It’s the final day of Pride Month, and Disneyland Resort once again celebrated with its second annual Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite events. Unfortunately, an incident on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride impacted thousands of guests at the event on June 20.
Related: Original Haunted Mansion To Undergo Costly Changes, Disney Confirms
The troubles with Pirates of the Caribbean started long before Pride Nite. The ride first sparked controversy in 2018, when Walt Disney Imagineering announced that it would retheme a sexist bride auction scene into an empowering depiction of swashbuckling female pirates.
Some fans of the attractions at Magic Kingdom Park, Disneyland Park, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Shanghai Disneyland were outraged. Others were happy to see the outdated scene go.
However, this wasn’t the first time Walt Disney Imagineers changed Pirates of the Caribbean. In the mid-2000s, the Disney parks retrofitted Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) animatronics into the boat ride, paying homage to the successful Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise in the rides that started it all.
Last year, a Disney Park guest spurred conversation about another Pirates of the Caribbean retheme when she said the male animatronics made her feel ogled.
“I just think this is kind of a weird ride,” the Disney Park guest said. “I don’t know… It’s just a little bit rapey.”
Pirates of the Caribbean has broken down numerous times in recent weeks, sparking new conversations about the ride. Some fans worry that the Disney parks are neglecting the ride to make room for a potential retheme, especially after Disneyland Park removed Captain Jack Sparrow from Fantasmic!.
On June 20, Pirates of the Caribbean broke down again. Unfortunately, Disney cast members could not restart the ride and called the fire department to evacuate guests. Stevie (@super_stevie24 on TikTok) spent an hour of the pricey Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite stuck on the attraction.
@super_stevie24 we got stuck on Pirates of the Caribbean last night at Disney Pride Nite for 1 hour. #Disney #fypage
♬ Pirates Of The Caribbean (Main Theme) – The Intermezzo Orchestra
Firefighters smiled and waved at the trapped guests from the Pirates of the Caribbean set as Disney cast members waded through the waist-deep ride water. They pushed boats toward an area where it was safe for guests to climb out.
What caused the evacuation during Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite is unclear. Pirates of the Caribbean operated normally at the time of this article’s publication.
Have you experienced a unique ride evacuation at Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort? Share your wild stories with Inside the Magic in the comments.