National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Walt Disney Pictures released Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in the summer of 2003, adapting a theme park attraction into a full-scale adventure film directed by Gore Verbinski. The production marked a turning point for the studio's live-action output and introduced a character who would define the decade, earning Johnny Depp an Academy Award nomination for his performance.

This cell, titled Captain Jack Sparrow, captures Jack Sparrow mid-action in an outdoor sequence, the whip arc tracing a clean loop against an open sky. Three consecutive frames preserve the motion in close succession, offering a rare look at the physical choreography behind one of the film's more kinetic moments.