Captain EO (1986)
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A space captain must use his musical powers to transform a desolate world ruled by a witch into a paradise.
The story
Captain EO and his ragtag crew are sent to a desolate world run by a witch known as the Supreme Leader to deliver a gift to her. Upon their arrival, the crew is captured and brought before the Supreme Leader, who sentences Captain EO to 100 years of torture in her deepest dungeon. Before he is sent away, Captain EO has his robot crew transform into musical instruments before he sings "We Are Here to Change the World", using his powers to change the guards into dancers.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Captain EO and his ragtag crew are sent to a desolate world run by a witch known as the Supreme Leader to deliver a gift to her. Upon their arrival, the crew is captured and brought before the Supreme Leader, who sentences Captain EO to 100 years of torture in her deepest dungeon. Before he is sent away, Captain EO has his robot crew transform into musical instruments before he sings "We Are Here to Change the World", using his powers to change the guards into dancers. After defeating two Whip Warriors, he flies up to the Supreme Leader and transforms her into a beautiful woman, her lair into a peaceful Greek temple, and the planet into a paradise. A celebration breaks out to "Another Part of Me", as Captain EO and his crew triumphantly exit and fly off into space.
- First release year
- 1986
- Runtime (minutes)
- 17
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Writers
- George Lucas · writer; Rusty Lemorande · writer; Francis Ford Coppola · writer
- Cast and characters
- Michael Jackson · Captain EO; Anjelica Huston; Dick Shawn
- Genres
- science fiction; musical; short film
- Themes
- transformation; musicality
- Tone and mood
- sci-fi adventure; musical
- Setting
- A desolate world run by a witch and a peaceful Greek temple.
- Premise and plot tags
- space adventure; witchcraft; 4D film
- Source material / true-story basis
- a story idea by the artists of Imagineering
- Reception
- The film regained popularity on the Internet after Michael Jackson's death in 2009, leading to a campaign to bring back the attraction. It was eventually revived as a tribute in 2010.
- Production trivia
- It was the most expensive film ever produced on a per-minute basis, averaging out at $1.76 million per minute.; The film was completed in considerable secrecy at the request of Jackson and Lucas.; In 1987, a group of Disneyland cast members made an unofficial parody of the show called Captain Eeyore.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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