Fans decked out in futuristic garb formed a line early
Tuesday to see the return of the Michael Jackson film "Captain EO" to Disneyland
after a 13-year hiatus.
At 10 a.m., the 17-minute, science fiction-themed musical returns
to the Tomorrowland Theater for limited engagement. It replaces "Honey I Shrunk
the Audience," which closed Jan. 3.
"Captain EO" debuted at the height of Jackson’s fame in
1986, featuring director Francis Ford Coppola and executive producer George Lucas. It cost a reported $30 million to make and ran as an attraction at
the theme park until 1997.
Fans began lobbying
for the return of the 3-D film soon after Jackson’s death last year, saying
it would honor the King of Pop.
The Times’ Brady McDonald, writing at the Daily
Travel & Deal blog, says the return of Captain EO “presents a
perplexing challenge to family-centric Disney: How to market a movie relic
starring a controversial character without appearing to capitalize on his
demise.”
The film stars Jackson as a captain leading a crew of
aliens, robots and "fuzzball" on a spaceship on a mission to deliver
a gift to a wicked alien witch played by Anjelica Huston.
A Disney spokeswoman told
KTLA that there was no timeline for how long the show would run, but said it
would stay for as long as it remained popular.
–Tony Barboza
Photo: "Captain EO" starring Michael Jackson thrilled Disneyland visitors from 1986 to 1997. The 3-D production reopens Tuesday at the theme park. Credit: Disneyland Resort