Pirates of the Caribbean
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- This article is about the Disney theme park attraction. For other uses, see Pirates of the Caribbean (disambiguation).
Pirates of the Caribbean is a dark ride at the Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris theme parks that inspired the movie trilogy . It is one of the most popular and well-known Disney attractions. During the course of the indoor boat ride, guests experience an immersive, larger-than-life pirate experience – complete with gunshots, cannon blasts, and burning buildings, all set to pirates carousing and pillaging while singing the song Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) written by George Bruns and Xavier Atencio.
Development
Originally envisioned in the late 1950s as a walk-through wax museum, the attraction evolved into a boat ride through complex show scenes filled with Audio-Animatronics characters after the 1964 World's Fair, which brought about several advances in Disney's theme park technologies.
Additionally, it was planned to feature real pirates from history. Instead, humorous sketches of fictional pirates by Imagineer Marc Davis inspired the animatronic tableaux seen throughout the final attraction.
Opening on March 18, 1967, Pirates of the Caribbean was Disneyland's largest Audio-Animatronics project to date and was the last attraction which Walt Disney was involved in designing. Since the Disneyland attraction was constructed before the advent of lifelike research skeletons, the original skeletons that made up parts of the show were genuine medical specimens; most still remain today.[[Citing sources citation needed]] It is widely rumored that the skull and crossbones mounted on the headboard of the bed featured in the "Captain's Quarters" are genuine as well.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
The portrait of the female pirate above the bar in the Captain's Quarters scene is an original work by Davis.
The pirate captain in the scene where captured women are auctioned as brides is a test bed for updates and developments to Audio-Animatronics technology; many innovations are tried on him first. As a result, his movements are far more lifelike and expressive than virtually any other Audio-Animatronics figure in all of Disneyland.
The ride never was intended to be part of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort because of concerns that it would not be exotic enough due to Florida's geographic proximity to the Caribbean and New Orleans, the settings of the Disneyland attraction. Instead, Imagineers developed plans for a similar attraction called the Western River Expedition, which would have featured cowboys and Indians instead. After many Walt Disney World guests complained about the lack of Disney's celebrated pirate attraction, an abbreviated version opened in Florida on December 15, 1973.
The attraction was part of the opening day of Tokyo Disneyland (April 15, 1983) and of Disneyland Paris (April 12, 1992). There is no Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, but there are plans to add it in the near future with some Splash Mountain-style elements.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
The attraction
Disneyland version
The ride begins amid glimmering fireflies during an evening abuzz with the croaking of bullfrogs in a swamp. Daring adventurers board their boats at Lafitte's Landing, and are at once afloat in the heart of bayou country. On one side is an actual working restaurant, The Blue Bayou, made to look like the backyard dinner party of a southern plantation.
Once past several rickety houseboats, the soft strumming of a banjo melody (which is actually Oh! Susanna) can be heard over the peaceful symphony of nature as guests pass by one houseboat, on the porch of which an old man calmly rocks back and forth in his rocking chair. But then a talking skull and crossbones above an archway provides this taunting warning:
- Psst! Avast there! It be too late to alter course, mateys. And there be plundering pirates lurkin' in ev'ry cove, waitin' to board. Sit closer together and keep your ruddy hands in board. That be the best way to repel boarders. And mark well me words, mateys: Dead men tell no tales! Ye come seekin' adventure with salty old pirates, eh? Sure you've come to the proper place. But keep a weather eye open mates, and hold on tight. With both hands, if you please. Thar be squalls ahead, and Davy Jones waiting for them that don't obey.
After a second hair-raising plunge further into the depths of an underground grotto, guests behold the skeletal remains of an unfortunate band of pirates, guarding their loot and treasure with macabre delight. As you continue through the caves, foreboding voices overhead taunt the guests:
- Perhaps ye knows too much. Ye've seen the cursed treasure; ye know where it be hidden. Now proceed at yer own risk. These be the last friendly words ye'll hear: ye may not survive to pass this way again...
- No fear have ye of evil curses says you... aye. Heh he heh. Properly warned ye be, says I. Who knows when that evil curse will strike the greedy beholders of this bewitched treasure...?
- Dead Men Tell No Tales!
Suddenly, cannonballs whistle overhead and explosions throw water into the air – a fierce battle between a marauding pirate galleon and a Caribbean fortress is in full swing. Barbossa from the feature film leads the assault from the deck of a pirate vessel named the Wicked Wench. "Surrender, ya lily-livered lubbers!"
