As of July 2, Captain EO is now re-open at all the Disney Parks worldwide (not including Hong Kong). I just want to go on record now that I believe with almost 100% certainty that once it’s limited re-engagement finish’s its run, it will be replaced by a new 3D attraction themed around TRON. The timing is almost too good for it not to be true. In fact I believe that a TRON attraction has been in the works for some time, and that the Captain EO return is just a bonus. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience is long in the tooth and entirely irrelevant in today’s zeitgeist. Had Michael Jackson not passed away a year ago, I think HISTA would still be running, and would end it’s run sometime within the next year to make way for a TRON attraction. The runaway success of the Captain EO Tribute at Disneyland convinced the company to reissue the film worldwide. Since converting the theater back to “EO Mode” is a pretty simple process overall, it’s a good way to get those butts in the seats that HISTA can’t pull in anymore. Once EO finishes it’s run, TRON will move in. My bet is we will hear something in October or perhaps February (both are historically times for Disney to make Parks announcements). I suspect Captain EO will run at least through 2010, and depending on when they want the TRON attraction to open, it may run all the way to the summer of 2011.
Captain EO is a good choice for now, but Disney really needs something to fully replace HISTA and make EPCOT’s 3D show a big deal once again. TRON is the perfect fit for the pavilion. The idea of virtual reality and computer games fits well with “The Imagination Institute”. It shouldn’t be too hard to integrate Kevin Flynn into the mix. He is as much of a fictional visionary creative mind as Philip Brainard (Flubber) and Wayne Szalynski (HISTK), just in the realm of video games.
Plus, it would be a great excuse to re-open The ImageWorks, rechristened as Flynn’s Arcade.
Here’s some more re-posted content to feed the new blog. This one’s my “review” of the recently upgraded Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The ride has been outfitted with a package of extra special effects and a new drop sequence for the “Summer Nightastic” promotion that lasts through August 14.
I had some free time while I was down in Orlando at a conference last week and got a chance to head over to the park and check out the updates made to the Tower of Terror for Summer Nightastic. (Spoiler alert!)
Note: This is a re-posting from my old blog. I really like it and figured it’d be a quick and dirty way to get some real content up here.
I posted this article to http://murmur.com, where I hope to probably won’t continue posting pieces like this, that aren’t quite blog posts.
It’s 1992 and I’m in the second grade. As well as I can remember, this is my first trip to Walt Disney World. My memory isn’t so hot and has only ever been able to recall a handful of brief, yet crystal clear, moments from my childhood. I brought home a bundle of pencils for my class. This is always the first thing I remember when I think of this trip. I also secured a rather obnoxious oversized pencil for myself. This act speaks volumes on my personality. I enter Tomorrowland. It’s very clean. Everything is white and the whole place feels sterile. Without having experienced any of it, I already love Tomorrowland. My youthful fascination with space and science fiction makes sure of this. I didn’t ride Space Mountain. If I wasn’t too short, I was definitely too scared. I can only recall experiencing one attraction. Mission to Mars. It scared me so much that I would not enter its building for over a decade, despite the show being replaced well before this time. These are the only memories I have of my first visit to Tomorrowland.
