Pirates of the Caribbean is a
dark ride
A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain Animatronics, animation, sound, music and Special effect#Live special effects, special e ...
at
Disneyland
Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
,
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
's
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The W ...
,
Tokyo Disneyland
(local nickname ''TDL'') is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be ...
,
Disneyland Park
Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...
at
Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the origin ...
, and
Shanghai Disneyland
Shanghai Disneyland (; Pinyin: ''Shànghǎi díshìní lèyuán'') is a theme park located in Chuansha New Town, Pudong, Shanghai, China, that is part of the Shanghai Disney Resort. The park is operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products ...
.
The ride tells the story of a band of pirates in the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
islands around the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
in the 17th and 18th centuries with the saga of their voyages, troubles, and exploits. The original version of the ride opened at the Disneyland in
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
, near Los Angeles, in 1967, and was the last ride whose construction was envisioned and personally overseen by
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
, who died three months before it opened. After immense popularity, the ride was replicated seven years later at the Magic Kingdom of Walt Disney World, near
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
in 1973. Versions followed at Tokyo Disneyland in 1983, and at Disneyland Paris in 1992. Each of the initial four versions of the ride has a different façade but a similar ride experience. A reimagined version of the ride influenced by the visitors' familiarity with the worldwide success of the feature film series,
Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, opened at the
Shanghai Disneyland Park
Shanghai Disneyland (; Pinyin: ''Shànghǎi díshìní lèyuán'') is a theme park located in Chuansha New Town, Pudong, Shanghai, China, that is part of the Shanghai Disney Resort. The park is operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products ...
in 2016.
The Pirates of the Caribbean ride gave rise to the song "
Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)
"Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" is the theme song for the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions at Disney theme parks. The music was written by George Bruns with lyrics by Xavier Atencio.
Versions
* 1992: The song was parodied in a promotional ...
" written by
George Bruns
George Edward Bruns (July 3, 1914 – May 23, 1983) was an American composer of music for film and television. His accolades include four Academy Award nominations, and three Grammy Award nominations. He is mainly known for his compositions for ...
and
Xavier Atencio
Francis Xavier Atencio, also known as X Atencio (September 4, 1919 – September 10, 2017) was an animator and Walt Disney Imagineering, Imagineer for The Walt Disney Company. He is perhaps best known for writing the scripts and song lyrics of th ...
, and performed on the ride's recording by
The Mellomen The Mellomen were a popular singing quartet active from the late 1940s through the mid-1970s. The group was founded by Thurl Ravenscroft and Max Smith in 1948. They recorded under a variety of names, including Big John and the Buzzards, the Crackerj ...
. The ride became the basis for the ''
Pirates of the Caribbean
''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with th ...
'' film series, which debuted in 2003. Since 2006, Disney has incorporated characters from the film series into the Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris versions of the rides.
History
![Disney and pirate heads (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Disney_and_pirate_heads_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Opening on March 18, 1967, the Disneyland version of Pirates of the Caribbean was the last ride that
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
himself participated in designing, debuting three months after his death.
It is located within the
New Orleans Square
New Orleans Square is a themed land found at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Based on 19th-century New Orleans, Louisiana, the roughly three-acre area was the first land to be added to Disneyland after the park's opening, at a cost of $ ...
portion of Disneyland, its facade evoking
antebellum era
In the history of the Southern United States, the Antebellum Period (from la, ante bellum, lit= before the war) spanned the end of the War of 1812 to the start of the American Civil War in 1861. The Antebellum South was characterized by the ...
New Orleans, topped by a 31-star United States flag (which would indicate the 1850s). It was originally envisioned as a walk-through
wax museum
A wax museum or waxworks usually consists of a collection of wax sculptures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses, wearing real clothes.
Some wax museums have a special section dubbe ...
;
[Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean: 50 years of change - Los Angeles Times](_blank)
/ref> however, with the success of the boat ride concept of It's a Small World
"It's a Small World" is a water-based boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks worldwide, including Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California; Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida; Tokyo Di ...
at the 1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or ...
