- “'The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow' is an immersive, theatrical experience in which our guests will actually get to follow in the footsteps of Captain Jack himself to see if they have what it takes to be pirates and be members of his crew. They're guided through this adventure by this embodied talking skull, and he puts them through their paces and allows them to face all the trials of a pirate's life.”
- ―Jason Surrell[src]
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow was a walk-through attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios, announced as a "first-of-its-kind sensory experience". This Pirates of the Caribbean experience allowed guests to enter the world of the popular film franchise. It was located in Soundstage 4 (between Toy Story Midway Mania! and the Walt Disney Presents exhibit). The attraction officially opened on December 6, 2012, though it began operating in soft opening mode on November 17. Less than 2 years later, to coincide with the announcement that the Sorcerer's Hat would be removed, it was announced that The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow would have its final day of operation on November 6, 2014.
Attraction description[]
The show begins in a pre-show area, in which a talking skull, a la the original Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, introduces the show and questions the integrity of those waiting to go inside and join Captain Jack Sparrow's crew.
For the main show, guests enter a large room which is decorated with various props along the sides and features a large scale model of the Black Pearl which serves as a portion of the show's projection screen. Using Disney's high-resolution, projection mapping system, such as the one used in ‘The Magic, the Memories and You’ and ‘Celebrate the Magic’, the now floating skull invites the pirate pledge holding the iron key (chosen prior to the show) to ‘insert it into the treasure chest’ (the child really just holds it up) and the show begins. From here, the audience journeys through each of the films in an show that involves physical and lighting effects in addition to the projections: from a skeleton army to Davy Jones to the Kraken and more, the lifelike projections also appear to literally fly off the screen along the back of the wall to over the Black Pearl and other objects inside the room. Eventually Captain Jack Sparrow himself appears aboard the ship and, after defeating Davy Jones' ship the Flying Dutchman, leads guests through the pirate's oath in a way that only Jack Sparrow can.
Some of the props seen in the attraction include many from the films such as Elizabeth Swann’s corset, the ‘Pirates – Ye be warned’ sign and more, along with many sight gags such as the pirate who died by cannonball.
Announcement[]
The attraction was announced on the online version of Disney's passholder newsletter, Mickey Monitor, on May 1, 2012. The newsletter described the attraction as well as quoting Walt Disney Imagineering Project Manager and Show Designer Jason Roberts. However, as the story about the new attraction was shortly omitted, it was unknown if the story wasn't ready before the press deadline or if the attraction has been delayed or canceled. It was confirmed on the next day that the attraction is happening and would open in the fall.
Development[]
This walk-through attraction, which is located at Disney's Hollywood Studios, was to be a "first-of-its-kind sensory experience in which guests would have the chance to be enveloped by the world of the Pirates of the Caribbean as seen in the four feature films." It was placed in Sound Stage 4, which has historically been known for sharing behind-the-scenes props and footage from films such as Haunted Mansion and The Chronicles of Narnia, but "The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow," while based on the Pirates of the Caribbean films, is not reported to continue that genre.
As of September 2012, construction had already started for the Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attraction.[1] In October 2012, artwork for the soon-to-be-open attraction was visible around Mickey Avenue and Dopey Drive at Disney's Hollywood Studios, with the exterior of a building repainted with a large version of Sao Feng's Map.[2][3]
Inside the attraction, guests will journey deep into an eerie lost grotto, where a mysterious pirate skull puts them to the test to see if they have what it takes to set sail with the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow. Along the way, they must face all the perils of a pirate's life as their favorite moments from the films come to life before their eyes. Dress rehearsals and previews begin in late November before the grand opening on December 6.[4]
Trivia[]
- As the VFX lead, Tim Landry created and supervised most of the special effects. He even wrote one of the jokes that Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) delivered, "Come back in eight minutes and we'll do it all over again eh?" According to Tim Landry, the limited throughput of the 2012 attraction forced its premature closure in November 2014.[5]
- Mermaids were done by Johnathan Banta and Van Ling based on animatic supplied by Landry, who was there for the mermaid shoot.
- The Flying Dutchman was the actual asset from Industrial Light & Magic but was animated by a VFX studio in Burbank.
- The skeleton crew was motion captured in-house at Imagineering, then cleaned up and rendered by Mike Arana, who also animated the Talking Skull.
- Despite being a pepper's ghost reflection, the Johnny Depp figure actually casted a shadow on the scenery behind him, a gag Landry figured out how to do by simply pulling his blue screen matte and projecting it separately on a different area, which worked great toward a convincing illusion.
References[]
- ↑ PHOTOS - A look at 'The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow' exterior under construction - WDWmagic.com
- ↑ Pictures: Legend of Jack Sparrow Construction Progress at Disney's Hollywood Studios - LaughingPlace.com
- ↑ Walt Disney World Resort Update by Mark Goldhaber
- ↑ First Look: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow Opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios << Disney Parks Blog
- ↑ The Legend of Jack Sparrow - YouTube
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