Have you ever been fishing? If not, then here are the basics: You toss a string out into open water, and sit. And wait. Sit and wait some more, until you finally get a little nibble, or a big bite. In a sense, that’s what I did with my Twitter account. When Disney released news that they were allowing fans to purchase tickets into the world premiere of “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides“, I couldn’t help but ‘toss a line out’, and see if I ‘got a nibble’. Well, I got a bite, and once that line started to move, I reeled in my fish. A follower of mine contacted me and told me she had an extra ticket to the premiere, and wanted to know if I was up for going (as if I was going to turn this down).
As the days progressed up toward the event, I day dreamed about walking the carpet, seeing celebrities and fans, screaming to get an autograph or photo of Johnny Depp or Penelope Cruz. I really had no idea what I was getting into, but I was excited.
The day had finally arrived. I arrive at the resort, shirt freshly pressed, phone fully charged, and enough caffeine in my system to easily last the entire night. I meet my benefactors at the check in booth, thank them again for the amazing gift they gave me, and we all walked into the park.
The energy is something that is unlike anything else. Walking through the tunnel on the west side of the park, with bleachers full of guests, security details everywhere, people talking, cameras flashing, it’s a whole different style of excitement and energy. As we made our way onto the carpet, we were quickly rushed on, and out of the way of the celebs, but I did happen to glance over and see Jack the Monkey, and I think some Disney Channel Stars. No one ‘too’ big on the celebrity list. Not yet, anyway.
Making our way down the carpet, about halfway down, there was some people from another fan site, and twitter that knew I was going to be there. They did what I thought was the unthinkable. As I walked past, they started screaming my name, and asking for an autograph! Me! I’m nothing more than just another blogger, tweeter, and Disney fan. But they played it up as if I was an extra on some TV show. I played along, signed their papers for them, but once that started, everyone else in this bleacher section wanted my John Hancock, JUST in case I was someone big someday. It was absolutely insane!
Finally making our way through Frontierland, and into the actual premiere area, we got some food from the buffet, which was incredibly amazing. Bangers (English sausage), salmon, chicken; baked beans, potato salads, and macaroni and cheese were just the entrees. Dessert had varieties of cookies, and cheesecake parfaits, all of which I happily consumed at least one of each.
On top of this, they had free churros, cotton candy, and all sorts of ODV snacks FOR FREE. So we all grabbed a couple strands of cotton candy, and made our way over to the attraction that started it all! With no line, we walked right on in, and hopped on. Tonight also had a little bit of a surprise with the preview of the new Black Beard effect! I must say, this small enhancement is very well done. It sticks to the same script as Davy Jones, but that’s for good reason. Both effects will be alternating at some point.
After about another hour of riding Pirates and Haunted Mansion, we made our way into the ‘theater’. With cell phones silenced, cameras checked in, and popcorn at the ready, we were settled into our seats to watch the show. As the rest of the guests filed in, we started to notice people. We were sitting in the same section as ABC Shows. Chelsie Hightower sat 2 or 3 rows in front of me, and Cheryl Burke was behind me. Oh, and ladies, Louis van Amstel and Tony Dovolani were there too, don’t worry.
Now for the short film review: I thought it was fantastic! Very much like the first film, in the sense that it doesn’t completely go fantasy pirates. Sure there’s zombies, mermaids, and other fictional fantasies, but it also deals with the Spanish and British fighting for land, the King of England, and much more that I don’t want to spoil. The action scenes are really well shot, and aren’t very in your face (save for the occasional sword flying 3D trick). With Rob Marshall directing, the action scenes actually came off as very smooth, and almost as if the action scenes were a big dance. Given that he’s usually a musical film director, this is understandable, and actually, very helpful towards the scenes. The budding romance of a missionary and a mermaid are almost like the new Will and Elizabeth, but with its own flair. Of course the “I’m a bad man” Black Beard should definitely be taken seriously, and is a great villain. Finally, Jack and Angelica. My, my, my, what a steamy romance that is. Jack finally meets his match, and has no offense to it at all. All in all, I loved the film, and consider this to be the second best film in the franchise, given that “Curse of the Black Pearl” is the first.
As the night came to a close, we rode the rest of the rides that were open to us, ate another handful of churros and Mickey ice cream bars (had to take in as many as we could. I know I didn’t want to pay $3.50 for one the next day at the parks). As we walked out of the park, we were handed our gift for attending the event: a pair of XPand universal 3D glasses, with the pirates logo and ‘world premiere’ printed on the sides.
This is something that I wish I could relive if it was possible. It was such a high energy, exciting event, and I really can’t wait until Pirates 5 comes out, just because I know the premiere is going to be amazing alone. I cannot thank my new-found friends enough for allowing me to tag along with them, and I hope many people go and see this film. This really was a pirate’s life for me, at least for that one night.
This article comes to us from Jacob. He is a fan of Chip and Company, and has his own blog, Main Street Hangout. You can also follow him on Twitter, @mainstreetjake. Jake enjoys visiting Disneyland with friends and family, as well as heading to the theater to see the latest films.