, Disney decided to employ the same ride system on the Pirates of the Caribbean. The ornate initials of Walt Disney and Roy Disney Roy Disney may refer to:
* Roy O. Disney (1893–1971), partner and elder brother of Walt Disney
* Roy E. Disney
Roy Edward Disney KCSG (January 10, 1930 – December 16, 2009) was an American businessman. He was the longtime senior executive f ...
(W.D. and R.D.) can be seen entwined in the wrought iron railings above the ride's entrance at Disneyland. An overhead sign at the boat dock names it for the famous pirate Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte ( – ) was a French pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte". Thi ...
(although his name is spelled ''Laffite'' as the pirate himself originally spelled it, rather than with the English spelling which has now become standard), who fought alongside the U.S. Army at the Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the French ...
in the War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
. The second floor of the facade was originally designed to be a private Disney family apartment. However, it later opened in spring 1987 as an art-related retail/museum space called the Disney Gallery
The Disney Gallery is an attraction and merchandise location at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, United States. It opened at its current location on Main Street, U.S.A. on October 2, 2009. From 1987-2007 it was located in New Orleans Square ab ...
and was replaced in late 2007 by the Disneyland Dream Suite
The Disneyland Dream Suite was a luxury apartment located in the New Orleans Square area of Disneyland Park at the Disneyland Resort. It was created as part of the "Year of a Million Dreams" promotion that ran from October 1, 2006, through Decem ...
.
The original installation at Disneyland was manufactured by Arrow Development
Arrow Development was an amusement park ride and roller coaster design and manufacturing company, incorporated in California on November 16, 1945, and based in Mountain View. It was founded by Angus "Andy" Anderson, Karl Bacon, William Hardiman ...
and Arrow consulted on the next two installations. The ride's passenger carrying boats are very similar to those in a patent assigned to Walt Disney Productions, but filed by Edgar A. Morgan, one of the founders of Arrow Development. Arrow participated in the design and development of many rides at Disneyland from 1953.
There are 630,000 gallons of water, 53 audio-animatronic animals and birds, and 75 audio-animatronic pirates and villagers in the ride, and it takes three days to empty and refill the "bayou" for renovations. Across from the boarding area within the ride is the Blue Bayou Restaurant
Blue Bayou are full-service New Orleans/Cajun-style restaurants renowned for their unusual ambiance. They are located at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland, in Chiba, Japan.
Guests wishing to dine at the ...
, made to look like the backyard dinner party of a southern plantation. The restaurant opened the same day as the ride, and is considered one of the original theme restaurants.[
The debut of Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in 1971 brought many popular rides from Disneyland to the East Coast, but Pirates of the Caribbean was not among them. As the Caribbean region is geographically located near Florida, it was thought a Caribbean-themed ride would not hold the same mystique as it did in California. Instead, the Western River Expedition with Big Thunder Mountain would replace the ride with a similar boat ride and other rides. But Walt Disney World visitors were vocal in their disappointment at the missing ride, leading Disney to quickly announce a Florida version instead of the Western River Expedition. The new Pirates of the Caribbean ride opened on December 15, 1973. Additional iterations of Pirates of the Caribbean later opened at Disney parks in Tokyo, Paris, and Shanghai.]
The opening of the Disney Gallery in 1987 also coincided with the ride's outside queue area being completely redone to improve traffic flows. A bridge walkway was built in front of the entrance to allow crowds to pass through New Orleans Square
New Orleans Square is a themed land found at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Based on 19th-century New Orleans, Louisiana, the roughly three-acre area was the first land to be added to Disneyland after the park's opening, at a cost of $ ...
without causing traffic jams with the guests waiting in line for the ride.
Ride description
Walt Disney's original ride
The following is a detailed summary of what appears in the original Disneyland version of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, from 1967 to 2006. An episode of ''Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color
The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...
