Johnny Depp surprises guests of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Randomly bumping into celebrities can sometimes be a hell of a thing. Not long ago, I found myself standing next to Joss Whedon and his family, while waiting in the security line at New York's JFK Airport. Two weeks after that, I happened upon world-famous artists (and long-time art collaborators with the band Tool) Alex and Allison Grey, as we were both purchasing the same book from Hudson News. These meetings are always interesting in that they can often feel like a momentary out-of-body experience. As such, it's important to collect yourself, and use your words to communicate rather than stand there looking dumb-founded. 

Yesterday, guests who hopped aboard Disneyland California's Pirates of the Caribbean ride got a surprise greeting from none other than Jack Sparrow, as Johnny Depp himself replaced his mechanized swashbuckling character for a thrilling bit of promotion for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES.

Of course, in an effort to capture the bizarre happenstance, riders were quick to break out their cell phone cameras to capture a few moments of Depp's hijinks. You can check out some of the footage from the videos posted below:

 

 

 

Oh, but Depp's pirate shenanigans didn't stop there, no sir. Later that same evening, Johnny appeared once more while shouting out to his fans, "Don't tell anyone I'm here," from above the ride's entrance:  

 

 

 

Of course, all of this was orchestrated by Disney to remind their visitors that PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES will be arriving soon. In the fifth installment of the franchise, a down-on-his-luck Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) feels the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost sailors led by his old nemesis, the evil Capt. Salazar (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil's Triangle. Jack's only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it, he must forge an uneasy alliance with a brilliant and beautiful astronomer and a headstrong young man in the British navy.

Whether you're still a fan of the series or not, I'm sure everyone who was in attendance of Depp's pirate cameo had a grand old time, and will more than likely shell out some of their hard-earned coin when PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES sets sail for theaters beginning on May 24, 2017.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.