popular going by some reports so they could do something similar for Captain EO though. Perhaps play it in 2D in a simple theatre. Alternatively, they could give 3D glasses upon entry and take them back after the film, thus allowing them to show the film in 3D with minimal expense. I imagine the '4D' effects would be rather costly so yeah, 2D/3D would suffice in my opinion (if they were to do this)

 

[8701girl]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

After it closes, it should be released on a 3D-DVD for future generations

YES i agree! would be good for those who have never seen it and who now never will .

 

[CaptainEoLove85]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

I suppose it's inevitable. There's only been talk of this so far, no construction, at least not since I was there last month. I don't know how true the rumors are or when exactly they'll start reconstructing. I would definitely welcome it because Disneyland kind of failed with their last Tomorrowland update. I wish they could keep Captain EO, but I know it will probably go sometime. I just wish they could bring the People Mover back, but that will likely never happen.

 

[Ashtanga]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

After it closes, it should be released on a 3D-DVD for future generations

I hope! ray:



And the behind the scenes in the extras too! :wild:

 

[AtlasAir]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Captain EO still seems to be relatively popular going by some reports so they could do something similar for Captain EO though. Perhaps play it in 2D in a simple theatre. Alternatively, they could give 3D glasses upon entry and take them back after the film, thus allowing them to show the film in 3D with minimal expense. I imagine the '4D' effects would be rather costly so yeah, 2D/3D would suffice in my opinion (if they were to do this)

Keep it in the park in a 2d presentation? ...no...
And they already take back the 3d glasses when you leave the theater. They have bins to place them in...

And the "4d" effects aren't completely necessary for this movie. There's just some light flashes, fog, floor rumbles, and a laser beam (all briefly).

 

[HIStoric]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

And they already take back the 3d glasses when you leave the theater. They have bins to place them in...

Sweet, then they could do it in 3D if they so wanted.

 

[speechlesslove4michael]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

This makes me so relieved that I got the chance to see this when I went to Disneyworld in February this year. It was one of the most emotional experiences of my life

 

[MjsLovelyOne88]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Shame to see "Captain EO" go, since I'd never gotten the chance to see it & will most likely never get that chance

Yeah, me neither so hopefully that DVD does happen

 

[PoP]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

"OH NO" is right. But yeah "Captain EO" should be released for DVD/Blu-Ray, hopefully soon.

 

[AngieJ]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Booooo! But i'm glad that I was finally able to see Captain EO at both.

 

[Snow White luvs Peter Pan]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Noooo, it will never be the same watching Captain Eo on a huge screen for cinemas than watching it at your tv screen even though I assume it will be released in HQ. If Anaheim was the only place where it was screened, I'll never have the chance to see Captain Eo as it was meant to be.

 

[DangerousSC]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Aw, no! This is awful but at least I can say I've been on it a bunch of times... Recently actually. Since I'm on holiday there right now (Florida one). It's still popular, always gets a good crowd, it's certainly not empty ever. Tbh, the Star Tours ride seems to be more dead than it since the ques are usually very short (10 minutes when I went there). Don't see why they think a Star Wars 3D movie will generate more people (after the amazingness of being new wears off, of course, since all rides are popular when they've just got there).

Here's a description of what happens:
You line up or sit by the side waiting for it to begin then go past and grab a pair of 3D glasses for the show. After that you walk into a (very) dark room with a bunch of TVs above to watch the original preview/commercial about it. When it's getting to 3 minutes before the show they show the behind the scenes part which (sadly) doesn't show MJ much but more the star wars director and the other guys. Once that's all done you can walk past the curtains and begin the show.

The problem is (which I assume why it'd be difficult to keep with the prices) that the theatre moves quite a bit during the show (just bounces up during dramatic parts), plus during the guard's whipping part you can sort of feel them underneath by your legs (difficult to explain). There's also some light flashes in the background but I didn't notice any smoke.

At the end the disney staff member ends it by saying "Your 1986 journey is now over and we're back in 2013." Followed by the usual drill about moving to the exit and remembering your belongings... The nice thing is that when you're walking out they play the song which the movie ended with MJ singing "Another Part Of Me".

Yep... It's really enjoyable and I plan to go again today. You can also watch the full movie on YT but, of course, it's just not the same.

 

[AtlasAir]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Tbh, the Star Tours ride seems to be more dead than it since the ques are usually very short (10 minutes when I went there). Don't see why they think a Star Wars 3D movie will generate more people (after the amazingness of being new wears off, of course, since all rides are popular when they've just got there).

