What Lasts

While at Disney World, we went to see the 3-D movie Captain EO.

It premiered at Disney in 1986 amidst great hoopla.  The park promoted it as the first 4-D experience because not only did the screen have depth, the theater itself has additional lighting and effects (when an elephant-like creature sneezes, the audience is sprayed with water--at least I hope it was water).

The movie was created by some of the biggest names in film at the time.  George Lucas and Francis Ford Copola both were involved in directing and producing the short.  It stars Michael Jackson (pre-scandals) and Anjelica Huston,

The 17 minutes film was quite expensive to make.  At 1.75 million dollars a minute, it was at the time the most expensive film by running time ever made.

The plot is relatively simple.  Jackson is the captain of a ship sent to a planet to give a gift to its supreme leader.  The planet is hostile and industrial, but Jackson and his crew of animated and muppet-like figures make their way into the heart of power.  There they face opposition, but Jackson uses the power of song and dance to free all the enslaved, including the spider like supreme leader.

The film was removed from Disney parks in 1996 when Jackson's legal problems tarnished his image.  It was replaced by the Honey, I Shrunk the Audience experience.  But this year, following Jackson's death, Disney returned the attraction in his memory  (a reminder that death can be the best PR move to reform the image of some people).

I have to say that I thought it was terrible.  The plot is inane.  The characters are overblown and the non-human characters ridiculous.  What was cutting edge 3-D film that dazzled and amazed in '86 is now so out-dated that it appears dark and almost indecipherable (quite a come down from Toy Story 3 which we had seen in 3-D a couple of days earlier).  The whole thing has the sensibilities of an '80's music video.

As I watched, it made me think that the only reason anyone was there was nostalgia or they had no idea what it was when they walked in the theater.  The film simply has not aged well.

Then I thought about the Dumbo ride.  It premiered in 1955 with the opening of Disneyland.  And it still has lines and it still delivers the same unadulterated joy to its target audience.  It is no marvel of technology.  It is not cutting edge.  It is classic and those elephants will spin in their irregular up and down arcs long after the most expensive movie ever made gathers dust in the corner replaced by newer and better technology.  In fact, Disney has announced that they are building a twin to the Dumbo ride in Florida and will place it next to the other allowing even more people to enjoy the classic experience.

The next thing is always replaced by the next thing, but there is always a place for the big-eared elephant.