Actor Johnny Depp took over Disney’s rival theme park along with multiple others.
Johnny Depp and Disney
The Johnny Depp and Disney relationship goes way back. In recent years, the actor has been left shut out of The Walt Disney Company’s popular Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, with his role as Captain Jack Sparrow seemingly dead in the water. This came after years of litigation regarding domestic abuse allegations from Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard. After a libel trial in London and a defamation lawsuit in Virginia, Depp’s status as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after stars was demolished.
Depp will return to the big screen for the first time since 2020’s Minimata as controversial French monarch King Louis XV in director Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry (2023) — the movie is set to open this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Related: ‘Pirates’ Star Johnny Depp Finally Speaks Out After Abandoning Hollywood
The actor has had a long and storied career in Hollywood, from Tim Burton movies like Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) to splashy Disney remakes like Alice in Wonderland (2010) and as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts franchise.
Depp’s most commercial role to date was as the charming yet arrogant Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. First appearing in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Depp would spend over 14 years in the Pirates world, alongside actors like Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann) and Orlando Bloom (Will Turner), before the lawsuits saw him shut out of returning.
That could still change, though, as the reported sixth Pirates movie starring Margot Robbie is apparently quashed, and the recent backing of the Cannes Film Director suggests a door is still open somewhere for Depp. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has also hinted that there is still some form of a relationship with the actor.
Depp and Theme Parks
Despite his ousting by Disney, the character of Jack Sparrow still appears in the company’s many theme parks across the globe, including being featured in Disneyland Resort’s World of Color nighttime light and fountain spectacular at Disney California Adventure Park.
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Southern California, has stood the test of time. First opening in 1955, Walt Disney’s first-ever amusement park launched an empire that still stands strong today, even if some are trying to tear it down. Now in its 68th year, Disneyland continues to grow, welcoming millions of Guests year after year.
Back in 1955, though, there was another theme park that opened very shortly after Walt debuted Disneyland — Enchanted Forest.
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Enchanted Forest, located in Ellicott City, Maryland, opened on August 15, 1955, one month after Disneyland Park welcomed Guests to the “Magic Kingdom”. Consisting of a nursery rhyme and fairytale theme, Enchanted Forest had a lot of similarities to Disneyland and even had its very own Cinderella’s castle ride, complete with mice-shaped vehicles.
And it was the Enchanted Forest, Disney’s 50s fairytale rival, that Johnny Depp’s movie Cry-Baby (1990) took over during filming. Cry-Baby, from director John Waters, starred Johnny Depp as the teen rebel “Cry-baby” Wade Walker, as well as Iggy Pop, Willem Dafoe, and Ricki Lake. You can watch the scene on YouTube here.
In the film, the classic red and white entrance to the Enchanted Forest was featured in the movie and was filmed on location. However, some indoor elements were actually shot at Hersheypark — formerly Hersey Park until 1970 — in Pennsylvania.
As for Depp’s future, the door is seemingly still open for this return, with a reported $301 million on the table.
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