'' shows Walt Disney during the conception stage as well as presenting footage of the ride's opening day. Further details of the history and behind the scenes of the attraction were chronicled in the 2005 book, ''Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies'' by Jason Surrell
Jason Surrell is a former show writer and producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of The Walt Disney Company that designs and builds for Disney's theme parks and resort hotels. Surrell also is a show director for Walt Disney Entertain ...
.
The ride begins amid glimmering fireflies
The Lampyridae are a family (biology), family of Elateroidea, elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are bioluminescence, light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, ...
during an evening in a Louisiana bayou
In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...
. Riders board their boats at Laffite's Landing and are at once afloat in the heart of bayou country. Banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
melodies (including "Oh! Susanna
"Oh! Susanna" is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864), first published in 1848. It is among the most popular American songs ever written. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all tim ...
" and "Camptown Races
"Gwine to Run All Night, or De Camptown Races" (popularly known simply as "Camptown Races") is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864). () It was published in February 1850 by F. D. Benteen of Baltimore, Maryland, and Benteen published ...
") can be heard as guests pass by houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. How ...
s, one of whose porches features an old man calmly rocking back and forth in his rocking chair and smoking a pipe. Above a stone archway, a talking skull with crossed swords provides words of warning before the guests' boat takes a plunge down a waterfall into a dimly lit cavernous passage, where voices can be heard singing the theme song.
After a second plunge further into the depths of an underground grotto
A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...
known as Dead Man's Cove, guests behold the skeletal
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
remains of an unfortunate band of pirates, guarding their loot and treasure with macabre delight. During this section, a voice can be heard repeating the phrase "Dead men tell no tales!" The boats glide gently past an old pirate shipwreck, though the helmsman is nothing more than a skeleton doomed to pilot the ship through a thunderstorm. Moving onward, the crew's quarters are complete with skeletal pirates frozen in time – playing chess and drinking rum, one skeleton drinking a bottomless bottle through an exposed rib cage. The Captain's Quarters features a bony corpse examining a treasure map in bed, while an old harpsichord plays the theme song, and a huge amount of treasure being guarded by another skeleton pirate. As guests continue through an empty, dark tunnel, two ominous voices boom from above warning of the cursed treasure and what lies ahead.
Once guests are out of the tunnel, cannonballs whistle overhead and explosions throw water into the air – a fierce battle in the Caribbean between a marauding pirate galleon, the ''Wicked Wench'', and a Spanish fortress is in full swing. From the deck of the ''Wicked Wench'', the Pirate Captain (modeled on Blackbeard
Edward Teach (alternatively spelled Edward Thatch, – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English Piracy, pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's Thirteen Colonies, North American colon ...
's appearance) leads the assault as colonial defenders can be seen manning the fort's cannons, barking orders to each other in Spanish and shouting threats at the invading pirates. The village of Puerto Dorado on Isla Tesoro is overrun with pirates in search of treasure. The first sight is the town square, where some pirates have kidnapped the mayor, Carlos, and threaten to drown him in a well if he does not divulge the location of the treasure. Carlos' wife peeks out of an upstairs window, telling him to be brave and not talk; she is shot at as Carlos is repeatedly dunked in the water while a line of other captive city officials look on. An auction scene follows, where an auctioneer pirate tries to sell off the local women with the banner, "Take a Wench for a Bride!" The bidders yell out for the "redhead", a flirtatious woman in a red dress. In the next scene, women are being chased through town by pirates. The "Pooped Pirate" reminisces about the "lively lassie" he wished to "hoist his colors" upon. Holding her slip as he prattles on, the woman peers out from inside a barrel that sat right behind the pirate's back as he keeps boasting, unaware.