The village beyond is overrun with pirates in search of Captain Jack Sparrow (also from ), wenches to auction, rum to drink, and treasure. One pirate is even offering cats some rum. Jack is first seen in the mayor-dunking scene, hiding behind some dresses, peeking out every so often. As the ride progresses, the town's women are being sold as "brides" to the invading pirates.
Just beyond is the infamous "pooped pirate" drunkenly waving a map and key to a treasure vault, boasting that Jack Sparrow will never see it. Little does he know, Jack is hiding in a barrel just behind him, popping out and getting a good look at the map over the pirate's shoulder.
Carefree, tipsy pirates succeed in ravaging the town and setting it aflame, filling the night air with an orange glow.
Riders next float past a jail 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.
Timbers are smoldering and cracking overhead as riders sail through a storage room filled with gunpowder, cannon balls and whiskey-filled, gun-shooting pirates that are singing "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me". A shootout between the inebriated crew and captain of the pirate ship in a flaming ammunition warehouse threatens to demolish the entire village.
Finally, Jack Sparrow is seen in a room full of the hidden treasure the pirates tried so hard to keep from him. Slightly drunk (as usual), he is draped over a large throne-like chair and waves his new treasures around happily while chattering to himself (and passing guests). Riders then return to the sleepy bayou where the journey began.
Adaptations
In 2003, Disney released ', a feature film inspired by the attraction that stars Johnny Depp in an Oscar-nominated performance as Captain Jack Sparrow. A sequel, ', opened on July 7, 2006, with a third film set to follow in 2007.
A computer game (by Akella), loosely connected to the first movie's plot, was released to coincide with the film. Port Royal, a world based on the Pirates of the Caribbean films, appears in the Square Enix video game Kingdom Hearts II.
In 2000, , opened at DisneyQuest at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort. On this attraction, 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".
Ron Gilbert often has been quoted that his [inspiration] for the Monkey Island computer game series came from the attraction (this has been refuted to 'merely' being a source of [ambience]). One obvious example is the prison scene in Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, which contains a key-carrying dog named Walt in homage to Walt Disney.
Ride modifications and controversy
In its original form, the Disneyland attraction had a subdued, yet interpretively racy scene in which pirates were shown chasing attractive females in circles (achieved by static figures on turntables hidden below guests' view), along with a comical reversal in which an overweight woman was seen chasing a pirate. In 1997, this sequence was changed so that the pirates now are pursuing women with food, and the large woman is chasing a pirate with a stolen ham.
Originally, one pirate was shown exhausted from his pursuit of an unwilling female, brandishing a petticoat as guests floated past, with dialogue including "...to hoist me colors upon the likes of that shy little wench," and "I be willing to share I be." Behind him, the woman would pop her head out from her hiding place inside a barrel.
The "Pooped Pirate," as he was called, was dubbed the Gluttonous Pirate and was recast in the 1997 refurbishment as a rogue in search of food. His dialogue included lines such as "Me belly be feeling like galleon with a load of treasure," and "I be looking for a fine pork loin I be." The woman hiding in the barrel was replaced by a cat.
At the Magic Kingdom, this scene was altered to reflect the third deadly sin, greed. In its version, pirates are seen making off with gold, jewels, and various other treasure as the ladies of the house attempt to thwart them. The "Pooped Pirate" here is holding a treasure map in his lap and a magnifying glass in one hand. His lines here include "This map says X marks the spot, but I be seein' no X's afore me." The woman in the barrel remains, though this time she is hiding a small treasure chest inside the barrel with her.
The "politically correct" modifications have garnered resentment from many Disney theme park aficionados. They argue that while the attraction now has less glorification of a criminal lifestyle, the changes sacrifice historical accuracy and Walt Disney's original vision. The Magic Kingdom's modifications has not seemed to have generated nearly as much controversy as Disneyland's.
Some have criticized the perceived glorification of the pirate lifestyle. However, the ride is filled with depictions of the unpleasant lives and violent deaths of pirates, which suggests that its message is not one of glorification but of condemnation.
In 2006, the scenes in both versions were modified again so that the once-dubbed "Pooped Pirate" is now brandishing a map and treasure-vault key, while Captain Jack Sparrow stealthily observes from inside the barrel.
