It’s also home to El Capitan Theatre, one of the oldest and grandest theaters in California, which now hosts red-carpet premieres of Disney productions like “Hawkeye” and “Andor.” (The May 2023 premiere of the live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” happened across the street at the Dolby.) 

Once the premieres are over, it becomes a regular movie theater — although “regular” is oversimplifying the experience. As you might expect from Disney, El Capitan Theatre is more than just a theater, and a movie is more than just a movie there. Productions at El Capitan are enhanced by special effects, and there are many surprises throughout the theater, like photo-ops and exhibits of costumes and screen-used props.

I recently went to a showing of “The Little Mermaid” at El Capitan, and the experience was so much more than I had bargained for. It made me enjoy the movie a lot more than I had expected to, considering that the 1989 original is one of the seminal films of my childhood.

El Capitan is showing the new live-action remake in 3D, which made for a rich, immersive viewing experience I never would have had if I had waited for the movie to drop on Disney+. But as soon as I walked into the main theater, I knew I was in for a lot more than I had planned. The soaring screen was draped in stage curtains, with the movie’s title projected on them. The underwater lighting extended far past the proscenium, the walls of the space bathed in shades of blue and purple. 

I arrived at the screening early and stopped at the concession stand for a Mickey pretzel, just like the ones you can get in the parks, and popcorn that tasted like it had come from Disneyland too. I sat in the first row of the balcony, eating my snacks and listening to the orchestral music from the movie I was about to see. Inside the two boxes where VIPs used to sit, Disney had constructed two underwater-looking displays of “treasure” that could have been found in Ariel’s grotto. Just when I thought I couldn’t enjoy the tableau any more than I already did, bubbles started pouring out of the displays, flying into the air and filling the space with an atmosphere that felt like it had come straight out of “Under the Sea.” 

Then the production began, starting with the dramatic raising of the drapery. Underneath that first curtain was another, and another, eventually revealing a Hollywood-inspired display with lights and music. 

Originally opened in 1926 as a playhouse, El Capitan hosted more than 120 dramatic productions in its 1,550-seat space, according to the LA Conservancy. In 1941, it hosted the “Citizen Kane” premiere, and in 1942, it became a movie house called the Paramount. That theater shuttered in 1988, and Disney bought it in 1989. After a two-year renovation, El Capitan opened with its original name, hosting the premiere of “The Rocketeer.” 

Watching the curtain show, I truly felt like I was as close to experiencing the golden age of cinema — and all the excitement that the classic Hollywood movies held in those days — as I was ever going to get. Then came the overture: Animations of sea life danced across the screen while the music played until the final curtain went up and the movie started.

I’ll leave reviews to the experts, but my one-sentence review is that “The Little Mermaid” is a lot stronger than any other live-action Disney remake I’ve seen, and Halle Bailey is going to be very famous for a very long time.

After the movie ended, I went down to the lower floor, where there was a display of costumes and props, like the spyglass Ariel finds at the beginning of the movie and, of course, her dinglehopper. Also displayed were Ariel’s and Prince Eric’s costumes, Vanessa’s and Queen Selina’s dresses, and King Triton’s trident and breastplate.  

Having a costume display is common at El Capitan for live-action movies. For the upcoming Pixar animated film “Elemental,” the theater is set to host enhanced performances that represent all four elements — earth, air, water, fire — onstage. 

If you can’t make it to Hollywood, you can see a representation of the theater in Disneyland. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in the recently reopened Mickey’s Toontown is the newest ride in the park, and it takes a lot of inspiration from El Capitan. The show building for the ride is “El Capitoon” theater, where there’s an exhibit called “Mickey Mouse Through the Ears,” curated by the “Toontown Hysterical Society,” which treats Mickey like he’s a character in real life. Some of his “costumes,” like from “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” are on display, and “set pieces” such as the captain’s wheel from “Steamboat Willie” are interactive (and sometimes have magic tricks in them). 

“El Capitoon Theater … is a real celebration of the golden age of cinema,” Sarah Kibler, an Imagineer who worked on the interior design of the ride building and the ride queue for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, told SFGATE in January 2023. “You can see that art deco style that’s really celebrating that time period when movies were at the forefront.”

Next up for the theater is “Elemental.” Then, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” for which the theater is promising special fan events. I’ll tell you one thing: That’s a film I’m definitely seeing at El Capitan.