Riders then watch carefree, tipsy pirates sing Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) as they succeed in ravaging the town and setting it aflame, filling the night air with an orange glow. Others wallow in the mud, one pirate in particular sleeping with pigs, and a pirate named Old Bill offering rum to stray cats. The boats next float past a dungeon where imprisoned pirates are doing their best to escape as flames draw near. A small dog just out of the prisoners' reach holds the key to their escape in his teeth; he seems all but immune to the pleas of the pirates trying to coax him closer. One of the pirates holds a noose, hoping to trap the dog. Timbers are smoldering and cracking overhead as riders sail through a storage room filled with gunpowder, cannonballs, and rum-filled, gun-shooting pirates continue singing. A shootout between the inebriated crew and captain of the pirate ship in a flaming ammunition warehouse threatens to demolish the entire village. Finally, at the end of the ride, the boats proceed up a lift hill and reach the top of the hill and spill back into the sleepy bayou where the journey began.
Disneyland
Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland has gone through many changes and refurbishments over the years, but the ride itself remains the same. Among the changes made was the addition of references to the film franchise A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series.
This article explains what film series are ...
, some which have made it to other parks.
The Aztec chest from '' Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' sits in the corner of the Treasure Room and is the last thing guests see before entering a dark tunnel, where the boats encounter another pirate skeleton, sitting in a booby trap and clutching a treasure chest, which appears to transform before the riders' eyes into a flesh-and-blood living pirate, indicating a transition back in time. Captain Barbossa
Captain Hector Barbossa is a fictional character of the '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' franchise, appearing in all five films in the series. Starting out as a villainous undead pirate in ''The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (2003), the character die ...
replaces the original Pirate Captain of the ''Wicked Wench'', leading the pirate galleon's assault on the Spanish fort and threatens to burn the city to the ground unless they surrender Captain Jack Sparrow
Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series. The character was created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and is portrayed by Johnny Depp.
The characteriz ...
.
The village of Puerto Dorado on Isla Tesoro is overrun with pirates in search of treasure and Captain Jack Sparrow. A group of pirates start dunking the mayor, Carlos, while Jack is seen hiding behind some dresses. The auction scene follows, where an auctioneer pirate tries to sell off loot from the townspeople to other pirates. A female pirate, Redd, is more interested in the town's rum supply, as are the bidders, who ignore the chickens that are currently offered for bidding. In the next scene, pirates run around chasing women holding trays of food, and two buccaneers who have stolen food are chased by an angry woman holding a rolling pin. Just beyond is the "Pooped Pirate" drunkenly waving a map and key to a treasure vault, boasting that Captain Jack Sparrow will never see it. However, Jack is hiding in a barrel just behind him, popping out and getting a good look at the map over the pirate's shoulder as he keeps boasting, unaware.
At the end of the ride, Captain Jack Sparrow is seen in a room full of the hidden treasure (the treasure vault as mentioned by the Pooped Pirate). He is draped over a large throne-like chair and waves his new treasures around happily while chattering to himself and to passing guests. Every once in a while he sings, "Drink up, me hearties. Yo Ho!" The boats proceed up a lift hill, and Davy Jones' and Blackbeard's voices are alternatively heard, encouraging riders to come back soon. The boats reach the top of the hill and spill back into the sleepy bayou where the journey began, passing by a parrot on a sandbar that can be seen from the queue.
Magic Kingdom
The ride, guarded by the Caribbean watchtower Torre del Sol, is housed in a golden Spanish fort called Castillo Del Morro, inspired by Castillo de San Felipe del Morro
Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known as El Morro, is a citadel built between 16th and 18th centuries in San Juan, Puerto Rico.[ww ...](_blank)
in the Old San Juan
Old San Juan ( es, Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the Isleta de San Juan, islet of San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, Catedral, Ma ...
in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
. The queue winds through the fort, passing supplies and cannons, and a pair of pirate skeletons sit at a chessboard. The chess-playing skeletons gag was specifically designed for the Magic Kingdom by Imagineer Marc Davis, who was tasked with designing the ride. There are two queues designed to evoke a different atmosphere, one is the "Soldier" side (the left) and the other is the "Pirate" side (the right, which is now the Lightning Lane queue). Both these queues converge with the loading area known as Pirate's Cove.
