The 3D film attraction Captain EO will be returning to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL, this Summer!

Captain EO will return to Disney World’s EPCOT park on July 2, 2010, and is scheduled to also open at Tokyo Disneyland on July 1.

Captain EO was a popular 3D attraction at the Disney parks in the mid-1980s which starred Michael Jackson in the lead role. The 17-minute musical scifi-fantasy adventure, which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by George Lucas (the duo also co-wrote the film), made a highly successful return to Disneyland park in California in February of this year.

Since we first learned of the return of Captain EO to Disneyland, I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out when the attraction would be back. Disney Parks Blog reported it would be in February 2010 but no specific day was given. Rest easy MJ fans because we only have to wait one more day before, the classic Captain EO attraction featuring the gloved one will reopen.

On Tuesday, February 23, the 3D musical adventure is returning to Disneyland’s Tomorrowland theater in which it debuted. Disney said it will not be able to replicate some of the special effects elements from the original presentation, but it will feature a new 70mm print of the film, and it will sound better than ever thanks to acoustic enhancements made to the theater since the film last played there in 1997.

I’m the biggest Michael Jackson fan you will ever meet and I remember going to Disneyland every year just to see Captain EO. I had the shirt MJ wore in the film, I had the Bad album which featured one of the songs from Captain EO (Another Part Of Me), and I even had a little plush version of the “Fuzzball” character. Speaking of merchandise, I will definitely be picking up some Captain EO products when I visit Disneyland this year.

Fans of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, will be thrilled to know that his posthumous reign is not yet over. The Walt Disney Company’s Disney Parks Blog announced recently that Jackson’s Captain EO will be making its valiant return to Tomorrowland locations at various Disney resorts. The Honey, I Shrunk the Audience attraction is being closed today in order to set up for the EO comeback. [UPDATE: Initial reports were that it would go to other Disney parks, but now it seems it will only be at Disneyland in California.]

The 17-minute short film was released in the mid-’80s and lasted well into the ’90s before its run ended. It was incredibly popular due to both the fact that it featured Michael Jackson and also due to its 3D format — sometimes even called 4D due to interactive elements such as smoke and lights being used within the theater.

Click on over to the other side, where you can watch Captain EO in full YouTube style right this very moment if you have never seen it. It looks to be quite the trippy little flick.