But those pictures are coming later.
For now, I just wanted to share this bit of awesomeness: John and I caught Captain Jack's Pirate...um...Academy? Tutorial? Show? I don't know what you call it, but it's where Jack Sparrow and a pirate crony teach some of the kids in the audience a few moves:
Ah, but it gets even better. Hang on - I'll come back to that in a sec.
The show is really fun to watch, so even if you don't have kids, definitely try to see it. The good Captain really nailed the role, staggering and slurring and having a merry old time:
He had the smallest kid fight himself, and naturally the fight ended with Jack running away:
His expressions were hilarious, too:
His pirate lackey was also fantastic, looking more like a human cartoon at times, and really jumping into the role with gusto:
But now here's the best part: at the end of the sword-fighting, the pirates ask the crowd who ELSE would like to join their crew. Then they gather all the kids on stage to swear them in. Now, take a look at this picture, and tell me if you see anything...I dunno...really awesome about it:
Plus, lookit that lil' cutie in the pink pirate dress:
D'awww.
I also took a little video, since I wanted you guys to see Cap'n Jack in action - but of course as soon as I hit "record" he stopped talking. Watch 'til the end, though, and you'll see him send the kids away with typical Cap'n Jack flair:
It's cute how the little pink pirate doesn't want to take that scroll. Heh.
Stay tuned for pics from Be Our Guest, plus a few other fun shots from the day!
I have to take a minute to thank you for all your Disney posts. We were last there in 2007, and it has changed so much since then. We're looking forward to getting back there soon, but it's great to be able to keep up with everything that's going on!
ReplyDeleteFYI, Jack's "assistant" is a former AdvClub CMs... great performer!
ReplyDeleteI love that Disney has been making the shows more interactive with the crowds. When I was a little Tyke at Disneyland in the early and late 70's it was all pretty much passive entertainment. Great entertainment, but only heard and viewed. Now kids (and adults) get to jump right in and be part of it.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, Disney! That is magic!
My husband used to do a pirate character for our local Renaissance festival. He would take small bags of pirate "treasure", then drop them somewhere hidden, and ask kids nearby if they wanted to help him find his lost treasure.
ReplyDeleteI happend to witness one very excited pirate girl yell "Arrr! Let's go find pirate booty!" and when she found it first (naturally), she yelled proudly "Shiver me timbers!".
It was all kinds of awesome.
I just watched the first Pirates again a couple days ago for the fiftieth time and holy that guy is a dead ringer for Jack! The look, voice, swagger, mannerisms in his speech, the whole shebang!
ReplyDeleteBetween the Party Princess post and this Scurvy pair I should take a look at Disney applications.
I did always want to be Alice in Wonderland :3
(butIhateheatandcrowdssoIprobablywontbutbygollyImstilltempted!)
He kinda looks like Jason Momoa. ;)
ReplyDeleteI love it! Last year my niece had a pirate-themed party for her 8th birthday including an awesome treasure hunt. And all the attendees were girls! It was great.
ReplyDeleteso fun! i know as a pirate/princess girl myself, thats great to see!
ReplyDeleteOMG! That send-off was a-MAH-zing! "Find a better one" Hahahaha
ReplyDeleteOf Course pirate parties are for girls! Shoot, I had a pirate themed bridal shower! We played pin the eyepatch on captn Jack, and the little gifty bag thingies had sequined eye patches! But, did we dress up? You bet yer parrot we did! I didn't have time to make a costume, but it was worth going to the costume rental place just to be able to say, "I need to be a pirate bride."! man, that was a fun day...
ReplyDeleteVery good impersonation of Jack.
ReplyDeleteLove the little pink dress pirate girl you pointed out, but I think my fave was the one in the Mulan dress (simply because Mulan was one of my favorite princesses[princessai? princessopodes? princessim?]). : )
Thanks for sharing!
Andrea
I think the crew at the beginning were part of the extra package: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/pirates-league/
ReplyDeleteWe looked at this, but my son, who made a compelling Jack Sparrow a few years ago, was too old. :(
Of course girls can be pirates! And princesses at the same time. Our LOTE group (Ladies of the Evening--because we mostly met in the evening) always went to the Christmas melodrama wearing our pearls and tiaras, but one year we included pirate regalia--including eye patches, red sashes, and parrots (and other assorted beanie babies) on our shoulders. And we ranged in age from 70-24.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the Disney channel show Jake and the Neverland Pirates quite a few of the girls in my preschool were pirates for Halloween this year. One of the pirates on the show is a girl named Izzy. I also have one little guy in my 3 year old class who LOVES to wear princess dresses and a couple other who aren't shy about joining in.
