One of the most popular rides in Disneyland, Disney World, and all of the Disney parks around the world is Pirates of the Caribbean. Not only did Walt Disney himself work on the ride, but it became one of the first Disney attractions to inspire a movie franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean, instead of a movie franchise being the reason a ride was created.
Now, Pirates of the Caribbean follows Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp’s iconic pirate character in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, featuring multiple animatronics that looks just like the Hollywood star. That being said, one animatronic has now been reported as removed or missing.
Pirates of the Caribbean can be found at Disneyland Park in New Orleans Square. The ride opened in 1967 and has been a hit ever since its major debut. So much so that nearly every Disney Park has adapted the attraction in a different way, and a massive film franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean, has made copious amounts of money at the box office starring Johnny Depp as the now-iconic Jack Sparrow. The character was so popular in the films, that the attractions added him into the storyline.
Interestingly enough, Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland, “was originally conceived as a wax museum and a walk-through adventure. But following the success of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, Walt Disney and his team of Imagineers decided that audio-animatronics, his latest animation technology, was the most imaginative way to tell a rousing pirate story.” Because of the highlight and detailed process of the animatronics on the attraction, many guests have grown to love all the characters that they can find in the story of the ride.
Most recently, at Walt Disney World Resort in Magic Kingdom, the character of Red was added in to avoid having the woman being auctioned off, which has been a controversial subject for some. Guests can also spot Jack Sparrow multiple times as the Johnny Depp-inspired animatronic appears throughout the ride.
Disney has aimed to be more politically correct with the attraction, which has fallen under some scrutiny as of late.
As we mentioned, Jack Sparrow is very much the main character of the attraction, with an animatronic that looks identical to actor Johnny Depp.
Johnny Depp has certainly had a rough go as of late. The actor who has been known for so many iconic roles from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to the iconic Edward Scissorhands film, to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, to Coraline, and even hit start on the hit series 21 Jump Street.
Johnny Depp has been in the spotlight more than usual over the past few years as he and his ex-wife Amber Heard have been battling against each other in a lawsuit that defamed Depp, alleging he was abusive towards the Aquaman star. Heard recorded moments of arguments with Depp, showing him yelling, hitting cabinets, and consuming alcohol. Heard stated that Depp had pulled her hair, thrown her down, bruised her back, and more. Of course, we know now that Johnny Depp was proven to be innocent, making Heard out to be the liar.
Heard may not have won legally, but she certainly won in destroying Depp’s career. As we mentioned, Johnny Depp’s largest franchise is Pirates of the Caribbean, where he plays the swashbuckling, rum drinking, Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp began the franchise with Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003), alongside co-stars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly. The film was a huge box-office success—it grossed $654.3 million.
That lead to several more films, including Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), and Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). Although some actors did not stick it out through the entire series, Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow has remained the leading character for years.
Again, all of this was inspired by the original Disneyland attraction.
During the period of alligations, Disney did give Depp the boot from the franchise, removing him as Jack Sparrow entirely. This sent many Pirates of the Caribbean fans in an angry spiral, with some boycotting the franchise and others starting petitions.
In the past, Depp revealed that not even for $300 million would he return to Disney. During his trial, it was quoted, “The fact is, Mr. Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film? Correct?” the lawyer asked. “That is true, Mr. Rottenborn,” Depp replied.
Many fans have been worried that Disney would remove Jack Sparrow from their attraction entirely since they have such bad blood with the actor now. At this point, that has not yet happened, and Jack Sparrow lookalikes still roam the theme parks as a performer that guests can actually meet.
That being said, one animatronic has been spotted missing at Disneyland Park.
One Reddit user shared a photo of the missing animatronic, sharing a photo of a canon and explosives without any pirate in sight.
One guest who frequents the park often said, “He’s been missing for a while now. A bit eerie that you can still hear him singing!”. Another spoke out who noticed the missing pirate as well, stating, “Yeah I noticed that! Also I don’t think that wood next to the cannon was there before. It’s blocking the view of the hidden Mickey on the armor”.
Right away, some began to ask the question, “Did Jack Sparrow change?”.
Another stated that there are actually other pirates missing, “In that last scene, a pirate on the right side was out for quite a while. And now, the pirate on the left side has been out for a while. I can only assume it’s for refurbishment. A while back the macaw at the front of the ride was out for refurbishment as well.” You can read more on the missing macaw here.
Hopefully, we see all of the pirates return to their posts shortly, so that the ride can be back to its full self once again.
Do you think that Disney will get rid of Jack Sparrow?
Are you looking to visit Disneyland? Considering Disneyland, located in Anaheim, California, is the first ever theme park, and the only one that Walt Disney himself was able to walk through, it holds a magical spot in all of our Disney-loving hearts. Seeing Sleeping Beauty Castle is a picture-perfect moment; there is so much to do! When it comes to attractions, guests can enjoy the spooky adventures in The Haunted Mansion during the year and Haunted Mansion Holiday (featuring the characters from Nightmare Before Christmas) during the holiday season. Pirates of the Caribbean will take you on a swashbuckling journey, and Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain provide thrills like no other. Classic rides like Matterhorn Bobsleds, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and Snow White’s Enchanted Wish are a must, and dining is excellent with stand-out locations like Blue Bayou and Carnation Cafe. Want to start booking so you can see Mickey Mouse in his home in Toontown? The Disneyland website has everything you need to know about the Disneyland app, hotels, tickets, and the Disney Genie+ service. Click here to check it out.