Celebrating the re-opening of Captain EO, at EPCOT, I’ve decided to do a special Inside Disney today. One, because it is one of the most famous series of my blog. Two, because 2 weeks ago, you guys made the blog post “Top 10 Disney Villains” the most visited of Stratoblog’s existence, until now. And third, because this is the 2nd part on the 3 part Inside Disney series on the Imagination pavillion. We started with the Imagination Institute, we are now taking a break on the Magic Eye Theater and after that, we’ll travel back to the original Journey into Imagination. So let’s begin with this edition of Inside Disney- all about the Magic Eye Theater!
Magic Eye Building
The Magic Eye Theater building is located next to the Imagination pavillion. Lets be detailed, right. If you look at it from an helicopter, it kinda resembles the look of the Universe of Energy pavillion- large on one side and constantly minimizing until it reaches the other side, with a half of the other side’s size. It was created as the place for the return of 3D movies to Disney- since 1956, Walt and his Imagineers were developing the first theme park 3D movies, such as “The Mousekeeter 3D Jamboree”. But then, it would stop, until 25 years later, EPCOT came, and so did the Magic Eye Theater. But do you know taht the Magic Eye Theater is not exclusive to EPCOT? Let’s flashforward a little, to 1986. There was a big stage called the Space Stage at Tomorrowland, where Magic Journeys would usually be exhibited- but Imagineering decided they could do more, so that whole area became a new Magic Eye Theater. And embarking on the copy express, they imported the famous Captain EO movie that had just premiered. After 1987, every other Disney park with a Tomorrowland had it’s own Magic Eye Theater.
Magic Eye Journeys
Do not be deceived by that poster. It wasn’t a bit after 1986 when Magic Journeys came to Fantasyland, but let’s talk about that later. Magic Journeys was the first film exhibited in EPCOT’s Magic Eye Theater and on Disneyland’s Space Stage. Way before we talk about the movie, let’s talk about the deadline problems the pavillion was facing.
As we all know, Imagination was the last pavillion to start construction (even though Kodak was one of the firsts to sign up for sponsorship), and meanwhile, the director and its crew were also having deadline problems. So they decided to have a small preview so Imagination guests would have something to see (if this would actually happen, only ImageWorks would be open at opening day). Before the preview, there was a small short with Ron Schneider’s first performance as Dreamfinder, and Billy Barty voicing Figment (thanks to dreemfinder for pointing that out!) . In the short, Dreamfinder ran through Imagineering, seeing lots of models and things from other attractions. But, as we all know, the movie was ready in time.
But we are not ready to move to the show, because we still have the preshow. As you got your 3D glasses and waited, a picture-only preshow would play, with a Sherman Brothers song, Makin’ Memories. It was all about shooting pictures and making memories- which is what the pavillion’s sponsor, Kodak, did. The pictures would change from old, black and white pictures to newer ones, this time already colored. A group that sounded like a barbershop quarter and an woman sang the lyrics. “And when we’re making memories, happy days can re-appear.”
Then we finally move on to the real show. Magic Journeys was a trip through a child’s imagination, fitting for an Imagination pavillion. However, some of the images on the movie are still to this very day consdiered… trippy. If Alice in Wonderland has got your fingers wishing to stop this madness, then Magic Journeys definitely wasn’t for you. Besides, the score and the Makin’ Memories song were made by the Sherman Brothers, so thats a plus.
But lets set Magic Journeys aside…
Magic Eye Captain
In 1986, audiences were pleading for a new 3D movie. So Magic Journeys ended its 4 year long run on EPCOT and moved over to Magic Kingdom, to make way for a new 3D show featuring Michael Jackson and a cast of inter-stellar creatures as they journey to bring the gift of life and music to countless worlds of despair. A ragtag band led by the infamous Captain EO. Aaaah, see what I did there?
However, Captain EO was more than a 3D show. Rusty Lemorande, producer of the film, suggested to George Lucas, the film’s executive producer, who wrote the script together with Francis Ford Coppola (and Lemorande too), that the film should have a new type of technology, a sensory power, that would expand from the screen to the theater itself. The new technology is still to this day called 4-D, and Lemorande is considered the Father of 4-D, since Captain EO is considered by many the first 4-D show, using lasers, lightning, smoke, and much, much more, all to put the character inside EO’s world. The score of the show was made by James Horner.
Captain EO made full use of its 3-D effects. The action on the screen extended into the audience, including lasers, laser impacts, smoke effects, and starfields that filled the theater. These effects resulted in the seventeen-minute film costing an estimated $30 million to produce.At the time, it was the most expensive film ever produced on a per-minute basis, averaging out at $1.76 million per minute.
