DLP POTC Re-Opens Part Two: Captain Jack's Pirates Restaurant

With the reopening of Pirates of Caribbean the Blue Lagoon restaurant change its name and from now will be named "Captain Jack's Pirates Restaurant". In the new storyline "Captain Jack's - Pirates Restaurant " restaurant is a place that Jack Sparrow has won from Angelica Teach following a bet. In fact, if we miss the little sign that announces who the restaurant belonged to before, we find ourselves in a place where the only changes is the installation of pirates flags - supposedly to be historically correct pirates flags - and some few others decorative elements like "reward posters".

Now, announcing a new restaurant when the furniture does not change and with no major changes in the decorations is necessarily disappointing. When we left we thought that Disneyland Paris Imagineers did not had the budget to update the place, although it was not really needed as the pre-existing restaurant was perfect. Captain Jack's is therefore a real change only his name and the franchise aims to bring more visitors in it. This judgment is justified if the restaurant sees Captain Jack wandering between the tables, a question left unanswered by the imagineer Laurent Cayuela that you'll see in the video below.

Here is the short video with Laurent Cayuela. It's all in French and Laurent is sometime a bit difficult to hear, sorry about that.




Pictures and video: copyright DLP Welcome

D&M Exclusive: Disneyland Paris Pirates of Caribbean Re-Opens With New Scenes And Stunning Audio-Animatronics - Full Ride 4K Video !

The six months long major renovation of Disneyland Paris Pirates of Caribbean ride has ended, the ride will reopen for all on July 24 and this Saturday and Sunday for Annual Passholders preview. A special preview for DLP fans websites happened yesterday and thanks to Max, D&M contributor and DLPWelcome webmaster,  D&M has for you pictures and videos of everything what's new in the ride, including the changed auction scene.

First, below, new pictures of the POTC facade, entirely repainted and renovated.

As i know you're dying to see the 4K video, here it is! Of course, those of you who want to keep the surprise should better not watch it to avoid spoilers!




Max also did this other short 4K video of the main new scenes, with additional footage.

Now, let's see in details all the changes which have been done in the ride, would we?

From the start of the ride: nothing changed until the lift in the fortress, and we're happy to say that the crab and squid AAs in the boat cut in half are now working perfectly again.



In the lift, the music was changed to give a slightly different mood, apparently with music played by pipe organ probably coming from the POTC movies. At the top of the lift, after the little fall, before the scene with the little cats, there is now a projection effect on fog with the face of Blackbeard the pirate, saying that 'Dead men tells no tales". The scene is almost impossible to get in a good screen capture and for sure it is more impressive when you do the ride.



The pirate flying overhead is still here but apparently the shadows projection effect on a wall of the fortress showing the battle for the fortress with people firing with guns has disappeared to be replaced by a a lighting of fire. Big mistake in my opinion as it gave before the feeling of many people in a segment of the ride where there is not too many, we'll see if it has been cancelled permanently or not. So far it is the only mistake of this renovation. A few meters after, the swinging pirate is still there and works perfectly.






The jail scene is the same and the Audio-Animatronics have never been so smooth.



Then we have the first fall and the pirate ship, the captain of the ship is exactly the same, no changes are done here.



Same with the scene which comes next of the mayor in the well, which is exactly the same.



Nothing changed until the auction scene where the pirates instead of saying “We don't want gold, we want the redhead” are now saying “We don't want gold, we want guns like the redhead”, as she is now part of the pirates team and holding guns. Honestly, the scene doesn't look as bad as i feared, and as they succeeded to keep the famous quote, with just "guns" and "like" added in "We want the redhead", i think fans will not hate it, though the redhead is a less sexy than she was before...















NO jack Sparrow AA coming from behind clothes as it exists in the new U.S versions, the first Jack Sparrow AA is his head coming out of the barrel, before the duelists scene.





The duelists scene is still there, and the AAs work as they never did since opening day, very smooth, etc… BUT it is now a fight between a man and a woman! The woman is not Penelope Cruz as in the movies, it’s an unknown character, though totally charming.









The burning city scene is exactly the same but the fire/flame effects have been replaced with a projection effect of fire, and according to Max and what we can see on the video it is supposed to be better. After the second fall with the arsenal explosion when the boat arrive at the scene with the skeleton at the helm, there is a brand new Audio-Animatronic of Barbossa, which is extremely impressive. When the boat arrive Barbossa looks first as human and when the boat gets closer, after a lightning, it suddenly looks like a skeleton, thanks to fluorescent painting on his body and face, reacting to dark light. The effect works incredibly well, DLP fans will love this Barbossa AA, and i think U.S fans are going to be jealous of this one, exclusive to DLP!
















ALL others Audio-Animatronics in the ride have been renovated and are as smooth as they were on opening day, if not better!

The second Audio-Animatronic of Jack Sparrow ( there is only two Sparrow AA in the ride ) is placed at the top of the gold in the treasure scene, where was sit previously a skeleton, and Sparrow sits on a chair with a parrot, also AA. Personally i consider this new scene excellent and i'll go as far as saying that this final Jack Sparrow scene is probably the best one of all the ones they did in others POTC versions.















And that’s it for the ride, all the last scenes after this treasure scene remain the same. The Blue Lagoon restaurant had slightly changes and was renamed Captain Jack’s Pirate restaurant. Only a very few props have been added with two or three additional flags and tables and chairs have been mixed to give the feeling that it’s a place run by pirates and that it’s a mess, i'll have pictures of this later today so make sure to come back later as i will post also another video with Laurent Cayuela from DLP Imagineering who gave yesterday a bit more explanations on all these POTC changes.

Overall this new and updated Pirates of Caribbean looks great to me and the many changes for sure will  be exciting for DLP fans. Some will love the new additions, others may hate them, let us know in the comments what you think!

Pictures and videos: copyright DLP Welcome

Just Three More Days Before D23 Disney Parks Presentation...

Just three more days before the highly awaited D23 Disney Parks presentation by Bob Chapek and you can count on Disney and more to cover it, so we're gonna have a long week-end. In the meantime, insider infos are falling from the sky form many websites and after the ones for WDW announced by WDW News Today earlier this week ( see below ) it's a MAJOR update on Mice Age today with plenty of news of what’s going to close, change or happen at DL and DCA: Bug's land to be re-do entirely as part of the Marvel expansion in DCA, Goodbye to It’s Tough To Be A Bug 3D show, D-Ticket family dark ride would use the space and the below grade excavation of the Bugs theater facility, Paint the nIght parade coming to DCA, Star Wars land Hotel also for DLR, and tons of others news so definitely don't miss this update and jump to Mice Age HERE.

Picture: copyright Mice Age