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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 |
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Guests love the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions—swashbuckling adventures where “dead men tell no tales”—at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom Park, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. And moviegoers love the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series starring Johnny Depp. (Well, at least they loved the first one.) |
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Yester Studios has its own state-of-the-art Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. It’s The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow—starring Johnny Depp. What could be better than that? Don’t expect the attraction building to look like something out of Port Royale or Isla de Muerta. It’s a box with mural art. Remember, this park represents a movie studio, and this is Soundstage 4. Real movie studio soundstages aren’t particularly evocative or charming either. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012 Queue for The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow |
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Step into the queue. It was designed by Disney, the same company that designed the queues for Expedition Everest and the Indiana Jones Adventure. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012 Portal to adventure |
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The atmosphere changes when you step inside. You’re no longer at a movie studio. You’re now immersed in Captain Jack Sparrow’s Cave. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012 Pre-show |
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Look up. It’s the Talking Skull, and he’s talking to you: “Ye come seeking adventure and salty pirates, eh? Aye, you’ve come to the proper place. You seek The Legend. You seek Captain Jack Sparrow. But heed this warning… Only a true pirate be fit to sail with Captain Jack. And that, methinks, is a perilous voyage for even the bravest of seafarers.” “So then, who among you thinks ye has what it takes to join Captain Jack’s ruddy crew. Say Aye!” The audience responds, “Aye!” “Then prepare to be put to the test and face the trials of a pirate’s life.” There will be more audience interaction. You’re not just a theme park audience. You’ll all become members of the crew. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012 Skull in the sky |
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The Talking Skull will be your narrator for the rest of this experience. Often the skull is floating in the sky, but other times, he’s on the sail. And sometimes he’s just a disembodied voice. “Heartier souls than I thought ye’d be,” he exclaims as you enter Captain Jack’s Cave. “Aye, you must be stouthearted, indeed, to enter this cursed place. Ah, but there be magic here too, mateys. Anything can happen, as… you… shall… see…” |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012 “Send those bones to Davy Jones“ |
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Sophisticated projection mapping technology makes the entire cave the canvas for the show. Dimensional sets come alive with special effects. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012 Skeleton crew |
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The cave is a dangerous place. You’re attacked by undead skeletons. The Kraken is unleashed! Each time, you’re told how to fight back. This is an attraction for guests who like to be loud. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012 “A prettier face” |
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“Now, let’s see if you can resist a prettier face,” says the Skull. ”Looks as though she has her sights set on you, mateys. Now, don’t worry. You’re perfectly safe as long as she doesn’t start singing.” She starts singing… You seem to find yourself underwater, with devilish mermaids swimming around you. You again manage to fend them off. The Talking Skull challenges you: “So, if ye have what it takes to be a ruddy pirate, raise your fist in the air and let me hear you say ‘Arr!’” “Arr!” goes the audience. “Arrr ha ha har! That be what I’d like to hear! Now, muster up and stand at attention for Captain… Jack… Sparrow!” |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012 Captain Jack |
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After making a theatrical entrance with the famous redhead from the classic Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Captain Jack Sparrow is on the deck of his ship. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012 Johnny Depp? |
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The actor’s portrayal of Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow is spot on. Maybe he’s the best Johnny Depp impersonator and his exact double. Or maybe he’s actually… nah, it couldn’t be… Johnny Depp, live and in person here in the park, show after show? Well, yes, it is Johnny Depp… but he’s not live and in person. He’s a high-definition video, perfectly executed to look incredibly lifelike. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012 Exit to Mickey Avenue |
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Now it’s time for everyone to sing, “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.” “Mark well what ye saw here today, mateys,” says the Talking Skull. “And always remember this as the day you’ve sailed with Captain Jack Sparrow!” |
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The official opening day for The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow at Disney’s Hollywood Studios was December 6, 2012. The location was on Mickey Avenue between Walt Disney, One Man’s Dream and Toy Story Midway Mania (at Pixar Place). Previously, Soundstage 4 housed Journey into Narnia: Prince Caspian. Before that, it was Journey into Narnia: Creating The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. And before that it was used for various other walk-through attractions, including the original Backstage Studio Tour. Unlike earlier attractions in the same space, there were no proudly displayed props from the movie. The “behind-the-scenes, making-of-the-movie” premise was gone. And while the two Narnia attractions were essentially just promotional displays for Disney movie releases, this one seemed to be an effort to create something that would be a real show in its own right and have a long run. Here’s how a Disney press release described the new attraction: The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow debuts this fall at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., giving Walt Disney World Resort guests a chance to become immersed in the world of the four “Pirates of the Caribbean” films. Aspiring pirates will experience the story of Jack Sparrow like never before to discover if they have what it takes to join Captain Jack’s crew. Compared to the two Narnia attractions, The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow should have come across much more successfully as theme park entertainment. After all, it was much more ambitious. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012 Under construction |
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The emphasis was on audience participation, high-energy storytelling, the creative use of state-of-the-art digital projection mapping. Johnny Depp gave a terrific new performance as Captain Jack Sparrow just for the attraction. But guests were disappointed. At Robert Niles’ Theme Park Insider website, which allows readers to review attractions and rate them on a 1-to-10 scale, it only achieved a 4. At Walt Disney World, only Stitch’s Great Escape ranked lower, with a rating of 3. On Yelp, The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow had one and a half stars on a scale of one to five stars. With 21 reviews, the two highest reviews were just three stars; the rest were all one or two stars. Here are some opening lines from the Yelp reviews: “Here is a tip. Don’t waste your time.” “The worst attraction I have ever seen at a Disney park.” “This is a 1-star EASY..... only saving grace is the technology is pretty cool.” “If I could give this 0 stars I would.” “Long line for a boring show.” The state-of-the art attraction lasted less than two years. Its final day was Thursday, November 6, 2014. (Both Narnia attractions lasted longer.) |
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© 2014-2016 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated July 22, 2016. |
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