Here is a commentary from Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel :
When I saw
Captain EO at
Epcot back in the day, I remember rolling my eyes a lot. It was during the era when
Michael Jackson was trying to prove that he was bad —
real, real bad. Seriously? My friends and I weren't buying him in the role of
tough-guy space commando.
But it's still interesting that the show — a 17-minute, 3-D film — will be back in action at
Walt Disney World beginning
July 2. EO exited in 1994 after a six-year run, and a lot of Jackson news has broken in the meantime, from his
extreme physical makeover to his
mysterious children to
courtroom appearances and accusations to the entertainer's
surprising death last year and its aftermath.
So Captain EO has
baggage, more than can fit into the overhead compartment. On
Facebook, its relationship status should be
"it's complicated." But the passage of time can add a
rosy glow to unseemly bygone elements. Which factor will be most influential in the return of Captain EO?
Long live the king factor
Die-hard Michael Jackson fans are happy with the news. They see it as a lasting tribute to the
King of Pop (although no end date has been set for the Disney World run).
Although EO was not presented as a big deal in the retrospectives of Jackson's life, a movement to bring it back into theme parks soon emerged. EO returned to
Disneyland in February, and it's scheduled to be at Disney parks in
Tokyo and
Paris in June.
Guest demand was a prime factor in the comeback, Disney World officials say.
The nostalgia factor
EO is a
throw-back event, with roots in the early years of Epcot. Folks like to reminisce in 3-D.
Consider this: A lot of people who were teenagers in the first EO era are
now in their 30s and are ready to share this experience with their offspring.
Related to the nostalgia factor is the
cheesy factor. It's all about the '80s for some people, including some people in charge. We should be thankful that Disney isn't putting
A Flock of Seagulls into
Soarin'.
The creepy factor
Jackson was
never convicted of any crime, his defenders are quick to point out. But the stigma — and whispers of long-ago payoffs to accusing families — lingers. We can live with
eccentricities (Elephant Man bones … Bubbles, anyone?), but is he still a good fit for a place heavily populated with kids?
The EO storyline is innocent enough, and the messages are wholesome: find your
inner beauty, together we can almost do anything, even warriors can dance and capes can be … manly.
Done with Honey factor
To accommodate Captain EO,
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience will go on hiatus. Disney says that 3-D attraction will come back eventually. Honey, based on the 1989 film
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids starring
Rick Moranis, moved into EO's building in 1994. One could generously described Honey as
"dated." Many Disney fans who are anti-EO are in favor of wiping Honey out of Epcot.
But other folks would like to go even
more retro. They call for a return of the original
Journey to the Imagination pavilion — with the flying Figment character in all its glory — in that spot.
Something new factor
Another way to look at EO is as a
steppingstone to a new, improved Epcot product. A segment of the population is rooting for new development of a
brand-new attraction to go into the
Future World slot once EO has run its course again. Online chatter dares to dream that Disney will introduce something awesome and, invariably, in
high-definition.
As
Tyra Banks would say, "So, who stays and who goes?" It's a dilemma. Should Disney World go back, go further back or fling itself into the future? Which set of fans should executives make happy? Hey, that's why they get the
big Disney Dollars.
