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This article is about references within the films.
You may be looking for references in other media or the gallery of ride references.

A list of references in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Many of these come from the Disney ride.

Tales of the Code: Wedlocked[]

Ride references[]

The auction scene from the Disney ride was the main inspiration for this film, including:

The Curse of the Black Pearl[]

Ride references[]

As the first film based on Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl has various nods to the attraction at Disneyland. Most were covered in the "Spirit Of The Ride" bonus feature of the film's initial DVD release, in which the filmmakers reflect on their earliest memories of the attraction and how it inspired the film, including screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, actor Johnny Depp, director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, visual effects supervisor John Knoll, and art director Derek Hill. Gore Verbinski was quoted in saying, "Something in the song and in the images of the ride is ingrained in our collective psyche. It was very scary when I was young, yet we celebrate that macabre sensibility. We're trying to do a contemporary version of that while keeping the same spirit of the ride." The filmmakers are quick to point out that the film is an homage to the popular Disney ride, not a direct interpretation of the attraction itself, although they did rely on sketches and original concept drawings by Marc Davis, one of the ride's innovators, for reference points.[1] These references include (but are not limited to):

  • The song "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)", by X Atencio and George Bruns, sung three times in the film: by Elizabeth Swann in the opening scene aboard the HMS Dauntless; by Elizabeth with Jack Sparrow on Rumrunner's Isle; and by Jack in the final scene.
  • The jail scene where seedy prisoners try to tempt the Prison Dog who held the keys to their cells with a bone. Even Jack Sparrow's line, "The dog is never going to move" highly referenced that the dog never moved in the ride.
  • Most of the Black Pearl's pirate attack on Fort Charles at Port Royal was taken from the Wicked Wench's pirate attack on the Spanish fort at Puerto Dorado.
  • In the first screenplay draft by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, Captain Barbossa originally said "...and these be the last friendly words you hear" while asking Elizabeth for the medallion.[2] But the line was ultimately taken out due to Disney CEO Michael Eisner's request to remove some of the more overt references to the ride, though it was later used in At World's End.[3]
  • Scenes in Tortuga had many nods to the ride's "Burning Town" sequence, including:
    • Many pirates shooting people with their Flintlock pistols.
    • Pirates drinking rum. One pirate drinking rum atop two wobbling barrels, and the "stuffed pirate" drinking the rum spurting out of a barrel.
    • The appearance of Scarlett, a prostitute based on the "redhead".
    • Joshamee Gibbs (like the Scalawag pirate) was found wallowing with pigs.
    • In a deleted scene, which later make it to the second film Dead Man's Chest, a skinny man in shackles can be seen shivering with fear as a guy is dunk in a well.
    • Another deleted scene showed a fat woman chasing a skinny pirate.
  • The cursed treasure of Cortés was derived from the narrative provided by the ride, specifically the idea of the cursed treasure and cursed pirates in the first part of the ride with the skeletons and the ghostly voices that say, "No fear have ye of evil curses, says you? Arrrgh...Properly warned ye be, says I. Who knows when that evil curse will strike the greedy beholders of this bewitched treasure?" as well as "Aye, blood money and cursed it be. Cursed by the black-hearted rogues what left it." That became the idea of the curse that Barbossa's crew are under in the film.
  • A skeletal Barbossa drinking wine, which trickles through his exposed rib cage.
  • The Interceptor sailing in the midst of a thunderstorm would be considered an intentional reference and derived from a similar scenery the ride, even though no one tried to match the specific pose or action of the skeleton helmsman.[4] However, the iconic scene with the skeleton from the ride was featured in the original pre-release theatrical poster for film as well as the official teaser poster based on the initial design.
  • Cotton's Parrot says "Dead men tell no tales", a line repeated throughout the narration of the ride.
  • Scenes at Isla de Muerta had several nods to the ride's "Grotto" sequence, including:
    • Barbossa's crew in a cavern filled with treasure, based on the "Treasure Room" scene.
    • A quick shot of a skeleton sprawled on the beach, sword stabbed on its back, with a crab nearby. Originally, Jack was going to lead Will Turner to the caves of Isla de Muerta, and trade Will to Barbossa for his ship. But that was a scene the writers didn't want to have happen yet, because they didn't want Will get captured so quickly. So they went back to the ride and saw the 'crabs on the beach' vignette with the back-stabbed skeleton, which landed as an iconic representation of betrayal. They realized that Will could anticipate Jack's betrayal of him, and simply clobber Jack with an oar at a key moment, and even leave Jack to his death. Writer Terry Rossio said he was pleased, when having a crab wrangler on set, to see that attention to detail.[1]
    • A scene with a waterfall was originally going to be in the film, in which Jack Sparrow and Will Turner to go down a flume into the caves.[2] But due to budget, and Disney CEO Michael Eisner's request to remove the more overt ride references, the scene was cut. The idea was later pushed into At World's End.[3]
  • During the battle between the Interceptor and Black Pearl, Captain Barbossa yelled "Strike your colors, you bloomin' cockroaches!" This line was said by the Pirate Captain of the Wicked Wench from the original ride prior to being replaced by Barbossa in 2006 version.
  • The term "keep a weather eye open" was most likely taken from the ride's talking skull and crossbones.
  • After a refurbishment in 2017/2018, a Pirate Robber is caught in a booby trap holding a treasure chest while an octopus is playing with some medallions. The robber seen on the left side of him is skeletal, on the right side of him he becomes human again, which is exactly the premise of the film.
  • In the Pieces of Eight gift shop, a monkey is seen on top of a small chandelier, referencing Captain Barbossa's pet monkey Jack.