Disneyland Paris
The Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the origin ...
is housed in a battle-scarred fortress at the back of the park.
The queuing area winds through several courtyards outside before entering the fortress show building. Inside, the queue passes through the dungeons of the fort, offering glimpses of several skeleton pirates, along with a view of the crew's quarters scene from a balcony looking down. The queue then enters the Blue Lagoon area inside the show building, made to feel as though guests are outside at nighttime. The transport system was manufactured by Intamin
Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The Intamin brand name is a syllabic abbreviation for "international amusement ins ...
. After boarding boats from a dock at the base of the fort, riders are sent under an archway and out into the Blue Lagoon, passing by the dining area on the left side and a jungle setting on the right. The boats pass through a shipwreck and enter an old fortress nearby. Inside the fort, gun noises and swordplay are heard in the back as the boats climb up a large lift hill used to haul cargo throughout the building. At the top, riders are given a brief view of the 'Inferno' pirate ship in the harbor below before entering into the depths of the fort. Inside, flames engulf the fort, and the shadows of fighting pirates and soldiers are seen. Up ahead, riders see the pirates in a dungeon trying to coax the key from a guard dog.
The boats go down a waterfall in the side of the fort caused by a cannonball and pass the 'bombarding the fort' scene, which riders have just previously seen from above, where the soldiers and the pirates fire at guests. Entering the relative safety of the town, riders see all the original scenes from the Disneyland version, as well as a new pair of sword-fighting men who duel for a girl in the chase scene, and a projection effect of two pirates chasing a girl around in an upstairs window. The main dialogue of the scenes is in French, with the minor parts in English. The boats then enter the burning town scene, where the original English vocal tracks are present, singing the theme song.
The boats pass under an archway and enter the arsenal. The supplies are ignited by the fire and explode. Lights flash as an on-ride photo is taken, and the boats go down another drop into darkness. They emerge into the grotto scenes, passing all the skeleton pirate vintages seen at Disneyland, and a new shipwreck scene. Guests also encounter Captain Hector Barbossa
Captain Hector Barbossa is a fictional character of the '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' franchise, appearing in all five films in the series. Starting out as a villainous undead pirate in ''The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (2003), the character die ...
, who transforms into a ghastly undead zombie, as he does as a result of his curse in '' Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl''; and Captain Jack Sparrow
Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series. The character was created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and is portrayed by Johnny Depp.
The characteriz ...
, sat in a room full of treasure and singing to himself. This part of the ride can be seen from the railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
as it passes through the show building (similar to Splash Mountain
Splash Mountain is a log flume at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Magic Kingdom, based on the animated sequences of the 1946 Disney film ''Song of the South''. Although there are variations in the story and features between the three locatio ...
at the other parks).
The skull and crossbones from the original are seen over an archway, issuing a bilingual safety spiel. The boats return to the dock, and riders exit into a themed gift shop where they can purchase their on-ride-photo.
Shanghai Disneyland
Unlike other versions of the ride, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure uses a storyline based on the eponymous film series. It blends digital large-screen projection technology with traditional set pieces and audio animatronics. Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc., commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attra ...
designed the ride and Industrial Light & Magic
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began pro ...
created the computer-generated visual effects.
Modifications
The Old Bill scene was originally designed in 1972 for the Magic Kingdom version, but the scene was eventually brought to Disneyland, shortly after the Magic Kingdom version opened in 1973.
The Barker Bird that guarded the entrance of the Magic Kingdom's version was originally installed in the unloading area when the ride opened in 1973. However, the issues with crowd control and congestion in the unloading area led to its placement outside of the entrance in 1975 and the 2006 refurbishment relocated the Barker Bird to the World of Disney Store until 2012.
The loading area of the ride at Walt Disney World originally had a dual loading system with two channels to double the loading capacity. However, safety concerns over the underwater fin that would dispatch the boats resulted in the decision to use a single channel for both loading docks during a refurbishment made in the fall of 1991. As of 2017, both channels exist, but only one is used.
