TBT: Captain EO
Do you remember Captain EO?
Captain EO was a 3-D film that debuted on September 12, 1986 at the Epcot Center theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort and September 18, 1986 at Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. Captain EO was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, executive-produced by George Lucas and stars Michael Jackson.
The 3-D film boasted high-tech (for its time) special effects that extended into the audience. The effects were lasers, laser impacts, smoke effects and starfields that filled the theater. Captain EO included two songs (“We Are Here to Change the World” and “Another Part of Me”) performed by Michael Jackson.
Jackson starred as Captain EO. The film followed Captain EO and his ragtag crew as they delivered a special gift to a wicked alien queen known as the Supreme Leader. The Supreme Leader is played by Academy Award winning actress Anjelica Houston.
Captain EO closed at Epcot on July 6, 1994 and then on April 7, 1997 at Disneyland. The attraction re-opened at Disneyland on February 23, 2010 and returned to Epcot at Walt Disney World on July 2, 2010. The attraction was billed as “Captain EO Tribute” to distinguish it from its original 1986–1997 run.
Captain EO closed (for the second time) at Disneyland on July 4, 2014 and then on December 6, 2015 at Epcot.
Here is a peak back at yesterland:
TBT: Delta Dreamflight
Do you remember the Delta Dreamflight attraction located in the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland?
Delta Dreamflight opened on June 23, 1989. The attraction was located in the building currently occupied by Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
Dreamflight was a pop-up book version of the history of flight. The attraction included some Audio-Animatronics and projection effects.
Passengers “boarded” omnimovers to travel through barnstormers, an M-130, Tokyo and Paris in the 1930s, the jet age and the future of air travel.
Delta Air Lines ended its sponsorship of the attraction on December 31, 1995. From January 1, 1996 and June 4, 1996 the attraction was just known as Dreamflight.
Here is a peak back at yesterland:
TBT: Journey Into Imagination
Do you remember Journey Into Imagination?
Journey Into Imagination was an attraction at the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World that opened on March 5, 1983. The 11-minute ride was a journey into the world of imagination led by the Dreamfinder and his Figment (a purple dragon created by the Dreamfinder’s imagination).
The ride introduced the Dreamfinder and Figment to theme park guests. The dynamic (and imaginative!) twosome had guests visit their Dreamport (where ideas and dreams are collected) and rooms that represent Art, Literature, the Performing Arts and Science. The ride became a fan favorite and featured the classic song “One Little Spark“.
Journey Into Imagination closed on October 10, 1998. The ride has since reopened in two different incarnations. A Figment-less version opened in October 1, 1999 and lasted until 2001. It then reopened on June 2, 2002 with Figment in a larger role.
Here is the original Journey Into Imagination:
Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom – Take a Tour Inside Maurice’s Cottage in New Fantasyland
The official Disney Parks Blog takes us on a tour inside Maurice’s Cottage in New Fantasyland with Walt Disney Imagineers. View out the exterior, the gardens, some of Maurice’s inventions, and the magic mirror that becomes the portal into the Beast’s Castle and the immersive new attraction Enchanted Tales With Belle.
View the video and a synopsis of the video AFTER THE BREAK… (more…)