The newest, most expensive and spectacular 3-D film ever produced opened on September 19th, 1986 exclusively at Disneyland in California, and Walt Disney World Epcot Center in Florida. A week earlier the Los Angeles Times referred to "Captain Eo" as "either the film event of the year, or the rock video event of the decade, or the 3-D event of the century. Take your pick."
Before getting into the technical side of the film, here are some background and credits. Star: Michael Jackson. Director: Francis Coppola. Executive Producer: George Lucas. Presented by: Eastman Kodak Company. Cost: no official word from Disney, but estimates have been around $20 million, with rumors even higher!
That's only the beginning! Additional credits include producer Rusty Lemorande ("Yentl"); set designer John Napier ("Cats," "Nicholas Nickelby"); art director Geoffery Kirkland ("The Right Stuff"); choreographer Jeffrey Horn-aday ("Flashdance," "A Chorus Line"); and photographic consultant Vittorio Storaro ("Reds"). Finally, add all of the imagination and technical resources of WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering, formerly WED Enterprises), and technical consulting by Eastman Kodak Company.
The result? A 17-minute, 3-D musical motion picture space adventure that sets a new standard for the art and potential of 3-D films. More on that later.
[…]
