13
Credit: DisneyYo ho yo ho a pirate’s life for me! The iconic tune is one of the most well-known attractions at Disney, and now, changes are at hand.
When Pirates of the Caribbean debuted at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California in 1967, it was an immediate hit. It was thought that Floridians would not like the attraction due to their location being close to the Caribbean, making it too familiar, but in the end, guests demanded to have the attraction come to Walt Disney World Resort as well.
The renowned Pirates of the Caribbean attraction is a standout feature within the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Situated within the enchanting realm of the Magic Kingdom theme park, it is celebrated for its ability to transport visitors into a thrilling escapade amid a Caribbean island infested with pirates. Below is an overview of this captivating attraction at Disney World:
Pirates of the Caribbean finds its home in the Adventureland section of the Magic Kingdom.
This immersive journey unfolds within a meticulously crafted Caribbean pirate harbor town with formidable fortifications, inviting taverns, and captivating waterfront vistas. The setting is expertly designed to whisk guests away to the vibrant era of piracy during the 17th century.
Pirates of the Caribbean is distinguished by its unforgettable and catchy theme song, “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me),” composed by George Bruns and Xavier Atencio. It is a melody that often lingers in the minds of visitors long after they depart the attraction.
Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the few Disney attractions that was created without an IP in mind. Most attractions that are announced today, such as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, for example, are all based off of a previous Disney movie and brings the characters to life. Pirates of the Caribbean never started as a film, but its ride popularity sparked the idea to create one, much like the Haunted Mansion which spun off The Haunted Mansion (2003), and Haunted Mansion (2023).
Pirates of the Caribbean then inspired Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003), 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).
Just after the second film’s popularity exploded, Disney decided to add the film’s main character, Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, into the attraction.
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.
Again, all of this was inspired by the original Disneyland attraction.
During the period of allegations, 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.
On top of that, the Pirates of the Caribbean section is still alive and well in Happily Ever After, and if World of Color returns to Disney California Adventure following World of Color – ONE retiring, then we will once again hear Depp’s voice as Sparrow in the show, as that was never removed either.
That being said, Disney did remove Splash Mountain after it was widely known that the Song of the South IP was full of racial undertones, so it would not be too shocking to hear that Disney would want to remove all controversy from the attraction, even if taking Sparrow out would, in turn, cause controversy. We also are hearing rumors now that Rachel Zegler was removed as Snow White in the live-action Snow White for her negative press regarding the film. Although unconfirmed, it does seem like something Disney would do to protect their image.
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.
At Disneyland Park, one animatronic was seen to be entirely removed, and now, changes are happening at Disneyland Paris’ ride. At Disneyland Paris, there are lots of changes currently happening within the theme park. The 30th anniversary just ended, many attractions are under refurbishment, and now, changes have come to Pirates of the Caribbean.
DLP Report (@DLPReport) shared a photo of new signage:
Pirates of the Caribbean now features a new backlit digital wait time screen. Technology!
🔧 Pirates of the Caribbean now features a new backlit digital wait time screen. Technology! pic.twitter.com/yXBo0f7DGX
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) September 27, 2023
On top of that, it seems that the queue refurbishment is nearly complete.
Large parts of the refurbished Pirates of the Caribbean queue have reopened, and the path that will take Guests to the future Disney Premier Access entrance looks almost done.
🔧 Large parts of the refurbished Pirates of the Caribbean queue have reopened, and the path that will take Guests to the future Disney Premier Access entrance looks almost done: pic.twitter.com/Mv3WsXtRYt
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) September 27, 2023
At the moment, Jack Sparrow has seemingly not been removed from the ride, despite Disney cutting ties with him entirely.
Announced just weeks ago during the Destination D23 live panel, Disney has confirmed that an expansion is soon arriving to the iconic Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
The expansion will be a brand-new dining experience themed to an old-style tavern where guests can sit down and enjoy a meal, drinks, and snacks while immersed in the vibes and theming of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction and film series.
No word on whether the great and legendary Jack Sparrow will appear throughout the tavern and greet guests sitting down, but Disney will reveal more news in the coming months. No other information has been disclosed besides the announcement and a photo of concept art shared by Disney Imagineers, who are working hard to bring this new expansion to life.
What do you think about these changes to Pirates of the Caribbean?