Pirate Skeleton Comes Alive at Disneyland | San Jose News

San Jose News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jun 29, 2026 · 2m

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride just got a jaw-dropping upgrade with a brand-new animatronic pirate that’s alive with emotion—thanks to Hybrid Front Projection tech. This isn’t just a moving head; it’s a real, expressive face synced with digital imagery using Unreal Engine, letting the pirate show three distinct moods: surprise, pleasure, and mischief. He opens a chest, grabs a cursed coin, turns to skeleton, then back to human—repeating the cycle of greed. Imagineering’s patented innovation blends robotics and projection for unprecedented storytelling, turning a static figure into a…