The 3D theme park film “Captain EO” starring Michael Jackson reopened to hundreds of excited fans this morning at Disneyland. While I couldn’t be there personally, I was able to send Jeremiah Daws in my place to cover the opening of the long-rumored return of this popular attraction.

We’ll have a complete video of the morning’s activities (including interviews) a little later, but here’s a quick glimpse at what we’ve received so far.

The photo above shows the new “Captain EO Tribute” sign and poster that has been installed in the former location of “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience” - which took over for “Captain EO” in that location in the first place.

Before reaching that point, hundreds of Disneyland guests lined up outside:

Captain EO merchandise was for sale outside the Disneyland entrance, including T-shirts and buttons:

Walt Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter was on hand to mark the occasion, seen here talking with two Captain EO fans who drove all the way from San Francisco overnight to see the return of the film.

Main Street signs directed guests to the attraction:

And here’s a quick video of fan reactions just after seeing Captain EO for the first time today:

I’ll keep updating this post as more fun emerges.

Last night at Epcot was a continuation of a two-day Disney media event surrounding their ongoing 2010 promotion, “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day.” Day one was at the newly-renamed ESPN Wide World of Sports and brought several exciting announcements for the upcoming summer season.

During the day yesterday, a few events were held at Epcot, including the unveiling of a world record-breaking sculpture of canned goods and appearances by Kermit the Frog and Ty Pennington. But unfortunately I wasn’t there to see any of that until late in the afternoon, as it was a rather busy day at Lanyard Lab (which is a good thing).

Prior to arriving at Epcot, I followed the day’s actions on Twitter (using @attractions, @ThemeParks, and @etckt as my main sources of information) and found out that the Food Network show “Dinner: Impossible” was filming an episode there that day. Since I knew that dinner was on the media event schedule that night, I assumed that chef Robert Irvine and his crew would be serving food to all attendees of the event. Needless to say, after years of regularly watching that show, salivating over most of what Irvine prepares, I was excited to finally get a chance to sample his cuisine.

I finally got to the park at around 5:30 p.m. and immediately headed for the media center (set up inside the former Wonders of Life pavilion) to put in an interview request for Robert Irvine and/or “Dinner: Impossible” producer and former “Double Dare” host Marc Summers, who apparently was there… somewhere. Unfortunately, since I showed up so late, neither interview panned out.

The dinner area opened at 6:30 p.m. and I was ready to dive into some buffets filled with expertly-prepared food. Unfortunately, I quickly found out that the food cooked for “Dinner: Impossible” was being served only to the 350 volunteers who were part of the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” activities and their families. So instead of coming back here with a complete review of “Dinner: Impossible” food, I am here to say that I ate some decent Disney buffet food instead. I’m not complaining, as it was free and good, but I was a bit disappointed to not get a chance to sample what I was hoping to.

But I did get to see chef Robert Irvine when he went on stage in front of the Fountain of Nations to address the audience. Here’s a video:

Before Irvine, a teenage boy band of sorts that apparently is Disney’s “next big thing” performed on the same stage. I didn’t catch their name and by the reaction of everyone watching, I don’t think anyone believed they have any chance of being the “next big thing.”

A little while later, Radio Disney DJ Ernie D introduced Disney Channel stars Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Adam Hicks, Daniel Curtis Lee, Alyson Stoner, Roshon Fegan, who are all part of Disney’s “Friends for Change,” which focuses on environmentally-friendly topics. I’m not a fan of the current set of Disney Channel shows or stars, but I know thousands upon thousands of kids are, so here’s a video of that bunch on stage as well:

Finally, the main entertainment for the night was to commence. Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas returned to the stage to sing a pair of songs together, the first of which was premiering last night. It’s called “Make A Wave” and was written for “Friends for Change.” Again, here’s a video for the Lovato and Jonas fans:

The last time I saw a Jonas brother in person (actually all 3), I was at the 2007 Christmas Day Parade taping at the Magic Kingdom. At the time, I didn’t really know who the Jonas brothers were, but the hundreds of screaming girls around me certainly did. For that performance, the group lip synched and pantomimed to pre-recorded music (though it was their music).

This time, Joe Jonas and Lovato definitely sang live and it wasn’t nearly as painful to my ears as I was expecting it to be. I can’t say that I’m a Lovato or Jonas fan now, but I didn’t mind the music either. Of course, the 500+ comments and 50,000+ views on YouTube for the above video (in less than 20 hours) tell me that the new song is sure to be a hit when its music video is premiered on Disney Channel on March 14 and is put up for sale on iTunes on March 15.