In 1997, the chase scene of the Disneyland original and Magic Kingdom version, which depicted male pirates chasing women (except for the final scene, where the roles were reversed), was altered, now showing the pirates chasing the women in pursuit of food the women were carrying. The "Pooped Pirate" was recast as the "Gluttonous Pirate," a rogue in search of food, while the woman hiding in the barrel was replaced by a cat.
In Jason Surrell
Jason Surrell is a former show writer and producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of The Walt Disney Company that designs and builds for Disney's theme parks and resort hotels. Surrell also is a show director for Walt Disney Entertain ...
's book ''Pirates of the Caribbean: From The Magic Kingdom to the Movies'', showwriter Francis Xavier "X" Atencio referred to these "softening" touches as "Boy Scouts of the Caribbean".
In 2006, the ride was refurbished again, in order to tie it in with the then-new '' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' film. This refurbishment saw the addition of Jack Sparrow animatronics to three individual scenes, as well as Captain Barbossa replacing the pirate captain in the battle room and an added waterfall projection of Davy Jones' face in the cave. The "Pooped/Gluttonous Pirate" now held a treasure map in his lap and a magnifying glass in one hand, and other modifications were made to the ride's lighting, audio, dialogue and effects.
To coincide with the release of the 2011 film '' Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'', a projection of Captain Blackbeard from the film (portrayed by original actor Ian McShane
Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor, producer and director. He is known for his television performances, particularly as the title role in the BBC series ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in '' Deadwood'' (2004 ...
) temporarily replaced the 2006 waterfall mist projection of Davy Jones in both the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom versions of the ride, beginning on May 20, 2011.
In late 2012, projections of mermaids swimming alongside the boats and a mermaid skeleton were added to the ride at Disney World. The mermaid projection effect was removed during a refurb in 2015, as it reportedly didn't live up to the designer's expectations.
For the 2013 season, new ride vehicles were added to the Magic Kingdom location.
On April 26, 2017, the Disneyland ride closed during the afternoon to temporarily remove the first Jack Sparrow animatronic hiding behind the dresses, with actor Johnny Depp taking its place, in costume and in character as Jack Sparrow, interacting with guests in real-time live action as they passed by. This was part of a promotion for '' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales''.
In June 2017, Disney announced that animatronics of Jack Sparrow would be added to two scenes in the Disneyland Paris version. It was also at this time that Disney reincorporated the talking skull at the Magic Kingdom version.
Later that month, Disney announced a change to the auction scene at Disneyland Paris, Disneyland California, and Magic Kingdom, in which the town's women, including the scarlet-clothed redheaded damsel, are auctioned off to the pirates. Instead, the new scene depicts the redhead as a pirate helping the auctioneer sell off loot acquired from the townspeople. The Disneyland Paris version reopened on July 24, 2017, with the changes, while also incorporating the animatronic of Captain Barbossa and projected images of Davy Jones and Blackbeard. The Magic Kingdom version received the new auction scene in March 2018 and Disneyland's version received it in June 2018, after a scheduled refurbishment.
The June 2018 refurbishment at Disneyland also included three changes to the tunnel scene following the treasure room: the mist waterfall (and Davy Jones/Blackbeard narration) was removed entirely, the original 1967 narration by Paul Frees
Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...
was reinstated, and a scene was added at the end of the cave, depicting a skeleton transforming into a live pirate as the boat passes by.
Adaptations
In 2003, Disney released '' Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'', a feature film inspired by the ride starring Johnny Depp
John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
as Captain Jack Sparrow
Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series. The character was created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and is portrayed by Johnny Depp.
The characteriz ...
in an Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
-nominated performance. It has been followed by four sequels: ''Dead Man's Chest
"Dead Man's Chest" (also known as "Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest" or "Yo, Ho, Ho (And a Bottle of Rum)") is a fictional''Fictional sea-song'' - in this sense means a sea-song that first appeared in a work of fiction, and not an authentic se ...