A new paint job to the theater and voila, EO is ready to be shown. But did you know that there was a preshow to Captain EO, although no one remembers it? The thing is, the song was pratically unknown back then, and if there is only an excerpt of the Makin’ Memories preshow, for With a Smile, EO’s preshow, there is no audio or video recording of it. Thats why no one remembers it.
As you entered the theater, you are introduced to EO and his team, who are trying to find a landing beacon in order to deliver a gift to an Evil Queen, played by Angelica Houston. Through the power of dance and music, EO and his team transform the planet, the goons into dancing actors, and the queen into a beautiful woman. EO, of course, is the greek name for dawn, and his gift symbolises the dawn of a new era in that ex-sad little planet.
Captain EO holds the record for being one of the only attractions that returned to its original place, replacing its sucessor, with no changes to the main film. But, before we go talk about EO returning to the theater, we have to send him away. And to do that, we’ll have to shrink him.
Magic Eye Audience
The year is 1994 and Michael Jackson’s image is not the same. Not counting, though, that EO is not that popular anymore. It was time for a new show. But before we talk about that show, I want to shift your attention to a little matter we have at our hands. Magic Journeys stayed from 1982 to 1986. Thats 4 years. Captain EO stayed from 1986 to 1994. Thats 8 years, double the time that Magic Journeys stayed. So the new show would stay double the time EO stayed. Therefore, if it started on 1994, it would end 16 years later… in 2010. Can you, my present friend, confirm this? I’ll confirm it a little later.
So Disney decided it was time for a major overhaul on the theater. Based on its newest movie hit, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, the Magic Eye Theater would become the Imagination Institute. Disney wanted this show to be heavily focused on comic, so one of the new characters created only for this show, Imagination Institute’s chairman, Doctor Nigel Channing, would be played by Eric Idle, a british comedian of Monty Python fame. All the cast from the movie would return, and this new show would be named Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. The music would be scored by Bruce Broughton, who worked on Honey, I Blew Up the Baby.
New paint job and new signs were put on the Magic Eye Theater- I mean, the Imagination Institute’s Theater. New signs were put on the waiting area, with famous people who created things- better, imagined things for the greater good. The preshow was consisted of two parts. The first part would be an interview with the chairman, Nigel Channing, about what the Institute does (and a clear hint at how things can- and will- go wrong over there, with things blowing up and going wrong during the interview). The second part would be the True Colors preshow, another preshow with photos featuring the True Colors song, by Cindy Lauper. And here’s where things get funky.
Somewhere in the middle of HISTA’s run, the preshow was changed. Instead of the heartwarming and inspiring True Colors song, what was put in place was a new video preshow called Every Picture. Basically, it was a narrator saying “With imagination, every picture *insert an action here*”, and it was what Kodak wanted, an living ad for them. Mix that with a safety and informational video featuring Nigel Channing, and bam, True Colors is gone with the wind! Here’s the deal: what happens is that Wayne Szalinski is receiving an award for his amazing shrinking machine. You know, the one that shrunk his kid and blew up his baby. Anyway, he is receiving the award, and things are sure to go wrong. Go into the theater- this is a 4D show with a WHOLE NEW LOT of effects. And I mean a LOT. Let me detail them part by part.
The show begins, and things are already going wrong: Szalinski is shrunk and flying around the Institute. The show starts, more Szalinski problems and its time to demonstrate his Dimensional Duplicator. However, Adam drops his rat on the case, and he is duplicated- to stop the duplication, they cut the power, however, the rats are already loose, and squirm towards the theater, into the audience. And you feel them. Next, more 3D madness, until Szalinski is blowed up (I mean, enlarged), and demonstrates the Shrinking Machine, shrinking you, the audience and Nick, his son, into the size of mice. Thats where more 4D madness happens. You get lifted by Adam, and the whole audience is on platform that lifts too. Then, Nick’s snake appears and you feel a whip of wind. You are finally enlarged, and Szalinski is receiving his prize- however, the dog has been enlarged too. And before you can leave, he sneezes on you. 4D madness.
HISTA also made Imagination change to Imagination Institute on 1998. And HISTA went on for 16 years… with no change.
Magic Eye Returns
Until today. The Magic Eye Theater name returns together with Captain EO, who kicks HISTA out of its place to return back since MJ’s death. What does it means for the theater’s future? I don’t know. I just know that this is Captain EO with the HISTA 4D effects.
So thats the Magic Eye Theater history. Its really a Magic Eye story… This was Stratofarius, and I’m saying goodbye, and have a pleasant tomorrow.