ReplyDeleteYes, the kids on stage are ones who went to The Pirates League - like the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique only AWESOMER!! (And from the reviews, it may be more popular than the BBB with girls now!) The kids get face paint, accessories, and a certificate with a pirate name; then they're invited to come back for the show. I surprised my sister's godchildren (one boy, one girl) with a trip to The Pirates League when they went to Disney awhile back, and her godson was the one who got to fight Jack. They LOVED it! :)
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or does Captain Jack look a lot like Orlando Bloom? Like his face is identical! You know, minus the make-up...
ReplyDeleteSo funny story about that show. A few summers back, my best friend and I spent a week at Disney. We were both 21 at the time. I have been obsessed with anything PotC and Jack Sparrow/Johnny Depp since the first movie came out when I was in the 7th grade. I also have tons of memories of riding the original ride at the park with my dad when I was a kid. Anyway, so the day my friend and I were in Magic Kingdom, I of course made a beeline to that area and ride. We were stopping for lunch and just happened to see that show start. My wonderful friend indulged me and agreed to stay and watch the show. Our Jack was pretty amazing too and we were really getting into it. When he asked for volunteers to take the pirate oath and join his crew, my friend teased me and said I should raise my hand. He then jumped up and down and pointed at me telling Jack to call me up. And it happened! So there I was, a 21 year old girl, up on stage with a ton of kids. I think the next oldest was -maybe- 14? Yea. Best day ever though! (I spent that whole trip acting like a 5 year old. I even stood in line to meet my favorite princess, Belle!)
ReplyDeleteMy best girl Star is a big ol' pirate freak; she's collected piratey stuff and dressed up as one for as long as I can remember. When everyone else was being various sub-types of Goth in the 90s, she was the first I knew to rock Pirate Goth (and still does!) She belongs to a group of friendly, spectacular pirate folk called The Marked Men, who throw parties and gatherings on old timey ships and other piratey places; lemme tell ya, pirates know how to par-TAY! Some of those guys make their own rum; my head still swoons when I think of all the rum I "tested" at their Comic Con party! Star raises and breeds various types of parrots and other exotic birds, and the most friendly of her macaws, Ferdy, often accompanies her to events, riding on her shoulder. How people JUMP out of their skins when he moves or caws, and they realize he's not just a prop piece on her costume! She's an amazing world traveler, having been to over 30 countries on 6 continents (BY HERSELF, no less! I know, right?! My agoraphobic ass is in AWE of this woman. But then, she does hold belts in four different martial arts, so, hey!), and has made it a point to go to just about every place that has any kind of pirate history. THIS is a Pirate Chick, my friends!
ReplyDeleteStar was my Klingon Maid of Honour. She was happy to do it, but it wasn't until I asked her that I realized that she was one of the only people I know who NEVER watched Trek, in ANY form, and was almost completely clueless as to Trek Lore, much less Klingonism. So I told her "It'll be fine, girl. All you have to do is be a pirate, but with a bumpy head and a funny sword. Look sexy and imperious, hold my bat'leth like you mean business, and look at the guests like 'Go ahead, I DARE you to object!'." THAT, she understood, and she rocked it HARD; she was born for The Ridges of a Warrior!
Again, it does my poor old feminist heart good to see more and more girls that are not only discovering and enjoying Nerd Stuff, but are also not being held back by the whole gender thing, the "Girls can't play pirate, and boys can't play house" foolishness that holds kids back from discovering who they are on their own terms. Awesome.
Your Pal,
Storm
That actor does very well as Jack Sparrow, and I love how he told the kids to find a better family!
ReplyDeleteI heard a rumor when I was a cast member during the summer, fall and winter of 2009 that when Johnny Depp pays Disney a visit, he likes to throw on the Captain Jack costume and do the shows and parades. Only a rumor, never anything confirmed, but one I hope is true.
ReplyDeleteLove this!! My daughter has declared that she's done with BBB and wants a Pirate makeover the next time we're in Disney :) YAY!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE watching the kids doing the pirate tutorial thingie. It's so fun. I've also noticed a ton of girls going for the pirate outfits and makeup instead of princesses. Last weekend I saw one particular little girl who was wearing a Belle dress but had on the pirate makeup and a bandana. My favorite is when you see the kids AND their parents made up.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter loved the pirates league (my son did too as much as a tired and hungry two year old can--poor planning on our part). If I remember right, the pink dress the little girl pirate has is sold there. You can get a whole pirate outfit there actually (of course it costs more). They have some adult stuff there too. I bought a poet blouse for about $30 (which is cheap by Disney standards).