'' (2006), '' At World's End'' (2007), ''On Stranger Tides
''On Stranger Tides'' is a 1987 historical fantasy supernatural novel by American writer Tim Powers. It was nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and placed second in the annual Locus poll for best fantasy novel.
''On Stranger ...
'' (2011), and '' Dead Men Tell No Tales'' (2017), with the second installment winning an Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 2007. The series has grossed over US$3.7 billion worldwide. These films included numerous allusions to the ride, most notably the attack on the fort, the famous jail scene, the namesake song, and a few lines from the characters.
At Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom Park of Walt Disney World, the character of Captain Jack Sparrow is occasionally available for photos and autographs, and is further featured in the short show ''Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial'' based loosely on the film series. The show is presented in front of or adjacent to the respective park's Pirates of the Caribbean rides and features Captain Jack holding court and enlisting budding pirates to join his crew. Alongside Captain Jack is Mack, his faithful crewman; together they teach the audience how to be a pirate.
A video game by Akella
Akella (russian: Акелла) was a Russian software company specializing in the development, publishing and distribution of video games and multimedia products. The founders of Akella met in 1993 and decided to start a company together, and ...
, loosely connected to the first movie's plot, was released to coincide with the film. Worlds based on the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' films appear in the Square Enix
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
games ''Kingdom Hearts II
is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to ''Kingdom Hearts (video game), King ...
'' and ''Kingdom Hearts III
is a 2019 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch. It is the twelfth installment in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series, and serves as a conclusion of the ...
''.
In 2000, ''Pirates of the Caribbean II: Battle for Buccaneer Gold'' opened at DisneyQuest
DisneyQuest was a Retail chain, chain of indoor interactive theme parks in the United States operated by the Disney Regional Entertainment subsidiary of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
The DisneyQuest proj ...
at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort. On this ride, up to five players board a virtual pirate ship to sail around a small 3-D world. Players may fire cannons at other virtual pirate ships; if opposing ships are sunk, their treasure will be "stolen".
Video game developer Ron Gilbert
Ron Gilbert (born January 1, 1964) is an American video game designer, video-game designer, video game programmer, programmer, and video game producer, producer. His games are generally focused on interactive story-telling, and he is arguably bes ...
has often said that the ambience for the ''Monkey Island
''Monkey Island'' is a series of adventure games. The first four games in the series were produced and published by LucasArts, earlier known as Lucasfilm Games. The fifth installment of the franchise was developed by Telltale Games in collabor ...
'' video game series was partially inspired by the Disney ride. One obvious homage is the prison scene in '' Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge,'' in which the player needs to retrieve the cell key from a dog using a bone. Although the dog in the scene is named Walt, it is named after game artist Steve Purcell
Steven Ross Purcell (born October 1, 1961) is an American cartoonist, animator, game designer and voice actor. He is the creator of the media franchise ''Sam & Max'', for which Purcell received an Eisner Award in 2007. The series has grown to i ...
's dog and not after Walt Disney.
On May 25, 2007, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
Tom Sawyer Island is an artificial island surrounded by the Rivers of America at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland. It contains structures and caves with references to Mark Twain characters from the novel ''The Adventures of Tom Saw ...
opened at Disneyland park on the existing Tom Sawyer's Island section of the park. It features include new additions to the caves. The island also featured a 20-minute stunt show featuring character Captain Jack Sparrow when it first opened.
Soundtrack
Releases
* ''The Music of Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Epcot Center'' "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)
"Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" is the theme song for the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions at Disney theme parks. The music was written by George Bruns with lyrics by Xavier Atencio.
Versions
* 1992: The song was parodied in a promotional ...
