Pirates of the Carribean
Attraction Type: Slow-moving water-based dark ride (with two short drops).
Location: The first building after Adventureland, the queue entrance is underneath the bridge walkway.
General Description: Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew are wreaking havoc on a small Caribbean island, where gluttony and fun know no bounds.
Will’s Review: Walt Disney passed away in 1966, just before this attraction’s opening. While Walt had a hand in designing other attractions that would open after his death (The Haunted Mansion in 1969 and Space Mountain in 1977 to name two), Pirates was the last Disneyland attraction that Walt personally worked on the details of. The original storyline, though a bit shaky, had guests board their own individual boats for a ride back through time, with each of the two waterfalls presenting descents into history. Before the second waterfall, guests saw pirate skeletons, a ship wreck in a stormy sea, and other haunting visuals. The cheerful ride full of gluttony and debauchery (after the waterfalls) was designed to show the over-indulgence and lifestyle the pirates enjoyed that led to their dismal fate. The boats then traveled up a massive waterfall to bring them back to current day.
That storyline and the non-movie immersive experience began it’s transformation in the late 1990’s, when Walt Disney Productions green-lit four modestly-budgeted films based on classic Disneyland attractions. The films were “Mission to Mars,” “The Country Bears,” “The Haunted Mansion” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” (“Mission to Mars” being the only one of the three released under the Touchstone, rather than Walt Disney, label). Of course, three of those movies flopped – and one made it big; very big. The original Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom film that was produced by Disney favorite Jerry Bruckheimer didn’t attempt to follow the theme of the attraction it was based on – in parts because the attraction’s general storyline was so vague and convoluted that not many captured it even after dozens of rides. What the film did do, however, was incorporate some scenes and references from the rides, as well as a drunken Captain Jack Sparrow singing the attraction’s famous theme song, “Yo Ho Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me).”
All three of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films have held their world premiere at Disneyland, being shown on the Fantasmic! stage across the Rivers of America, just feet from the attraction that inspired it all. Not surprising for anyone after the massive success of the films, the attraction received a massive rehab that was designed to include elements from the films. While the original spirit of the attraction has only been marginally compromised, the situation I recently encountered while standing in line for the ride is becoming all too common: a girl (about 20ish) commented to her friend, “I’m so glad they built a ride here based on the movies!” Nonetheless, where guests who queued up were once treated to period paintings of real-life legendary pirates, they are now greeted with painted images of Captains Sparrow and Barbosa, though little reference is made from that point until the boats are well-past the second drop.
The better of the film additions come around this time, when a familiar voice echoes in a dark cave. Before you, on a smoke screen, materializes the image of Davey Jones, who warns you about the dangers of proceeding ahead. As the boat floats through this ghostly image, the haunting voice of actor Bill Nighy still echoes, a treat for those of us who still identify his haunting vocals with Underworld’s Viktor character more than Davey Jones.
One great thing that came as a result of the renewed interest in the ride, however, is the massive addition of state-of-the-art lighting and sound effects, including a much-enhanced cannonball fight scene where your boat travels through a very misty port in between a battling fort and pirate ship. With new air effects (you can feel cannonballs whizzing by your head), huge splashes, and a delightfully indulgent pipe organ tracking of the ride’s theme song, the ride as a whole is better for the experience. The annoying part, however, can be simultaneous – aboard the massive pirate ship in the aforementioned scene, Captain Blackbeard (along with his hidden-Mickey silhouette) has been replaced with an Audio-Animatronic Captain Barbosa, a stunningly-authentic replica of Geoffrey Rush. This isn’t so bad, but what is bad is his constant references to Jack Sparrow: “I’m going to get the map from Sparrow!” “Sparrow won’t escape me!” “Down with Jack Sparrow!.” In the course of passing this scene, you will hear his name no less than six times.
In the following scenes, you travel past the traditional Pirates of the Caribbean material that includes the burning village and the rambunctious antics of pirates on holiday. While many of the sets have remained unchanged from the opening of the ride (with the exception of the 1990’s-era political correctness stunt that removed and reworked the men-chasing-women scenes), a few modifications have been made to reflect that all this action is going on in the pirate-laden port city of Tortuga. The most obvious of additions, however, is the numerous Captain Jack Sparrow Audio-Animatronics which abound in this attraction, mostly depicting the world’s most famous pirate hiding in various places, seemingly sneaking away from Captain Barbosa. The finale up the waterfall, which formerly featured two tired pirates trying to push a chest of treasure up hill, now shows a leisurely Jack Sparrow, relaxed now that he has escaped the clutches of both Barbosa and Davey Jones.
Touring Tips: Always a popular attraction, an added following has surfaced following the films. Visit within the first couple hours of park opening, or during performances of Fantasmic!
Family Info: Impressionable and extremely sheltered children may be a bit nervous at the skeletons, dark caves, and ghostly voices in the first half of the attraction, and then may find themselves happily watching in the rousing second act. Be aware of the ride’s two short, steep waterfalls, which may prove uncomfortable to anyone in your party with severe back or neck problems.
Variations: Pirates of the Caribbean is an attraction found at all the Disneyland-style parks with the exception of Hong Kong Disneyland. The Anaheim and Tokyo versions are nearly identical, whereas The Magic Kingdom version is much less elaborate. As of early 2009, the Disneyland Park Paris version is the only version that has not been converted to the movie storyline, making it nearly identical to the original (read: pre-Johnny Depp) version of the Anaheim classic.
Pirates of the Caribbean - Haunted Mansion - The Disneyland Railroad New Orleans Square Station
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