About Captain EO and U2 3D

When I was 10, I made that epic journey to Walt Disney World with my mom and my brother, not unlike most kids at that age. With the exception of losing my favorite purse in a public restroom in the pouring rain, I only recall one distinct and vivid memory – seeing the Captain EO movie in 3-D.

I remember standing outside waiting on the show and playing in the dancing fountains (the kind where the water jumps from one place to the next). My brother and I were fascinated by this, but only until we piled into a room with a crowd of kids and parents. I seem to recall standing for the entire show, but surely we sat down at some point! Everyone wore those ridiculous 1980s 3-D glasses and stared at the giant screen in the front of the room. If you don’t recall this show or were never privileged to see it in person, you may not realize that it starred Michael Jackson as space traveler. The film featured a variety of characters, but I remember most the appearance of Captain EO at the court of the “Supreme Leader.” Now, I do not remember the entire story, but I do remember being blown away by the visual effects of 3-D, something that I had not been exposed to before that particular film. In fact, I distinctly remember a point where a winged friend of the Captain seemed to fly out of the screen right within arms reach of me… a small child standing in the back of the room. I am sure I said “Woah!”

Needless to say, I begged my mom to buy me the t-shirt and a button… my brother got a Captain EO baseball cap. We’d never forget it.

Just a few months ago, I saw U2 3D at the IMAX theater in the Indiana State Museum. I have seen several 3D shows since my first experience in the 80s… but NOTHING like this one. Most IMAX films allow audience members to feel as though they have taken on a perspective (flying in a plane over cliffs, swimming in the ocean with whales), but few have ever completely convinced me, if only for a moment in time, that I was at a concert in Brazil. I was there. I was watching my favorite band play – live.

My husband and I saw this show together. We once again wore cheesy 3D glasses – which, I think, were intended to look like Bono’s famous shades. They were unsuccessful… but function over fashion, right?

The opening scene of the show was more of a transition for me from the real world to an IMAX world. I was like the girl running across the screen, into the concert arena. I too was about to experience a live music concert and I was pumped. My heart raced with her. There was darkness for a moment and then the flicker of camera flashes and lights started to sprinkle the screen. Before I had time to think about how beautiful the image was – like stars in the sky – the music began. Bono’s voice grew… Edge’s guitar, the drums, the bass penetrated the darkness. It was official. I was there.

During the show, I felt a strong connection to the underlying message created by the song choices and order. It was mostly because of a recent trip to Israel, but I am not sure how one could not have been moved by the live performance of Sunday Bloody Sunday followed by Love and Peace or Else. Even if you weren’t moved by the messages of the songs, you might have been moved by the audience perspective you had. I (and others I talked to afterward) found myself ducking my head around the people standing in front of me – those crazy people in the front row who decided to sit on each other’s shoulders – but then, I realized IT WASN’T REAL PEOPLE! They were on screen! How much more real can you get? Oh! How I wanted to clap, sing along, and dance in the aisles – only to have to remind myself that this wasn’t real. I was still in the theater. I felt that if I was a kid, I may not have stopped myself. Honestly.

At the end of the film, there is a “finale” song. Before the song began, when the band was conjured back onto stage by the chanting of the audience members, you could hear the band members whispering things to each other. It was just like being there. Like Captain EO, the editing, the setting, the effects, and the sound of this experience will never be forgotten.

By [my] definition, these two experiences are spectacles. What might exhibit designers gain from examining this type of experience? Maybe it’s a how to cause that “transition” from the ordinary world into an extraordinary one. IMAX films use perspective and peripheral vision to change the viewer’s sense of place. Lighting, sound effects, and maybe even visual effects can help create an experience that is unforgettable.


Reference Information:
Wiki Info on Captain EO: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_EO
Official Site for U2 3D: http://www.u23dmovie.com/