Credit: DisneyAre you ready to take a swig with Captain Jack Sparrow in Magic Kingdom? We have your official update on the future Pirates of the Caribbean lounge coming to the most magical place on earth — but Jack might not be there.
While Adventureland in Magic Kingdom is filled with multiple stories, from Aladdin to the Jungle Cruise to The Enchanted Tiki Room and more, the strongest presence in the land is certainly Pirates of the Caribbean.
The news of the lounge was revealed at the 2023 Destination D23 event, but since the initial announcement, things have been quiet.
So what is going on with this new lounge?
One thing is for sure, a “new” Disney character named Barker Bird will be running the joint. Barker Bird is a pirate bird that is green in color with an anchor tattoo on his chest and a pirate hat on his head. We have seen parrots as a symbolic animal of pirate life in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as well as the attraction, and by making the main character of the lounge not be attached to a human, it will have a more longevity for years to come.
Disney has done a good job in creating different pirate characters that are original in the space of Pirates of the Caribbean, such as Redd. Initially, Redd was nameless in the attraction and was one of the women that was being auctioned off, until Disney decided to change the scene to not have women sold for monetary value.
During the auction, the auctioneer attempted to sell a bride, but none of the pirates placed bids on her due to her weight. Instead, the pirates showed interest in a woman named Redd, repeatedly shouting, “We Want the Redhead” to the auctioneer.
However, the auctioneer refused to sell Redd and criticized her for flirting with the pirates. At the beginning of the ride, set in modern times when the pirates are deceased, it was hinted that Redd eventually became a pirate herself. Speaking of Redd, in the concept art, there is a red-headed pirate in view, so it seems that she may move from the ride into the tavern, unifying the storyline further.
Redd isn’t the only character from the ride that we can see in the concept art, as the sleeping townfolk who cuddles the pigs in the mud — a memorable animatronic in the ride — is also sleeping on the floor of the tavern.
This is depicted in a portrait titled “Of Things to Come” displayed in the Crew’s Quarters, showing her embracing the pirate lifestyle, according to Disney Wiki.
During the 2017 overhaul, Redd herself became a pirate and was no longer being sold. In Disneyland, we have even seen Redd as a meet-and-greet character, which shows how strong her fictional lore has grown, which is likely the hope for Barker Bird. There are already pins with Barker on it, so it seems Disney is gearing up to get his face known so that his new establishment seems like a progressive choice.
While Disney has been hush on this new location, they did say that, “This first-of-its-kind experience will extend the story of Pirates of the Caribbean.” So, it will likely tie into the attraction in some sort of way, beyond the way that we have seen with Skipper’s Canteen, which is a dining location that is themed to the Jungle Cruise, where the Skippers are your servers. But, since this new tavern is first-of-its-kind, it will be more unique than that.
One unique element would be for alcohol to be served inside the location without it being a table service restaurant, as there are no quick service locations in Magic Kingdom that sell alcohol.
While a location has not yet been stated for the new Pirates of the Caribbean lounge, Tortuga Tavern would be a perfect fit as it is adjacent to the ride, and it does not have the same popularity as other quick service locations, making it likely less profitable.
When Disney shared the news, the Disney Parks TikTok account made a video with Pirates of the Caribbean cast members doing the iconic Jack Sparrow run through the attraction queue.
@disneyparks ☠️ THIS IS NOT A DRILL ☠️ A new Pirates of the Caribbean-themed lounge is coming to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World 🏴☠️ @Disney D23 #Disney #DisneyParks #DisneyWorld #MagicKingdom #DisneyNews #Pirates #PiratesOfTheCaribbean #DestinationD23
While Jack Sparrow does meet outside of the attraction, it has not been stated or confirmed in any art that his character will have anything to do with the tavern. It would certainly make sense to have the rum-loving pirate find a home in the tavern, but with the latest news of a franchise reboot, it makes sense that Disney is keeping the tavern characters as the original ones that are not based on any actor, and therefore, can live on forever.
In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, the esteemed producer disclosed plans for both a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel and Top Gun 3.
“You don’t know how they come together. You just don’t know,” Bruckheimer said. “Because with Top Gun you have an actor who is iconic and brilliant. And how many movies he does before he does Top Gun, I can’t tell you. But we’re gonna reboot Pirates, so that is easier to put together because you don’t have to wait for certain actors.”
Disney’s decision to seemingly start anew with Pirates may catch some fans off guard, especially considering the various ideas that have circulated in recent years regarding the franchise’s future. Some of these notions have included potential involvement from Margot Robbie, while others have speculated on the return of Johnny Depp — who was booted from the franchise during his abuse trial with ex-wife Amber Heard by Disney.
Bruckheimer previously told The Hollywood Reporter in 2022 that they were “getting very close” with Pirates 6 and even had a “very good script.”
“We developed two of them — the one with Margot Robbie and one with a younger cast,” he said at the time. “The Margot Robbie one needs a little more work. The younger cast one is close. Hopefully, we’ll get both of them.”
The producer also shut down Robbie’s claims that the project wasn’t happening, saying, “We believe we’ll get it made. It’s a very strong story.”
Nonetheless, it seems that the upcoming Pirates project slated for the silver screen will probably introduce an entirely fresh cast. Craig Mazin, the creator of The Last of Us, collaborated with screenwriter Ted Elliot on the new storyline. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times last year, Mazin expressed his astonishment at Disney’s approval of their script, considering it was deemed “too weird.”
“We pitched it and thought there’s no way they’re buying it, it’s too weird. And they did! And then we wrote a fantastic script and the strike happened and everyone’s waiting around,” Mazin explained at the time.
Considering the franchise will be having a fresh start, Disney will seemingly be playing it safe by sticking to characters that they have invented and are not attached to actors, cutting ties with the films in order to have infinite relevance, and not have to face the issue that they saw with Depp, where one actor is so heavily tied to the fandom, that the success of the story is dependent on them.
Are you excited about this new Pirates of the Caribbean lounge?