Other media references[]

  • The title Pirates of the Caribbean is a possible reference to the 1942 adventure film Reap the Wild Wind, which was released in Germany as Piraten im karibischen Meer which translates as Pirates in the Caribbean Sea.
  • The music playing in the teaser trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean originates from "Vampire Hunters" as heard in Bram Stoker's Dracula soundtrack by Wojciech Kilar.[5]
  • Screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio had many inspirations in writing the first Pirates of the Caribbean film. When asked about their main cinematic inspiration, Rossio said they wanted to do a film that might stand alongside Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers, and Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark.[6] Rossio noted Lester's Three Musketeers movie as "one of the key inspirations for the PotC series" in his annotations for his unproduced screenplay draft for the 2017 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.[7]
  • Raiders in particular, and perhaps the Indiana Jones franchise overall, might also have been an inspiration to The Curse of the Black Pearl and the Pirates franchise overall, with both films being the first entry in what became their own franchises combining paranormal or supernatural elements with classic serial-style adventure stories with humor and moments of banter included in both. Raiders alone could have inspired the many set-pieces and other influences throughout the film.
  • Joshamee Gibbs said "Mary, Mother of God!" before the HMS Dauntless crew see a burning merchant vessel. This may be a reference to The Goonies, when the Sheriff said "Holy Mary, Mother of God!" before everyone's attention is drawn to One-Eyed Willy's pirate ship, the Inferno.
  • Part of the Caribbean Beach Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is called "Port Royal".
  • There are two tributes to Jimmy Buffett in The Curse of the Black Pearl. The intended name of Anamaria's boat that Jack Sparrow stole, the Jolly Mon, is an homage to Buffett's 1985 song and 1988 children's book of the same name. Writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio named the Jolly Mon in their first draft of the film's screenplay,[2] as well as including the name when they were helping to edit Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide. The second tribute is Jack's triple slap in the course of the film, "Not sure I deserved that" (by Scarlett), "I may have deserved that" (by Giselle), and "That one I deserved" (by Anamaria). Jack's responses are an homage to the progression in "Margaritaville": first "It's nobody's fault," then "It could be my fault," and finally "It's my own damn fault." On one of his Wordplay posts, Terry Rossio noted that Jimmy Buffett came by to visit one of the film's sets.[8]
  • The shot of Jack Sparrow standing atop the mast of his sinking boat is likely a reference to Buster Keaton at the end of The Navigator.
  • Although initially conceived as a young Burt Lancaster or Errol Flynn, there are many inspirations for Captain Jack Sparrow. When writing the screenplay for The Curse of the Black Pearl, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio envisioned Jack Sparrow as a supporting trickster character in the vein of Bugs Bunny (from Looney Tunes) and Groucho Marx, the former notably when Jack distracted Mullroy and Murtogg before sneaking aboard the HMS Interceptor.[11] Johnny Depp researched 18th-century pirates and saw parallels with modern rock stars when developing his own ideas about Jack’s attitude and appearance. He modeled a large part of the character after The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, added a bit of another Looney Tunes character Pepe Le Pew along with Bugs Bunny, and tossed in some modern day Rastafarian.[1]
  • Although he was given the name "Mr. Smith" by the Harbormaster, Jack Sparrow introducing himself as "Smith" to Mullroy and Murtogg may be a reference to the two-part episode "Robin's Reckoning" from Batman: The Animated Series, in which a disguised Bruce Wayne introduces himself as "Smith" while going undercover in a gambling game.
  • Jack Sparrow's line, "And then they made me their chief..." is taken from the UK sketch show, The Fast Show, of which Johnny Depp is a fan. The line as spoken in the show, ends with "Which was nice." In the deleted, extended version of the scene in which Jack invokes parley on Isla de Muerta ends with the line, "I'll get me coat", another catchphrase from the show.
  • The way Jack Sparrow escapes from the Port Royal docks may be a reference to the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro, also written by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, where Alejandro Murrieta/Zorro grabs a rope and releases the cannon at the other end, flying into the air and escaping from the soldiers who chase him.
  • During the attack on Port Royal, the smoke from a cannon shot fired at Fort Charles billows into the iconic shape of Mickey Mouse's head; making it the film's Hidden Mickey.
  • In some shots, Governor Weatherby Swann's wig has a Mickey shape on his left.[citation needed]
  • Captain Barbossa telling Elizabeth "Turner" that the Code is more like guidelines than rules could be a reference to Ghostbusters, when Dr. Peter Venkman says he makes it a rule to never get involved with possessed people, "Actually, it's more of a guideline than a rule."
  • Jack Sparrow and Will Turner walking underwater beneath a rowing boat is a reference to The Crimson Pirate.
  • There may be some reference to The Princess Bride, such as Will Turner being a straight-man compared to the eccentric pirate Jack Sparrow, and Turner and Sparrow's first duel. Will Turner does bear some resemblance to Indigo Montoya, in that the two have long hair with a moustache (though Will has this half-way through the film) and wear a dirty white-collared long sleeved shirt with a dark brown vest, as well as the two characters having spent most of their lives studying fencing and becoming expert swordsmen.
  • When asked about writing the supernatural curse and developing that from the Disneyland ride, Terry Rossio stated that the 1985 fantasy film Ladyhawke served as an inspiration for the skeleton pirates. "We knew we wanted to have sword-fighting skeletons from the start [...] but we also wanted to see the actor's faces. So, the natural idea would be to do it like in Ladyhawke, pirates by day, skeletons by night." Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints and the costs of having CGI skeletons appear in all nighttime scenes, the idea was reduced to having the VFX department make skeletons appear only when the moon comes out.[12]
  • Bringing up how the writers worked with the various actors, going through the script, incorporating their ideas, Ted Elliott said the final version of the story that Barbossa tells of the curse was 20-30 hours of work with Geoffrey Rush. Comparisons were made with Robert Shaw working on the Indianapolis monologue in the 1975 film Jaws, "That was the inspiration. We said, 'Look, Jaws was a sea story and they told a story. The story of The Indianapolis is one of the great scenes of modern cinema. We've got to have people telling stories in this movie!'"[13]
  • Pintel and Ragetti giving Elizabeth a red dress for a dinner with Captain Barbossa and threatening to have her dine with the crew naked if she refuses is a reference to the scene from The Spanish Main where the pirate Captain Laurent "Barracuda" van Horn gives the imprisoned Spanish Contessa Francisca Alvarado a nightgown to wear on their first wedding night and threatens to hand her over to the crew without the nightgown if she refuses. The Contessa also secretly takes a knife to defend herself from the captain.
  • There are several moments that are reminiscent of Buccaneer Bunny, a 1948 Looney Tunes cartoon.
    • To protect the location of his treasure, Sea-Goin' Sam prepares to shoot Bugs Bunny, claiming "Dead rabbits tell no tales!" Bugs then temporarily tricks Sam into trying to shoot himself in the head by saying: "Now, just a minute, Red. Ain't you got that wrong? You mean dead men tell no tales."
    • The cursed pirates notice that their oars to their boats had gone missing.
    • After the battle of Isla de Muerta, Jack Sparrow drapes himself with treasure. With pearls around his neck, arms piled high with jewels, rings on his fingers, and a jewel-encrusted gold crown.
  • Barbossa naming his monkey "Jack" (after his former captain Jack Sparrow) was taken from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, in which Long John Silver named his parrot after Captain Flint. Both animals are named after their owner's former captain.[11]
  • Jack Sparrow referring to the Black Pearl as "freedom" to Elizabeth may be reminiscent of Everybody Loves Raymond Season 1, Episode 15: "The Car" when Raymond tells Deborah about his old car, saying: "This car, it wasn't just a car...it was like freedom."
  • Lieutenant Gillette's comment to Elizabeth, "A little mermaid flopped up on deck and told him the whole story" is likely a reference to Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, which was later adapted to a classic 1989 Disney animated film, among other adaptations. The Price of Freedom author A. C. Crispin specifically noted this scene as one of several Disney "in" jokes made in the franchise, as to why she included the mention of "James" aka Captain Hook as a joke in her book.[14]
  • Pintel and Ragetti disguising themselves as ladies is a possible reference to the 1961 action movie Pirates of Tortuga where members of a privateer crew on a pirate hunting mission disguise themselves as ladies to lure one of Henry Morgan's ships into a trap.
  • Jack slashing Barbossa's feathered hat during their duel could be a reference to Disney's 1953 animated film Peter Pan, in which title character cuts off Captain Hook's feather during their fight.
  • The shot of Barbossa dropping his apple as he dies, it rolling off the pile he dies on and the shot of his lifeless face is taken from the 1941 film Citizen Kane.

Dead Man's Chest[]

Ride references[]

There were several references to the Disney ride in Dead Man's Chest, including:

  • The jail scene was once again referenced, but instead of tempting the Prison Dog with the keys (who already helped prisoners Pintel and Ragetti escape their cells), the prisoners were trying to get the attention of Elizabeth Swann.
  • The scenery of the Pantano River, from Tia Dalma's shack in a cypress forest to fireflies flickering, was a recreation of the opening Blue Bayou scene in the Disneyland version of the ride.
  • In the scenes in Tortuga, there nods to the ride's "burning town" sequence, some of which were originally filmed for The Curse of the Black Pearl. These include:
    • Many pirates shooting people with their Flintlock pistols.
    • A skinny man in shackles can be seen shivering with fear as a guy is dunk in a well.
    • A pirate band playing in the Faithful Bride.
  • Though unintentional, the net of gunpowder barrels used by Will Turner to defeat the Kraken was reminiscent of the dangling barrels of explosives.[4]

Other media references[]

  • Joshamee Gibbs sings a "Dead Man's Chest", taken from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. The idea this scene was the original opening of Dead Man's Chest could be a reference to the Looney Tunes cartoon Buccaneer Bunny also opening with scene of Sea-Goin' Sam singing the stereotypical pirate shanty, but while digging a hole to bury his treasure on a beach.
  • Both Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones have similar roles of Han Solo and Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars.
  • Jack Sparrow's escape from the Turkish Prison in a coffin is a possible reference to a scene from The Count of Monte Cristo where Edmond Dantes escapes from Château d'If by taking the place of a dead inmate Faria in his burial sack which is later thrown into the sea. It could also reference The Mask of Zorro, where Diego de la Vega masqueraded as a dead prisoner, and as soon as he was buried and his grave left alone, de la Vega breaks out of it.
  • Will Turner asking several people where Jack is and getting different answers from each of them is taken from a scene in the 1941 film Citizen Kane when a reporter asks several people about Kane and gets different answers from each of them.
  • A pirate crew captured and suspended above a cage is taken from the 1952 film The Crimson Pirate.
  • The Pelegostos Tribe start beating on drums and placing firewood under Jack Sparrow's suspended body before attempting to light the wood with a torch. After the Pelegostos leave, Jack tries blowing at the flames in a desperate effort to put them out. This may be a reference to a similar setting with Han Solo and the Ewoks in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
  • Several possible references to the Indiana Jones franchise:
  • There are some possible elements reminiscent of Tim Powers' novel On Stranger Tides. Powers himself noted that one scene, Elizabeth up in the rigging of a mast aboard the Edinburgh Trader standing on a cross spar holding two poles to work a puppet down on the deck below, could have been taken from the book.[15] In addition, the pirate captain Philip Davies and Jack Shandy giving "the choice" of joining the crew or be killed may have been taken by Davy Jones giving dying sailors the same choice; although Jones says "the Choice" in a production draft, he ultimately says "a choice" in the final cut of the film.
  • The Kraken is inspired by a thousand years of seagoing mythology. So great was the creature's fame that it was even immortalized in British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "The Kraken," scribed in 1830. In the 20th century, stamp collectors could find the Kraken's image on postages from such diverse countries as Canada and even the Commonwealth of Dominica, one of the Dead Man's Chest host countries.[16]
  • It was hinted that the Kraken was, perhaps, a tip of the hat to the famed giant squid in Walt Disney Pictures' own 1954 classic 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.[16] In the "Creating the Kraken" featurette, Lee Arenberg identified the Kraken as the same giant squid, an "old Disney character".[17] The scene where Davy Jones plays his organ as he appeared to be in pain and torment as he does so, may also a reference to 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, as Captain Nemo played his organ as he appeared to be in pain and torment as he did so.
  • Davy Jones' speech while summoning the Kraken ("Let no joyful voice be heard! Let no man look up to the sky with hope! And let this day be cursed by we who ready to wake...the Kraken!") is a paraphrased version of chapter 3, verses 7 and 8 of the Book of Job ("Lo! that night—let it be gloomy, Let no singing come into it. Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up Leviathan.")
  • The three-way sword fight on Isla Cruces was reminiscent of the three-way gunfight in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Jack's run may also have been inspired by Tuco's amusingly delicate gallop through Sad Hill Cemetery.
  • In the tower of the abandoned church at Isla Cruces lied a hanging priest. This could echo the hanging skeletal corpse of the Ghost Host in The Haunted Mansion.
  • The scene where Elizabeth kisses Jack and then handcuffs him to the mast of the Black Pearl may have been inspired by the film Hannibal, in which Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter kiss, and Starling handcuffs Lecter's wrist to hers while he is distracted.
  • Though it is quite coincidental, Captain Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl being taken down by the Kraken is quite similar to Captain Hook and the Jolly Roger being taken down by an octopus in Peter Pan: Return to Neverland.

At World's End[]

Ride references[]

There were several references to the Disney ride in At World's End, including:

  • The crew of the Hai Peng sails from the world of the living and plummets over the edge at World's End, a massive waterfall, and ends up in Davy Jones' Locker. This was taken from the ride in which a ship from present day goes down a waterfall, and ends up in the era of pirates. The film crew even embellished the effect by putting the various audio from the ride, specifically to make that connection. A scene with a waterfall was originally going to be in The Curse of the Black Pearl (in which Jack Sparrow and Will Turner to go down a flume into the caves at Isla de Muerta), but was cut due to budget and Disney CEO Michael Eisner's request to remove the more overt ride references.[3][4]
  • After the Hai Peng sailed over the edge and crashed down the massive waterfall, the screen blacks out and some of the most well-known audio and sounds from the ride can be heard.[4] Sounds including a distorted version of Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) instrumental music as well as Paul Frees's voice as the Pirate Captain ("Strike your colors, you bloomin' cockroaches!"), the Auctioneer ("Show 'em your larboard side."), and the ghostly voice saying the famous line "dead men tell no tales".
  • Hector Barbossa quotes from the ride twice throughout At World's End.
    • Before going down the waterfall, he says "You may not survive to pass this way again and these be the last friendly words you hear." The latter portion was also spoken by Barbossa in the first screenplay draft of The Curse of the Black Pearl[2] until it was taken out due to Michael Eisner's request to remove some of the more overt references to the ride.[3]
    • During the battle of Calypso's maelstrom, Barbossa says "It be too late to alter course now mateys!"
  • The design of Captain Teague is most likely based on that of the original captain of the Wicked Wench, before he was replaced by Barbossa.
  • Having the ships spinning around in the maelstrom could be a reference to the fact that the ships in the ride always spin around over and over. However, it would be a stretch if considering riding the Pirates ride only once.[4]
  • The song "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" was sung twice in the last scenes of the film. Once by Jack Sparrow as he sailed off to find the Fountain of Youth and the other by "young Will Turner" as he merrily walked to the cliff with Elizabeth to meet his father Will.

Other media references[]

  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is the third and purported final film in the Pirates Trilogy, and therefore shared similar traits of third films of other trilogies, based on the scale and/or running time. Screenwriter Terry Rossio specifically commented that the film is a The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King style conclusion of a trilogy.[18]
  • Davy Jones and Lord Cutler Beckett may be similar to Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. A powerful being with emotional issues and grief over a lover, but under the control of a British-speaking villain who serves an empire.
  • There are several similarities to Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi:
    • There is a quest or mission to rescue a scoundrel who suffered a fate worse than death. Han Solo was frozen in carbonite and given to Jabba the Hutt, while Captain Jack Sparrow was taken body and soul to Davy Jones' Locker.
    • Elizabeth Swann being forced to remove her hidden weapons and ordered to change into a revealing silk robe by Tai Huang, to add insult to injury, is similar to Princess Leia being forced to wear a revealing slave outfit by Jabba.
    • The scene where Will Turner subdues his father Bootstrap Bill, who then proceeds to attack Davy Jones may be inspired by the climactic scene where Luke Skywalker subdues his father Darth Vader, who then proceeds to attack Emperor Palpatine.
  • The phrase said by Barbossa to Sao Feng "Sao Feng, I assure you, our intentions are strictly honorable!" is a reference to the same quote spoken by James Bond in Dr. No.
  • The "up is down" riddle in the Map to the Land of the Dead and the Black Pearl flipping over to enable the crew to get back to the world of the living may be a homage to The Crimson Pirate.[19]
  • A famous action scene in Douglas Fairbanks' 1926 film The Black Pirate, where the hero cuts the sail and uses a cannon as a counterweight to lift himself up to the yard was referenced twice:
    • Jack Sparrow's use of a rope and cannon to fire himself from the Endeavour back on board the Black Pearl.[20]
    • During the maelstrom battle sequence, there is a similar moment when Jack attempts to escape from Davy Jones using a sail filled with wind to carry him to the upper rigging of the Flying Dutchman. Yet with today's technology, director Gore Verbinski felt they were able to achieve a far greater sense of scale.[19]
  • The use of the two lockets playing during the scene between Tia Dalma and Davy Jones on the Black Pearl was inspired by Sergio Leone's For a Few Dollars More, in which the villain, El Indio, keeps one of a pair of lockets that is played to pick up the tune of the other locket during the film's climactic fight.
  • Jack being called "Jackie boy" by Captain Teague is a possible reference to the 1991 film Hook where Peter Banning calls his son Jack Banning "Jackie" throughout the film.
  • "Parley", the cue played during the parley scene at the sandbar, is based on "Man With the Harmonica" by Ennio Morricone from Once Upon a Time in the West.
  • In a deleted scene, while talking to his hallucinations, Jack Sparrow claims to have never said "poppycock" before or even thought of the word. Ironically, in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, released before 2007's At World's End, a line said by Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka was, "Oh, poppycock."
  • Having Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones sword fight at the yardarm of the Flying Dutchman is reminiscent of scenes in the 1953 Disney animated film Peter Pan and its 2002 sequel Return to Never Land, where Peter Pan and Captain Hook sword fight on the yardarm of the Jolly Roger.
  • Jack walking through Tortuga accompanied by Scarlett and Giselle may be a reference to a similar scene in Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea where the sailor Ned Land (played by Kirk Douglas) walks through San Francisco accompanied by two ladies of dubious reputation.
  • Jack being slapped by the two women, then slapping Gibbs is taken from a famous Three Stooges routine when two of them slap each other, the third one watches and then gets slapped by one of them himself.
  • The 1995 Disney animated film Pocahontas takes place in 1607, during the arrival of English colonial settlers from London to the New World. After ordering the crewmen to start digging for gold, Governor Ratcliffe's map can be seen, "La Florida" is listed among the places where gold was discovered.
  • Jack Sparrow's last scene may be inspired by the ending scene of 1990 film adaption of Treasure Island where Long John Silver sails away with a sack of Captain Flint's treasure in a little boat.

On Stranger Tides[]

Ride references[]

There were several references to the Disney ride in On Stranger Tides, including:

  • In a deleted scene, Old Bill can be seen trying to give rum to a cat.
  • Jack Sparrow was sitting on a cannon in a similar manner as Mister Coote.[4]
  • Before working on the film, the film crew had no idea how to introduce Ponce de León into the story. They later decided to use the skeleton in the bed from the "Captain's Quarters" tableau, where they inserted Ponce de León as the skeletal corpse looking at a map with a magnifying glass, surrounded by mounds of treasure aboard the Santiago. This overt link to the original attraction resulted from director Rob Marshall's research of the ride before he began filming On Stranger Tides. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer stated, "The Ponce de León cabin set symbolizes what we've tried to do in all of the films, which is to reference the original ride but re-invent in fresh and exciting ways."[21]
  • Inside the cavern leading to Fountain of Youth, Salaman curiously touches one of the stalactites and breaks the tip, after which a second stalactite falls down, impaling a second pirate next to him. This could be a reference to the back-stabbed skeleton, similar to The Curse of the Black Pearl, but with the man having just died rather than a dead skeleton.
  • Though coincidental, Barbossa replacing Blackbeard as captain of the Queen Anne's Revenge seem to be reminiscent of Barbossa replacing a black-bearded captain of the Wicked Wench in the 2006-revamp of the ride. Barbossa even referred to his crew as "blooming cockroaches" in the both scenes.[4]
  • Jack Sparrow's last line "It's a pirate's life for me" came from "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)".

Other media references[]

  • The film is suggested by the 1987 novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. Writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio had already thought of Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth as key story elements, "but whenever you say those words, Powers' novel comes to mind. There was no way we could work in that field without going into territory Tim had explored." Among several other references to Powers' novel, Angelica is loosely based on Beth Hurwood, a daughter character from the book.[22] However, Rossio pointed out that neither Jack Sparrow nor Hector Barbossa were in the book, "So I wouldn't call this an adaptation."[23]
  • The book Frank McKinney's Maverick Approach to Real Estate Success, which was published in 2005-2006, details a Pirates of the Caribbean story with Frank McKinney dressing up and playing Jack Sparrow versus Blackbeard.
  • Before the trial, the jailer calls the hooded Joshamee Gibbs "Captain Pirate". Captain Pirate is a 1952 American adventure film based on the 1931 Rafael Sabatini novel Captain Blood Returns.
  • Jack Sparrow's action of rushing across a dining table is similar, possibly a homage, to what was done by the Mad Hatter (also portrayed by Johnny Depp) in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.
  • A pirate engaging the British in a carriage chase is reminiscent of Cutthroat Island.
  • Scenes in On Stranger Tides are reminiscent of Johnny Depp's 2010 film, The Tourist. During his adventures and escape in London, Jack Sparrow is taken into custody by two armed men and jumps out of a window of a tall building while being pursued. Also, Jack offering wine to Angelica echoes a line said by Frank Tupelo (portrayed by Depp): "Very nice wine. I'm making us a nice little drink. Which is very nice of me, isn't it?" Specifically when Depp says "little drink" to his love interest very similarly.
  • The relationship between Jack Sparrow and Angelica is reminiscent to Alejandro Murrieta and Elena in The Mask of Zorro. Both are main characters and love interests who have engaged in a dance/tango and sword-fight, though the latter being different as Angelica was disguised as Jack. Elena and Angelica are particularly similar in being allied with the films' villains who were also their fathers, though unlike Angelica who insisted on being Blackbeard's daughter, Elena was not the true daughter of Don Rafael Montero but of Diego de la Vega/Zorro.
  • Angelica bears some similarities to Anna Valerious in the 2004 film Van Helsing. Both characters wear a blouse, corset, high boots, and a cross necklace as well as wielding a sword.
  • Several possible references to the Indiana Jones franchise:
  • Blackbeard was portrayed by Ian McShane, who previously voiced Captain Hook in the 2007 animated film Shrek the Third. McShane also voiced Gordon, the captain of a Viking crew, in the Spongebob Squarepants season 6 episode "Dear Vikings" which aired in 2008.
  • Jack Sparrow referring to Blackbeard as the "pirate all pirates fear" may be a possible reference to Peter Pan: Return to Never Land, in which Captain Hook asks, "who is the most brazen, bold, and brilliant buccaneer who ever sailed the briny blue?" To which Mr. Smee replies, "Um...Blackbeard?"
  • Blackbeard's wariness of Barbossa is similar, if not the same, to Billy Bones' wariness of Long John Silver in the book Treasure Island, as both characters were referred to as a "one-legged man".
  • According to a Facebook post from Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Blackbeard's line "Which one of you poor, unfortunate souls was on watch?" is an homage to the song of the same title in Disney's animated film The Little Mermaid.[24] However, it's unknown how accurate this trivia is, given the line was simply "unfortunate souls" in the final cut of the film, while "wretched soul" was written in the film's screenplay.[25][26]
  • A mermaid saving a human and the two falling in love with each other also happens in Disney's The Little Mermaid. The American fantasy romantic comedy film Splash also shares the similar plot.
  • Hector Barbossa's line "You can sleep when you're dead" is a possible reference to the line said by Galen Tyrol of Battlestar Galactica.
  • Jack Sparrow popping Joshamee Gibbs in the nose is reminiscent to The Three Stooges.
  • The poisoned sword used by Barbossa was possibly taken from Hamlet.
  • Blackbeard's crew traveling down an underground cavern that appears to lead to a dead end until Jack Sparrow discovers the clue involving the silver Chalices found aboard the Santiago leading to the Fountain of Youth may be a reference to the 2004 film National Treasure when Benjamin Gates and Ian Howe's crew travel to Trinity Church, where they find an underground passage that appears to lead to a dead end, only for Ben to then find clue involving the meerschaum pipe found aboard the Charlotte leading to the Templar Treasure.
  • Blackbeard's line to The Spaniard ("In faith there is light enough to see but darkness enough to blind.") appears to be based on one of Blaise Pascal's sayings. ("In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.")
  • The plot involving many parties searching for the Fountain of Youth, including the British, the Spanish and pirates, which eventually led to its destruction is remarkably similar to Age of Empires III.
  • Intentionally or not, there were references to lines said by Dustin Hoffman's Captain Hook in Hook:
    • Blackbeard's line "Kill them all!" is a possible reference to Hook's "Kill them! Kill them all!"
    • Barbossa's scripted line "Revenge...is mine."[26] However, in the final cut of the film, Geoffrey Rush performed the line as "The Revenge is mine."

Dead Men Tell No Tales[]

Ride references[]

There were a few references to the Disney ride in Dead Men Tell No Tales, including:

Other media references[]

See also[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Pirates of the Carribean presskit, accessed Dec 9, 2006
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Wordplayer.com: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Why For did Michael Eisner try and shut down production of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" back in 2002? - Jim Hill Media
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Terry Rossio on PotC 1-4 Ride references
  5. Wojciech Kilar - Soundtrack.Net
  6. POTC Interview with Terry Rossio 2020 - Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki - Fandom
  7. Wordplayer.com: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES by Terry Rossio
  8. Wordplayer.com: WORDPLAY/Archives/"Ends of the Earth" By Terry Rossio
  9. In Hook (1991) Jimmy Buffett makes a cameo as one of the pirates that tries to steal Peter's shoes.
  10. The Jimmy Buffett Cameo You Probably Missed In Hook - Looper
  11. 11.0 11.1 The Curse of the Black Pearl Audio Commentary with Screenwriters Stuart Beattie, Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Jay Wolpert
  12. Original 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Screenwriter on How a Budget Crisis Changed the Villains | Hollywood Reporter
  13. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio on Pirates of the Caribbean - Creative Screenwriting
  14. AC Crispin here...I'd be happy to answer questions about this book... - Goodreads
  15. Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Tim Powers Interview - YouTube - Archived
  16. 16.0 16.1 POTC2 Presskit
  17. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest "Creating the Kraken" featurette
  18. KeepToTheCode - View topic - News POTC 4- DISCUSSION ONLY- SPOILERS! KEEPER, Page 35 - Archived
  19. 19.0 19.1 Gore Verbinski Interview: Online Press Junket with the Pirates of the Caribbean Director - UltimateDisney.com Part 1, Part 2
  20. Pirates in History and Popular Culture, p. 173
  21. The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  22. Terry Rossio on Angelica and Beth Hurwood from On Stranger Tides
  23. The Making of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' - The Hollywood Reporter
  24. JBFilms Facebook June 11, 2012
  25. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio (Collated Script a-o 2ND BUFF; October 18, 2010)
  26. 26.0 26.1 Wordplayer.com: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio (2nd CHERRY REVISION; November 1, 2010)
  27. Pirates of the Caribbean 5 (2017) Geoffrey Rush talks about his experience making the movie - YouTube
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