"
* ''Classic Disney Volume 5''
* ''Walt Disney World Resort: The Official Album'' (1999) "Overture" and "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)"
* ''Walt Disney World Resort: Official Album'' (2000) "Overture" and "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)"
* ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' (2000) 16-minute "float through," many audio elements from the ride, plus unused music and dialogue
* ''Walt Disney World Resort Celebrating 100 Years of Magic'' (2001) "Overture" and "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)"
* ''A Musical History of Disneyland'' (2005) 16-minute "float through"
* ''The Official Album of the Disneyland Resort'' (2005) 5:45
* ''Disney Sing-Along Songs
''Disney Sing-Along Songs'' is a series of videos on VHS, betamax, laserdisc, and DVD with musical moments from various Disney films, TV shows, and attractions. Lyrics for the songs are sometimes displayed on-screen with the Mickey Mouse ...
'' series
A version of "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" can be heard in several Disney theme park fireworks shows:
* ''Fantasy in the Sky
''Fantasy in the Sky'' was the first fireworks performance at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, beginning in 1958 and running until 1996 (with short engagements in 2004 and early 2015). The show also appeared at the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena ...
'' (Magic Kingdom 1999–2003 version)
* '' Remember... Dreams Come True''
* '' Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland''
* ''Disney Enchantment
''Disney Enchantment'' was a fireworks and projection mapping show that debuted at the Magic Kingdom on September 30, 2021, as part of Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration. Similar to its predecessor, ''Happily Ever After (Magic Ki ...
'' (2022 version; snippets only)
See also
* List of Disneyland attractions
Disneyland is a theme park, conceived by Walt Disney, within the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. As of March 2017, Disneyland has 53 attractions with 49 rides (The term "attractions" is used by The Walt Disney Company, Disney as a catc ...
* List of Magic Kingdom attractions
The Magic Kingdom is a theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Below is a list of the current attractions found therein, arranged by "land" and with brief descriptions.
Main Street, U.S.A.
Current attractions
* Main Stre ...
* List of Tokyo Disneyland attractions
Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. Here are the list of attractions below.
World Bazaar
* Omnibus
* Penny Arcade
Former Attractions
* The Disney Gallery
* Main Street Cinema
Adventurel ...
References
Further reading
* Azam.net.
Background and History to the Pirates of the Caribbean Rides at Disney Theme Parks
' ay 2018
Ay, AY or variants, may refer to:
People
* Ay (pharaoh), a pharaoh of the 18th Egyptian dynasty
* Merneferre Ay, a pharaoh of the 13th Egyptian dynasty
* A.Y. (musician) (born 1981), a Tanzanian "bongo flava" artist
* A.Y, stage name of Ayo Makun ...
* Surrell, Jason. (2005). ''Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies''. New York: Disney Editions. .
* ''Theme Park Adventure''
Special Pirates of the Caribbean issue
999 999 or triple nine most often refers to:
* 999 (emergency telephone number), a telephone number for the emergency services in several countries
* 999 (number), an integer
* AD 999, a year
* 999 BC, a year
Books
* ''999'' (anthology) or ''999: ...
* ''The "E" Ticket
''The "E" Ticket'' was a fanzine devoted to the history of Disneyland and its attractions, especially the park as it existed during the lifetime of Walt Disney, publishing forty six issues between 1986 and 2009. It was edited and published by Di ...
'' No. 32
Pirates of the Caribbean issue
all 1999
External links
Disneyland – Pirates of the Caribbean
Magic Kingdom – Pirates of the Caribbean
Tokyo Disneyland – Pirates of the Caribbean
Disneyland Park (Paris) – Pirates of the Caribbean
Shanghai Disneyland – Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pirates Of The Caribbean (Attraction)
Amusement rides introduced in 1967
Amusement rides introduced in 1973
Amusement rides introduced in 1983
Amusement rides introduced in 1992
Pirates of the Caribbean
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions
Amusement rides manufactured by Arrow Dynamics
Amusement rides manufactured by Intamin
Disneyland
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Tokyo Disneyland
Disneyland Park (Paris)
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts gentle boat rides
Dark rides
Caribbean in fiction
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Water rides manufactured by Arrow Dynamics