2006 enhancements
In 2006, Walt Disney Imagineering debuted refurbishments at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean feature films to coincide with the release of the second movie, . Described by Imagineers as an "enhancement" to the attraction's existing storyline, the refurbishments included Audio-Animatronic figures of Captain Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa, along with new special effects, improved lighting and audio, and an appearance by the films' supernatural character Davy Jones, all voiced by the original actors. The skeleton scenes in the Magic Kingdom version are now accompanied by a quiet, melancholy instrumental version of "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)."The modifications had been criticized by some Disneyland fans who maintain that as the final attraction developed by Walt Disney, it should remain as originally envisioned in the 1960s. Despite the backlash, many fans support the updates, citing Disney's wishes to have Disneyland forever changing, and the fact that except for the addition of several new Audio-Animatronics and some updated effects, the original ride experience is largely unchanged.
Attraction facts
Disneyland
- Grand opening: March 18, 1967
- Grand re-opening: June 26, 2006
- Ride capacity: 3400 guests per hour
- Audio-Animatronics: 123
- * 66 humans
- * 57 animals
- Total amount of water: 750,000 gallons
- Main lift pumps:
- * Pump number one is rated at a maximum of 20,000 gallons per minute
- * Pump number two is rated at a maximum of 18,000 gallons per minute
- First drop length: 52'
- * First drop angle: 21°
- Second drop length: 37'
- * Second drop angle: 21°
- Length of final lift back to Lafitte's Landing: 90'
- * Angle of final lift back to Lafitte's Landing: - 16 degrees
- Number of show buildings: 2
- Number of levels: 3
- * Blue Bayou
- * Upper caverns
- * Main show in basement
- Maximum ceiling height: 40'
- Show length: 14:30
- Required ticket: "E" (discontinued)
- Ride system: Flume
Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World
- Grand opening: December 15, 1973
- Soft re-opening: July 1, 2006
- Grand re-opening: July 7, 2006
- Audio-Animatronics: 125
- * 65 pirates & villagers
- * 60 animals
- Total amount of water: 155,000 gallons
- Drop length: 52'
- Drop height: 14'
- Drops: 1
- Show length: 8:30
- Required ticket: "E" (discontinued)
- Ride system: Flume
Tokyo Disneyland
- Grand opening: April 15, 1983
- Audio-Animatronics:123
- * 66 humans
- * 57 animals
- Drops: 2
- Number of levels: 3
- *Blue Bayou
- *Upper caverns
- *Main show in basement
Disneyland Paris
- Grand opening: April 12, 1992
- Audio-Animatronics: 124
- Drops: 2
- Number of levels: 3
- *Blue Lagoon
- *Upper caverns
- *Main show in basement
- Show length: 10 minutes
- Ride system: Flume
Soundtrack
Releases
- The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World (1991 CD) "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)"
- "Overture" & "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)"
- "Overture" & "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)"
- Pirates of the Caribbean (2000 CD) 16 minute "float through," many audio elements from the attraction, plus unused music and dialogue
- "Overture" & "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)"
- A Musical History of Disneyland (2005) 16 minute "float through"
| Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean |
|---|
| The theme park attraction |
| Pirates of the Caribbean |
| Films |
| Untitled Third Film |
| Music |
| Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) > Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack | | | Pirates Remixed |
| Video Games |
| Pirates of the Caribbean (video game)>Pirates of the Caribbean | | | Pirates of the Caribbean Online |
| Characters and creatures |
| Captain Jack Sparrow > Will Turner | Elizabeth Swann James Norrington | Hector Barbossa | "Bootstrap Bill" Turner | Davy Jones | Weatherby Swann | Joshamee Gibbs | Anamaria | Pintel and Ragetti | Cutler Beckett | Tia Dalma List of minor characters in Pirates of the Caribbean | Jack the monkey | Kraken |
| Locations |
| Port Royal > Isla de Muerta | Tortuga |
| Ships |
| Black Pearl > The Flying Dutchman | The Dauntless | The Interceptor |
External links
- [Pirates of the Caribbean Official Website for Disneyland and Walt Disney World]
- [DisneyQuest: The Official Website]
References
- Surrell, Jason. (2005). Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies. New York: Disney Editions. ISBN 0786856300. Describes the origins of the attraction, its incarnations at Disney parks around the world, and the first two films inspired by it.
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