Dead Man Singing

Back when Michael Jackson was still black...and still breathing...he made a 3D movie for Disneyland called Captain EO. The show ran in Tomorrowland from 1986 to 1997. As Jackson got weirder (and for that matter whiter) people lost interest in seeing the movie and it was replaced by "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience". The latter show finally shrunk the audience so much that nobody was going to see it, and in the wake of Michael Jackson's unexpected passing, it suddenly made a lot of sense to bring Captain EO back.

The show opens again today and folks are already lining up:

As of 6 a.m., about 35 people were in line to see the Michael Jackson film, “Captain EO,” on its first day back at Disneyland.

The first showing of the return of the 3-D movie is set for 10 a.m. at the Tomorrowland theater, where it played from 1986 to 1997. Although the park opens at 9:30 a.m., Disney officials are allowing Jackson fans to line up early on the west side of Disneyland’s main entrance.

First in line is Daniel Lew, 36, from Oceanside. A reporter for a horse magazine, he got here at 9 p.m. Monday.

“I’ve been waiting patiently with anticipation,” he said. “I didn’t sleep for one second. There’s been so much anticipation and buzz from the Disney fan community for “Captain EO.’ ‘

Also in line is a 24-year-old woman wearing a white jacket with sequins with a “Captain EO” logo on the back. And two other young women who started driving from San Francisco at 9:30 p.m. Monday and got here at 3:30 a.m.

Disneyland is reviving the 17-minute movie because of the renewed popularity of the singer after his June death. The movie is playing for a limited engagement, but Disney officials have yet to say how long it will stay.

My guess is it will keep playing until folks stop wanting to see it and they figure out something else to do with that space.

Since it costs $72 per person to get in the park these days, if you're interested in seeing the original movie, I'll save you a bunch of money and let you watch it in two parts below.