Captain EO may still be gone, but guests at Epcot can now preview the first new PIXAR film in over 2 years, Inside Out. The roughly 15-minute preview opened to guests on Saturday, May 30th.

Concept art adorns the walls in the first room of the queue

You can’t see the outline of the Captain EO sign anymore…

A special introduction from the filmmakers (sporting Captain EO buttons to assure guests it will return) is played in the pre-show room before guests enter the main theater

While only a few minutes long, the preview is pretty spectacular. Not only are the clips enthralling and entertaining, but the in-theater effects (such as lighting and floor movement) are absolutely perfect. The entire crowd was clearly emotionally invested throughout the preview, crying and laughing along with the characters. At the end of the preview, thunderous applause rang out from the entire crowd. I have seen a fair amount of in-park movie previews in my time, and I can’t recall a crowd reaction like this EVER. If the rest of Inside Out is anything like this preview, I think we are in for an emotional roller-coaster ride that will be a Frozen-sized hit at the box office. We will have to wait and see when PIXAR’s Inside Out hits theaters in the U.S. June 19th (although the film is sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with 20 reviews in already).

PHOTOS BY JOSE CASTILLO

Tom Corless