Fans Take 26 Years To Notice Obvious CG Blunder in ‘Titanic'

James Cameron’s Titanic (1997) is a bona fide classic. After breaking audiences’ hearts with its tragic love story between Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), the film quickly sailed to the top of the box office, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time (until Cameron’s Avatar dethroned it in 2009).

But like many other masterpieces, Titanic is not without its flaws (the word “masterpiece” doesn’t mean something is flawless). For decades, fans have inexplicably debated over Jack’s decision not to climb onto the floating door at the end of the film, which ultimately sees him dying in the ice-cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Rose (Kate Winslet) in 'Titanic' — Credit: 20th Century Studios

James Cameron commented on this some time ago, saying the only reason Jack didn’t do so is simply because he wasn’t destined to survive. But we think the explanation is even simpler than that — by not climbing onto the makeshift raft, Jack is trying to increase Rose’s odds of survival, as it’s possible it might not float under the weight of two people.

However, in 2023, 26 years after the film was released in theaters, it turned out there was another scene fans had a problem with.

The iconic scene of Jack and Rose on the front of the ship in 'Titanic' — Credit: 20th Century Studios

In 2023, a TikToker shared a clip from the film in which the RMS Titanic is sailing through the ocean by day, long before its fateful collision with the iceberg. The fly-over shot of the ship’s bow then closes in on the upper deck, where the Titanic’s captain and other White Line crew members can be seen walking about. The problem? It isn’t actually them.

“I’ve seen Titanic a million times”, the user says, “and only now while I’m sick at home realized how fake this scene is.” During the clip they can be heard laughing, and saying, “It’s fake as f**k”. Check it out below:

@jessveraaa

mind blown 🤯 #titanic

♬ original sound – Jess Vera

It’s obvious this scene is entirely computer-generated, and there are many other scenes just like it in the film, particularly those of the long or wide shot variety (though none are quite as obvious as this one). It’s widely known that James Cameron built a scaled-down version of the RMS Titanic, along with many of its interiors, but for obvious reasons, he wasn’t prepared to build a life-size replica of the ship in its entirety.

While most of the film’s special effects are practical, a handful involve motion-capture footage of the ship’s passengers, just like the one in question.

Jack saying "King of the World" in Titanic — Credit: 20th Century Studios / Paramount Pictures

But if you aren’t scrutinizing every square inch of the screen during this scene, the chances are it won’t ruin your experience of the iconic film.

One user responded to the video by describing the scene as “giving The Polar Express motion capture animation”, while another said that “it looks like The Sims on a boat.” They aren’t wrong, as the VFX and the motion capture in this scene are downright terrible, but we’re just surprised it took some fans this long to notice this CG blunder.

Titanic is now streaming on Disney+.

Does this CG-generated scene in Titanic bother you? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!