Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp has been in the news lately as he has been involved in a legal battle with his ex-wife and actress Amber Heard. The case has been quite serious as Heard accused Depp of domestic abuse and holding her hostage at one point.
Due to this recent news surrounding the actor, we wondered how fans felt about the Jack Sparrow animatronic that has been a part of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in Disney Parks for many years.
Related: Johnny Depp Fans Petition For His “Pirates” Return as Jack Sparrow After Leak Of Amber Heard Tape
We decided to poll our Instagram audience to see how they felt about Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow staying in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disney Parks, given the recent news surrounding Johnny Depp and the fact that he will not be part of the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean films. To some, having Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow stay inside the Disney Parks could send the wrong message, while others feel like Disney should not touch Depp’s Jack Sparrow animatronic as it adds to the attraction.
After polling the audience, we found that most Inside the Magic followers want to see Depp stay as Jack Sparrow within the Disney Parks attraction. A handful of people felt it was time for a revamp, but overall the results were overwhelming towards keeping him in the attraction.
Related: Depp’s Jack Sparrow Is Gone From the Films, But Not Disney Parks
Additionally, Inside the Magic reader Brandon D. recently commented on one of our articles explaining why he feels as though Depp’s Jack Sparrow character is such an integral part of the Pirates franchise and attraction:
JD is hands down one of my favorite acters of all time. The flair and charisma that he brings to the character Jack Sparrow, is unique to Depp’s ability as a great actor. It is not something that can be replicated & replaced so easily. No matter what’s going on behind the scenes in Depp’s life, he is an icon for the pirates of Caribbean franchise and removing him from it will only hurt the franchise. I don’t even want to imagine a world where Jack Sparrow is played by anyone else. It’s almost criminal and I for one will not spend my money on anything “Pirates of the Caribbean” that does not include Johnny Depp. I’m honestly appalled that Disney would even consider this much less entertain the idea of a pirate’s franchise without Depp. I don’t see how this could possibly end well for Disney as I’m sure most people won’t be interested in seeing the film without Depp. Shame on you Disney! Shame on you!
And ITM reader J said they could not see the Pirates of the Caribbean films without Johnny Depp, let alone the parks:
In a comment on our article in which we speculated about the future of Depp at Disney Parks, one of our readers, Thomas, shared another perspective:
While I’m not exactly Johnny Depp’s biggest fan (though I do like some of his movies), I don’t think that removing the Jack Sparrow animatronics from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ would benefit OR take away from the ride. As stated in this article, he and the other film exclusive characters weren’t in it when the ride first opened, but he is synonymous with the Pirates franchise – even if he’s not in the upcoming 6th instalment. If they remove Jack Sparrow, then I would argue they should remove Barbossa too and any indication of the movie that wasn’t already in the ride to begin with. People will hopefully make the connection of the character to the movie franchise rather than the issues surrounding the actor who portrays him.
As you can read above, Depp was not an original part of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride when the attraction first opened decades ago at Disneyland in California and later at Magic Kingdom in Florida.
In 2017, Depp surprised Disneyland Guests as he dressed up as Jack Sparrow and appeared in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ride and the debut of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. You can watch the video below:
More on the Johnny Depp Lawsuit
In case you haven’t been following along, Depp had initially filed a lawsuit against the UK Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers, and Sun executive editor Dan Wootton regarding a specific article that cited that Depp acted on domestic abuse toward ex-wife Heard.
Depp denied the domestic violence claims from the start. Two of his exes, Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis, came to his defense throughout the libel trial against the British tabloid.
Depp lost the libel case and has since spoken out regarding the support of his fans and the decision by Warner Bros. for the actor to resign from his role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts.
Disney previously indicated that they might consider recasting Depp in the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow role if he wins a retrial or appeal. However, on March 25, it was ruled that the Hollywood actor could not appeal the decision made.
Johnny Depp is one of the best-known versatile actors in Hollywood. He has starred in various films, including Sweeney Todd, Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland, Secret Window, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 21 Jump Street, The Lone Ranger, Public Enemies, and more.
More on Pirates of the Caribbean Attraction at Disney World
If you have never had the chance to ride this iconic ride, the official description reads:
Board a weathered barge for a treacherous voyage to the 17th century, when rowdy rogues and ruthless rapscallions ransacked Caribbean seaport towns. Sing along as pirates serenade you with their anthem, “Yo Ho, Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me).”
Sail past haunted Dead Man’s Cove. Navigate cannon fire between a Caribbean fort and a striking 12-gun galleon. Behold boisterous buccaneers drunk on the spoils of plunderin’ as flames engulf a seaside town.
Be sure to keep a spry eye out for Captain Jack Sparrow, from The Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Ye beware, mateys: Dead men tell no tales!
More on Pirates of the Caribbean Film
The Pirates franchise currently consists of five films — Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). A sixth film is currently in the works, which fans desperately want Depp to return.
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How do you feel? Should Disney keep Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow animatronic in Pirates of the Caribbean? Let us know in the comments below.