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Credit: DisneyWalt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort updated their versions of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in 2018. Walt Disney Imagineers updated the attraction with a feminist twist: instead of waiting to be bought by a husband at auction, female animatronics became pirates running the show!
Pirates of the Caribbean Ride Controversy
This change was controversial among Disney Parks fans. Some were happy to see a modern addition to Pirates of the Caribbean, while others felt the historic ride shouldn’t change. (This isn’t the first update – Imagineers retrofitted Johnny Depp animatronics inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise into the attraction as early as 2006.)
Others want more updates to what some call an “offensive” ride. In a now-deleted TikTok, one Disney Parks fan expressed feeling ogled by the pirate animatronics.
“I just think this is kind of a weird ride,” the fan said. “I don’t know… It’s just a little bit rapey.”
Nevertheless, Pirates of the Caribbean remains among the most popular rides in Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort, Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland.
“Pirates of the Caribbean is considered one of the most immersive attractions ever created for a theme park,” Disneyland Resort writes. “When Walt Disney originally designed the attraction in the 1950s, he imagined it as a wax museum and a walk-through adventure.”
“However, after the success of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, Disney and his team of Imagineers decided that Audio-Animatronics—Walt’s latest animation technology—was the most imaginative way to tell a rousing pirate story. On March 18, 1967, Pirates of the Caribbean opened at Disneyland Park. Thanks to the highly detailed scenes, lavish special effects and memorable characters, the attraction earned rave reviews and has remained a beloved classic ever since.”
Honoring the Past
On Reddit this week, fans reminisced about the former Pirates of the Caribbean ride and shared how they honor the former version.
u/firewerx likes to creatively acknowledge that the auction – now selling chickens and alcohol – wasn’t always as family-friendly.
“Sometimes I myself will yell ‘They’re not here for the rum!’ at the auction scene if our boat isn’t too full!” they wrote.
Before the Pirates of the Caribbean update, an unnamed pirate yelled, “We wants the redhead!” at the forced brides-to-be. Many fans still shout the line on the attraction – though some take a more subtle approach.
“I yell it in my head as to not disrupt other people on the boat,” said u/sidneyluv.
Do you like the modern changes to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on personal Disney Parks Guest experiences. No two Guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.