How Disneyland created a new scene for Pirates of the Caribbean

A greedy buccaneer skeleton sitting frozen atop a pile of gold for the past six decades in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland has been brought to life with the latest cutting-edge animatronic technology from Walt Disney Imagineering.

The Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in New Orleans Square at the Anaheim theme park reopened on Friday, June 26 after a two-month refurbishment with a new state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronic character in the treasure-filled grotto scene.

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The updated grotto scene now features an animatronic pirate sitting atop a pile of cursed gold who transforms from a living buccaneer into a ghostly skeleton and back again as riders float past in bateaux boats.

The next-gen Hybrid Front Projection technology combines a traditional animatronic head with cutting-edge front projection imagery that delivers real-time, detailed and expressive facial features and expands the storytelling repertoire of the mechanical figures.

Imagineering previewed the next generation Audio-Animatronics technology during a media visit to its top secret Glendale facility in February.

The new greedy pirate animatronic figure has a partially articulated mechanical face — which means his eyebrows, eyes, cheekbones, mouth and jaw move.

The challenge for Imagineering was getting the projection mapping visuals to match up with the moving facial features underneath.

Imagineering used the Unreal Engine 3D creation tool developed by Epic Games to align the projection mapping with the moving animatronic head.

Target markers hidden in the greedy pirate’s bandana on his forehead tell the system the location of his head at all times with the help of ultraviolet light.

Unreal Engine opens up the storytelling toolbox for Imagineering, allowing the secretive creative arm of the Walt Disney Company to create characters that cry, bleed and emote in all new ways.

Imagineering updated Scene 11 in the classic dark ride where a greedy pirate skeleton sits atop a pile of gold treasure in the cavern section of the 1967 attraction. Before the next-gen transformation, the greedy pirate in Scene 11 was a frozen skeleton with a fist full of jewels and pearls.

The “new” pirate is the same character that has been sitting on the pile of gold for 59 years. But now he’s no longer just a skeleton frozen in a moment in time.

The new technology allows Imagineering to tell the greedy pirate’s full story of who he was before he died.

The new scene now features the living pirate opening a treasure box, lifting a cursed gold coin and turning into a skeleton as he inspects the hexed treasure. His skeleton arm falls, he drops the coin and turns human again as he is released from the curse.

Imagineering created three moods for the greedy pirate — surprise, pleasure and mischief — that define who he is and why he’s sitting atop a pile of gold.

Unfortunately for this pirate, he’s stuck in an eternal loop he will never escape because of his greed and his animatronic nature.

Imagineering has patented the “micro animation” technology that allows projected imagery and moving figures to line up at all times.