I'm sorry, what?
You really think the outdated Captain EO is best kept as is, rather than a new attraction based on a billion dollar franchise they recently purchased (that being Star Wars)?



And I live here in Florida. The lines can get get pretty long depending when you go. But the lines are usually pretty quick, anyways.
That doesn't mean it's a dud.

And I don't know necessarily about a 3d movie of star wars, but they want to make a Star Wars themed lands in Disneyland and Disneyworld (next to the Star Tours rides).

They will generate a lot more traffic in the parks.

The problem is (which I assume why it'd be difficult to keep with the prices) that the theatre moves quite a bit during the show (just bounces up during dramatic parts), plus during the guard's whipping part you can sort of feel them underneath by your legs (difficult to explain). There's also some light flashes in the background but I didn't notice any smoke.

Why would in-theater effects have anything to do with prices? (prices of what?)

And all those features (floor shaking, air tubes under seats) were added for the previous attraction that took over for Captain EO the first time (Honey I Shrunk The Audience).
They just made use of the additions in the theater for Captain EO. They weren't there originally.

 

[DangerousSC]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

I'm sorry, what?
You really think the outdated Captain EO is best kept as is, rather than a new attraction based on a billion dollar franchise they recently purchased (that being Star Wars)?



And I live here in Florida. The lines can get get pretty long depending when you go. But the lines are usually pretty quick, anyways.
That doesn't mean it's a dud.

And I don't know necessarily about a 3d movie of star wars, but they want to make a Star Wars themed lands in Disneyland and Disneyworld (next to the Star Tours rides).

They will generate a lot more traffic in the parks.

I see your logic... Well, obviously, personally yes but I guess it might. I don't think Star Wars quite has the popularity it used to but, hey, it's already been bought so I suppose they should use it.

But I have to somewhat disagree with your second point. I go there often and, honestly, it's not that popular. Lines don't move that fast with the Fastpass but even when we got Fastpass it wasn't needed because the normal line was so short. Plus, it's not really a fast loader either when compared to the Haunted Mansion or Where's Nemo. It's average, similar system to Soarin' except they do multiple "rides" at once. I'd say it's one of the least popular rides in MGM, seeing as the ques for The Great Movie Ride and Toy Story are far, far, longer (odd since TGMR is definitely one of the older rides).

Why would in-theater effects have anything to do with prices? (prices of what?)

And all those features (floor shaking, air tubes under seats) were added for the previous attraction that took over for Captain EO the first time (Honey I Shrunk The Audience).
They just made use of the additions in the theater for Captain EO. They weren't there originally.

Really? Well, colour me surprised, I didn't know that one. I do remember Honey I Shrunk The Audience, wondered where that movie went... Guess I know now, haha. Still, they fit pretty nicely, so s'cuse my lack of knowledge there. And, well, I figured it might have been a waste of money to build all those in when a ride's not popular but I didn't realise they were always there.

 

[8701girl]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Whats this "honey i shrunk the audeince"????? it sounds fun lol

 

[ChrisC]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

Oh that's a real shame. Was hoping to go to Florida next summer and see this.

I saw it in 1993. I guess I'll just have to keep my memories of that.

 

[AtlasAir]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

I see your logic... Well, obviously, personally yes but I guess it might. I don't think Star Wars quite has the popularity it used to but, hey, it's already been bought so I suppose they should use it.

Nah, Star Wars even TODAY is still hugely popular. Even if the prequels were mostly critical bombs, they still made lots of money (not to mention the continued merchandise, animated TV shows, video games, etc etc etc).

And Disney has had for years Star Wars Weekends with various events near/around Star Tours.

And yeah, they covered up Honey I Shrunk the Audience signage and just put the film back in.

Whats this "honey i shrunk the audeince"????? it sounds fun lol

It's the attraction that originally replaced Captain EO.

Wayne Szalinski (dad from movie) is getting an award for his science contributions, but accientally shrinks everyone in the audience. 3d and 4d effects take over from there.

more info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey,_I_Shrunk_the_Audience!

 

[8701girl]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey,_I_Shrunk_the_Audience[/URL]!

ha it wouldnt need to shrink me, im already small enough!

 

[PurdyYungThang84]

Re: Oh no... "Captain EO" in Anaheim is closing!

I'd figured they hadn't brought it back to be a permanent installation, but its still bittersweet to have to say goodbye to it again (my parents took me to see it in '89, and I went again in 2010).

What's good with the Captain Eo merch deadstock tho? lol I've got a few tees and a sweatshirt already but you know......... a girl can always use a few more lol. h34r: