Pirates of the Caribbean (ride)



Pirates of the Caribbean is a dark ride at the Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris theme parks that inspired the movie trilogy of the same name. It is one of the most popular and well-known Disney attractions.

During the course of the indoor boat ride, guests float through an immersive, larger-than-life pirate adventure featuring gunshots, cannon blasts, and burning buildings, all set to pirates carousing and pillaging while accompanied by "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" written by George Bruns and Xavier Atencio.

Development
Originally envisioned in the late 1950s as a walk-through wax museum, the attraction evolved into a boat ride through complex show scenes filled with Audio-Animatronics characters after the 1964 New York World's Fair, which brought about several advances in Disney's theme park technologies. Additionally, it was planned to feature real pirates from history. Instead, humorous sketches of fictional pirates by Imagineer Marc Davis inspired the animatronic diorama seen throughout the final attraction.

Opening on March 18, 1967, Pirates of the Caribbean was Disneyland's largest Audio-Animatronics project to date and was the last attraction which Walt Disney was involved in designing.

The portrait of the female pirate above the bar in the Crews Quarters scene is an original work by Davis. The pirate captain in the scene where captured women are auctioned as brides is a test bed for updates and developments to Audio-Animatronics technology; many innovations are tried on him first. As a result, his movements are far more lifelike and expressive than virtually any other Audio-Animatronics figure in all of Disneyland.

The ride never was intended to be part of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort because of concerns that it would not be exotic enough due to Florida's geographic proximity to the Caribbean and New Orleans, the settings of the Disneyland attraction. Instead, Imagineers developed plans for a similar attraction called the Western River Expedition, which would have featured cowboys and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, or "Indians" instead. After many Walt Disney World guests complained about the lack of Disney's celebrated pirate attraction, an abbreviated version opened in Florida on December 15, 1973.

The attraction was part of the opening day of Tokyo Disneyland (April 15, 1983) and of Disneyland Paris (April 12, 1992). There is no Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, but there are plans to add it in the near future with some Splash Mountain-style elements.

The original ride


The ride begins amid glimmering fireflies during an evening abuzz with the croaking of bullfrogs. Daring adventurers board their boats at Laffite's Landing, and are at once afloat in the heart of bayou country.

Once past several rickety houseboats, the soft strumming of a banjo melody can be heard over the peaceful symphony of nature. But, then a more chilling sound becomes audible: the thundering of a waterfall, and the frightening echo of "Dead men tell no tales!"

After a hair-raising plunge into the depths of an underground grotto, guests behold the skeletal remains of an unfortunate band of pirates, guarding their loot and treasure with macabre delight.

Suddenly, cannonballs whistle overhead and explosions throw water into the air – a fierce battle between a marauding pirate galleon and a Caribbean fortress is in full swing. The village beyond is overrun with sinister pirates, looking for treasures to steal, wenches to auction, and rum to drink. Carefree, tipsy pirates succeed in ravaging the town and setting it aflame, filling the night air with an orange glow, while a rollicking tune echoes over the rooftops: "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me!"

Your boat then takes you through a jail, where imprisoned pirates are doing their best to escape by bribing a dog holding the keys with a bone. There are sound of popping and crackling wood, and an orange and red glow can be seen all around. This can mean only one thing – the pirates have set fire to the town. Timbers are smoldering and cracking overhead as you sail through a storage room filled with gun powder, cannon balls and whiskey-filled, gun-shooting pirates. The final shoot-out between the inebriated crew and captain of the pirate ship in a flaming ammunition warehouse threatens to demolish the entire village at any second.

Somehow, you manage to slip by, undetected, and return to the sleepy bayou where you started your journey.

Disneyland version
The ride begins amid glimmering fireflies during an evening abuzz with the croaking of a bullfrog in a quaint Louisiana Bayou. Daring adventurers board their boats at (Jean) Laffite's Landing, and are at once afloat in the heart of bayou country. On one side is an actual working restaurant, Blue Bayou Restaurant, made to look like the backyard dinner party of a southern plantation.

Once past several rickety houseboats, the soft strumming of a banjo melody (which is actually "Oh! Susanna") can be heard over the peaceful symphony of nature as guests pass by one houseboat, on the porch of which an old man calmly rocks back and forth in his rocking chair. But then a talking skull and crossbones above an archway provides this taunting warning:


 * Psst! Avast there! It be too late to alter course, mateys. And there be plundering pirates lurkin' in ev'ry cove, waitin' to board. Sit closer together and keep your ruddy hands in board. That be the best way to repel boarders. And mark well me words, mateys: Dead men tell no tales! Ye come seekin' adventure with salty old pirates, eh? Sure you've come to the proper place. But keep a weather eye open mates, and hold on tight. With both hands, if you please. Thar be squalls ahead, and Davy Jones waiting for them that don't obey.

Then a more chilling sound becomes audible: the thundering of a waterfall, down which guests plunge. When they reach the bottom of the waterfall guests then get to enjoy the theme for the ride briefly. Then they hear the frightening echo of "Dead men tell no tales!"

After a second hair-raising plunge further into the depths of an underground grotto, guests behold the skeletal remains of an unfortunate band of pirates, guarding their loot and treasure with macabre delight.

A (recently added) waterfall with a projection of Davy Jones then appears, and the riders seem to float through without getting wet. He invites guests to proceed if "they be brave or fool enough to face a pirate's curse".

Suddenly, cannonballs whistle overhead and explosions throw water into the air—a fierce battle between a marauding pirate galleon and a Caribbean fortress is in full swing. Captain Barbossa leads the assault from the deck of a pirate vessel named the Wicked Wench, while The Medallion Calls from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies plays. From the deck of the Wicked Wench Barbossa yells, "Strike yer colors ye bloomin cockroachers. By thunder we'll see you to Davy Jones. They need persuasion mates. Fire at will! Pound 'em lads! Pound em'!" When a cannon is shot, guests riding in the back row of the boat can feel a powerful blast of air coming from the cannon.

The village on the Isla Tesoro beyond is overrun with pirates in search of Captain Jack Sparrow, wenches to auction, rum to drink, and treasure. One pirate is even offering cats some rum. Jack is first seen in the mayor-dunking scene, hiding behind some dresses, peeking out every so often. As the ride progresses, the town's women are being sold as "brides" to the invading pirates.

Just beyond is the infamous "pooped pirate" drunkenly waving a map and key to a treasure vault, boasting that Jack Sparrow will never see it. Little does he know, Jack is hiding in a barrel just behind him, popping out and getting a good look at the map over the pirate's shoulder.

Carefree, tipsy pirates succeed in ravaging the town and setting it aflame, filling the night air with an orange glow.

Riders next float past a jail where imprisoned pirates are doing their best to escape as flames draw near. A small dog just out of the prisoners' reach holds the key to their escape in his teeth; he seems all but immune to the pleas of the pirates trying to coax him closer.

Timbers are smoldering and cracking overhead as riders sail through a storage room filled with gunpowder, cannon balls and whiskey-filled, gun-shooting pirates that are singing "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me". A shootout between the inebriated crew and captain of the pirate ship in a flaming ammunition warehouse threatens to demolish the entire village.

Finally, Jack Sparrow is seen in a room full of the hidden treasure the pirates tried so hard to keep from him. Slightly drunk (as usual), he is draped over a large throne-like chair and waves his new treasures around happily while chattering to himself (and passing guests). Every once in a while he will sing "Drink up me hearties yo ho!". Leaving the scene, the voice of Davy Jones is heard again, remarking that dead men do tell tales and warns guests that the next time they set sail, they may not survive to pass again. Riders then return to the sleepy bayou where the journey began.

Modifications
In its original form, the Disneyland attraction contained a scene in which pirates were shown chasing attractive females in circles (achieved by simply placing figures on rotating platforms hidden below guests' view), along with a comical reversal in which an overweight woman was seen chasing a pirate. Some guests were offended by this depiction, and in response Disney initially changed the woman chasing the pirate by having her try to hit him with a rolling pin. In 1997, this sequence was changed so that the pirates pursued women holding pies, and the large woman is chasing a pirate with a stolen ham.

Originally, one overweight pirate (sometimes known as the "Pooped Pirate") was shown exhausted from his pursuit of an unwilling female. He brandished a petticoat as guests floated past, and uttered suggestive dialogue, including "It's sore I be to hoist me colors upon the likes of that shy little wench" and "I be willing to share, I be." Behind him, the woman he had been pursuing would peer out from her hiding place inside a barrel. This scene was altered in the American parks, but it remains unchanged in the versions at Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris.


 * In the 1997 refurbishment, the "Pooped Pirate" was recast as the Gluttonous Pirate, a rogue in search of food. His dialogue included lines such as "Me belly be feeling like galleon with a load of treasure," and "I be looking for a fine pork loin, I be."  The woman hiding in the barrel was replaced by a cat.


 * At the Magic Kingdom, the chase scene was altered to show the pirates making off with various treasure as the formerly "chased" ladies attempt to thwart them. The "Pooped Pirate" here holds a treasure map in his lap and a magnifying glass in one hand.  His lines include, "This map says X marks the spot, but I be seein' no X's afore me."  The woman in the barrel remains, though this time she is hiding a small treasure chest in the barrel with her.

These modifications garnered criticism from longtime fans and some of the attraction's original Imagineers; in Jason Surrell's book Pirates of the Caribbean: From The Magic Kingdom to the Movies, showwriter Francis Xavier "X" Atencio referred to these "softening" touches as "Boy Scouts of the Caribbean."

In 2006, Walt Disney Imagineering debuted refurbishments at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean feature films to coincide with the release of the second movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. With the recent revisions of the ride to incorporate features from the movie, Disney has completely done away with the sequence of women being chased by pirates. Instead, one turntable features two pirates running in a circle, each holding one end of a treasure chest (taken from the aforementioned Magic Kingdom modification). In another, a woman is chasing a pirate who is making off with some stolen pies. In the third, a woman is chasing a pirate while menacing him with a weapon. The "Pooped Pirate" character is now brandishing a map and the key to the town's Treasure Room, while Captain Jack Sparrow stealthily observes him from inside the barrel.

The refurbishments also included other Audio-Animatronic figures of Captain Jack Sparrow, and one of Hector Barbossa (who replaced the original captain of the Wicked Wench ship), along with new special effects, improved lighting and audio, and an appearance by the films' supernatural character Davy Jones, all voiced by the original actors. The skeleton beach and hurricane scenes are now accompanied by a quiet, melancholic instrumental version of "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)". The Disneyland attraction also features a new final "lift scene". When the boats are being lifted back to ground level, guests pass by an Audio-Animatronic figure of a tipsy Jack Sparrow relaxing and humming bits of the theme song amongst a collection of treasure. A similar scene replaces the Treasure Room scene at the end of Magic Kingdom version of the ride.

Smaller modifications have been made to coincide with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. In the first treasure room, in the pirate's grotto, the chest of cursed Aztec gold from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl can be seen at the far right. In the skeletal bar room, in the very back of the room, Elizabeth Swann's discarded dress from Dead Man's Chest is visible. The "Pooped Pirate" is now holding the key to the town's Treasure Room.

For a full list of connections between the movies and the attraction, see: List of references in Pirates of the Caribbean

Individuals

 * Magistrate Carlos
 * Carlos' Wife
 * Auctioneer
 * Tiny
 * Exhausted Pirate
 * Woman in barrel
 * Billie How
 * Coote
 * Jack Sparrow
 * Hector Barbossa
 * Davy Jones

Locations

 * Laffite's Landing
 * Blue Bayou
 * Isla Tesoro Caverns
 * Isla Tesoro
 * Village Mare
 * La Cantina
 * Mercado
 * Isla Tesoro Fort

Ships

 * Wicked Wench

Disneyland

 * Grand opening: March 18, 1967
 * Ride capacity: 3400 guests per hour
 * Audio-Animatronics: 122
 * 68 humans
 * 54 animals
 * Total amount of water: 750,000 gallons
 * Main lift pumps:
 * Pump number one is rated at a maximum of 20,000 gallons per minute
 * Pump number two is rated at a maximum of 18,000 gallons per minute
 * First drop length: 52'
 * First drop angle: 21°
 * Second drop length: 37'
 * Second drop angle: 21°
 * Length of final lift back to Lafitte's Landing: 90'
 * Angle of final lift back to Lafitte's Landing: - 16 degrees
 * Number of show buildings: 2 (112,826 square feet)
 * Number of levels: 3
 * Canal length: 1,838 feet
 * Blue Bayou
 * Upper caverns
 * Main show in basement
 * Maximum ceiling height: 40'
 * Show length: 16:30
 * Required ticket: "E" (discontinued)
 * Ride system: Flume