Michael Jackson's Weirdest Movie Is What Star Wars Could Have Been
With biopic Michael offering a look at the King of Pop’s legacy, there’s one piece of lost media that hardcore Michael Jackson fans are crying out for — and that’s Captain EO.
The 17-minute spectacle, which was, at the time, the most expensive film ever made; a sci-fi epic unlike any other. The budget has been cited by sources as ranging from $17 million to 30 million.
However, despite its legacy as Star Wars’ weirder, musical cousin, the film has never been properly released. So, to find out more about this piece of lost media, read on.
What Happens in Captain EO?
The short film starred Jackson as the titular character. In the film, EO, his trusty sidekick Fuzzball, and his crew are sent to a place run by the evil Supreme Leader, who is played by Anjelica Huston.
After she sentences EO to a hundred years of torture in her dungeons, EO uses the magic of song and dance to transform the Supreme Leader and her planet. Apparently, this also involves turning his crew into musical instruments and the Supreme Leader’s guards into dancers.
How Did Captain EO Come About?
By 1984, as Disney Dave recounts, Disney was in a rut. It was widely considered to have lost its magic. So, when Paramount’s Michael Eisner became CEO, he knew it was time for changes. At the time, Jackson was at the height of his fame following ‘Thriller,’ and in his memoir (cited by Yahoo), he claims that Disney wanted him to come up with an idea for a new theme park ride.
“They said they didn’t care what I did, as long as it was something creative,” Jackson wrote. “In the end, they asked me to do a movie, and I agreed. I love the movies and have since I was really little. For two hours, you can be transported to another place. Films can take you anywhere.”
Disney Imagineer Rick Rothschild told Yahoo that one initial idea was The Intergalactic Music Man, which involved Jackson’s character and his team arriving at a world that was “all cold and awful,” and helping people realise that “life is better when it’s all colourful and warm.” In the end, he says that this concept was synthesised with other fantastical elements Jackson was a fan of, like Peter Pan.
Yahoo also reported that Jackson wanted Steven Spielberg to direct and George Lucas to produce, but only the latter was available — and it was Lucas who brought Captain EO’s director, Francis Ford Coppola, on board.
The Making Of Captain EO
Principal photography of the film began in July 1985. The film was shot in 17mm 3D under the supervision of Peter Anderson. In order to get the 3D effect, cinematographers shot multiple passes through the same lens. Rick Baker, who did the makeup for ‘Thriller’, was also present. He was responsible for creature effects. One such creature, EO’s sidekick Fuzzball, reportedly required multiple puppeteers and 16 separate wires to create a realistic flying effect.
As for the Supreme Leader costume, application took several hours, and, reportedly, was inspired by Alien designer HR Giger. Meanwhile, the choreography was led by Jeffrey Hornaday and three dozen dancers, with two original songs featured in the film.
In order to show the film at the Magic Eye Theatre, it was equipped with 17mm projectors, laser rigs, and fibre optic effects. Alongside this, there were smoke jets synced with Jackson. However, the bass went so hard that it actually cracked the theatre. So, the walls were reinforced.
In a peculiar move, Jackson didn’t show up for the film's September 12, 1986 launch.
What Happened After Captain EO’s Initial Release?
While Disney got a good few years out of the spectacle, Captain EO soon fell out of relevance — and the controversy surrounding Jackson at that point certainly didn’t help. It aired on TV one single time in 1995, but by 1997, all the theme parks had replaced it.
However, when Jackson died on June 25, 2009, there was renewed interest in his body of work and wider legacy. There was one problem, though. After spending over a decade in the vault, Captain EO had deteriorated and required a frame-by-frame digital restoration.
Still, by February 2010, the film was back in business, albeit with the original laser and pre-show documentary removed. It lasted five years before the theme parks phased it out again. However, the film remains a huge part of Jackson’s legacy and is also considered to be one of the first 4D films made.
However, now that Disney owns Star Wars, some fans are pining for Captain EO to become part of the canon — and when a creature looking suspiciously similar to Fuzzball appeared in Star Wars TV series Skeleton Crew, it looked like the fandom had finally got their wish. However, at the time of writing, it hasn’t been confirmed. So, with no digital or physical media release, it looks like Captain EO really is lost forever.