ReplyDeleteI never knew how much I loved Cap'n Jack until I was in Vegas and had a Cap'n Jack busker hit on me. Johnny Depp doesn't do it for me, but Cap'n Jack surely does! I think I need to have a child now so I can take them to Disney to see this. Or maybe I can just borrow one...hmmmm...
ReplyDeleteAwwww, I love that video so much! Thanks for sharing, I love how many girls there were on the stage, just goes to show how much the stereotypes are starting to fall away! Huzzah! :D
ReplyDeleteWe had the *BEST* *TIME* doing this when we were there over Christmas. Yes, he does pick the kids who were made-up (at the Pirate's League over in PotC--$35 for the makeup, more if you want a costume) first, then he picks others from the crowds. I highly recommend doing this! And if you do the Pirate's League before 2:50, you can join the Pirate Parade in Adventureland! Adults are welcome to do this, too!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool! We have Disneyland passes, and one of our favorite things in the park is the Jedi training show. They bring a bunch of lil folk up on stage and teach them to fight with light sabers. Then they fight Darth Vader! It is so fun, and the Jedi are all great actors. We love how interactive it is too! We haven't seen it in awhile so I'm not sure if they still do it...
ReplyDeleteThis is great. It makes me wish that we (Disneyland, CA) still had our Captain Jack. He was so good - he even got a write up in Entertainment Weekly! They unfortunately had to get rid of him because there were too many groups of women posing for photos and flashing the camera at the last moment...not exactly what Disney has in mind.
ReplyDeletePirates are AWESOME!!! It makes me wish I could go to all of those Disney-type places. Perhaps one day... one day....
ReplyDelete"And if you can't find your family, find a better one!" LOL Watch out or some kids may take you up on it :)
ReplyDeleteHis accent is uncanny, down to the way his Ls sort of get lost when he says "pearl." :D
ReplyDeleteMy 2 1/2 year old daughter loves to be a pirate and I still have no idea where she's even seen them (except for a couple of times on the Wiggles). Just today playing outside, she wanted to pretend to be a pirate on a spaceship, then on a boat, then exploring a mountain. When she salutes and says in her pirate voice, "Aye, aye, Captain Mommy!" it's about the cutest thing ever!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you've seen this from other readers, but it made me think of your blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.inquisitr.com/493267/chicago-couple-glues-60000-pennies-to-bedroom-floor/
Oh my gosh, SO cute!
ReplyDeleteYay for little pirate girls!
"And if you can't find your family, find a better one."
ReplyDeleteChallenge accepted!
LOVE! I'm in the midst of planning a Jake and the Neverland Pirate Party for my soon-to-be 4 year old daughter, so I completely agree with your post title.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite privateer might be the Mulan pirate in glasses. Too cute! I'm so glad Disney is providing so many experiential / interactive experiences.
We saw the Pirate adventure show when we were in Disney several years ago. My nephews loved it. The Jack Sparrow was spot on then too. It reminds me of something old-school Disney would do, just a random bit of fun, no line waiting, extra ticket buying required. I miss those Disney times. Remember when the characters would wander the park??
ReplyDeleteMy girlfriend sent me pics of him when she took her family to Disney. She knew I love skanky Depp and she thought he was awesome.
ReplyDeleteDang it! I was totally in MK last Tuesday AND ate at Be Our Guest for lunch! I should have seen if you were going to be there! I was totally sporting my steampunk Minnie Ears! Can't wait to see your pics!
ReplyDeleteI took my son to disney in april 2012 for his 11th birthday. His favorite part was being a pirate apprentice! He kept not getting picked for any show and was disappointed so he was extra excited to get to be a pirate! The show he was in they were clearly picking smaller kids, like ages 5-7. my son is tiny, maybe the size of an 8 year old so he was bigger than the others chosen. The guy who plays Jack totally nails the character! my son was so excited to fight jack! it really made him a huge pirate fan! he was a pirate for halloween! I got a great picture of my son with his sword out and jack running away!
ReplyDeleteYup. "And if you can't find your family .... find a better one."
ReplyDeleteSnort.