A Pirate's Reflection

Last year, when Pirates of the Caribbean was refurbished to change up the infamous auction scene, one of the other, much quieter changes was the addition of a new scene right before the pirate ship battle that introduced a neat little detail that tied the entire attraction together with one simple, ingenious swoop.

Longtime Disney fans know that the original Pirates of the Caribbean has riders diving into the grottos of dead men first, drifting past pirate skeletons and seeing the aftermath of the buccaneer plunder before the scene seemingly goes back in time and conjures up the actual pirates in motion.  The added scene before the pirate ship battle sews these two halves together, showing a skeletal pirate seemingly magically transform into a live pirate before one's eyes.

The trick is simple, actually.  It's just two bisected halves separated by a cleverly concealed mirror, giving the illusion of transformation as the ship passes.  It's pretty convincing unless one is looking super closely, and a great little addition to a classic ride!

Up close on the cool pirate transformation effect at the Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland Park.

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