The second song they performed is called “This Is Me” and Lovato did most of the singing:

Then they were whisked away and the stage show concluded. During the second/last song, I noticed that Epcot vice president Dan Cockerell had been standing next to me watching the show. He seemed to be enjoying it (and busy communicating with important people on his Blackberry).

It was time for me to call it a night. I had a few more hours of work to do after coming home (like I said, it was a busy day at Lanyard Lab), so I skipped seeing the Illuminations fireworks show that I’ve seen so many times already.

Disney certainly knows how to put together a grand event. This one rivaled the party I attended in California for the opening of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage - and there wasn’t even a new attraction to celebrate this time! But they certainly got the media talking about the Summer Nightastic events coming up in a few months and re-talking about the Fantasyland expansion that won’t be ready for a couple of years. Plus, we all got have a little fun, socialize, and eat some food. All in all, it was a fun night spent with a few celebrities and a good couple of days in promotion of some exciting things to come. I’m looking forward to it.

I remember the last time I saw the Main Street Electrical Parade actually ON Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. It was announced that on April 1, 2001, the popular nighttime Disney parade would be finishing its run at Walt Disney World.

Now, at the time, I didn’t realize that Disney parades hopped coasts and came and went every few years. I wasn’t frequenting Disney fan web sites to find out all the latest news as I do today. And there were no podcasts to deliver the news either. So I was under the impression that when Disney was giving the Electrical Parade a farewell, they meant for good.

I made sure to not miss it, so I made one last trip to the Magic Kingdom to see it before it went away. This was before I moved to Orlando, so it was a great vacation and a chance to see my favorite parade one last time.

Of course, since then, I have seen the Electrical Parade at Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim many times, but it’s just not the same as seeing it on Main Street. So I was thrilled to hear the announcement last night at the “What’s New, What’s Next” media presentation that the Main Street Electrical Parade would, indeed, be returning to Orlando and will be shown nightly on Main Street throughout the summer of 2010.

In addition, Disney announced that an  all-new fireworks show would be performed each night throughout the summer, as part of their new Walt Disney World Summer Nightastic, a name borrowed from last summer’s event at Disneyland in California. Disney also hinted at new effects and enhancements being added to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, one of my favorite rides.

Here’s a video of the announcement and an interview with Walt Disney World Marketing Director Carrie Matson:

While at the media presentation, I also had a chance to speak with Walt Disney Imagineer Diego Parras about the now-ongoing Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom:

There’s plenty of excitement to be found at the Magic Kingdom in the coming months/years and I can only imagine that this is all part of Disney’s plan to drive at least *some* attention away from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opening in a couple of months at the Universal Orlando Resort. I doubt any Potter fans will pass up the Wizarding World to see the Electrical Parade and a new fireworks show, but they will almost certainly now add a visit to the Magic Kingdom into their vacation plans.

I previously posted here about my new custom lanyard business, Lanyard Lab. But I failed to specifically mention that I’ve started a new blog over there as well.

Yes, I already only post here once every few days (sometimes weeks or months), but I plan to post there around once a week.

In addition to the occasional sales pitch and general information about new lanyard materials, prices, and other Lanyard Lab information, I also intend on posting news, funny stories, or anything else that that vaguely related to the topic of lanyards. And I emphasize vaguely. The goal is to keep it entertaining but also keep it business-friendly (whatever that means).

For example, my most recent post links the worlds of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, social media, and lanyards. Somehow, they all relate.

Anyway, if you’re looking for a new blog to infrequently read, check out the Lanyard Lab blog.

Ever been to Rapture? Want to become a splicer? Here’s your chance.

Straight out of the hit video game Bioshock comes a new prop replica of the EVE hypodermic syringes/needles that give your character a much-needed boost.

Definitely not one for the kids. Note that it’s never referred to as a “toy” anywhere. But it’s still pretty darn cool.

From bigbadtoystore.com:

As seen in the hit video game and its highly anticipated forthcoming sequel, this has LED lights and is over 8″ tall. Features all the detail and weathering just like you see in Rapture. This replica is cast in clear plastic and lights up when you press the button on top of the syringe.

It’s available for pre-order here and here.