Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

Pirates of the Caribbean

The attraction entrance at Disneyland
Disneyland
Area New Orleans Square
Status Operating
Soft opening date March 16, 1967
Opening date March 18, 1967
Magic Kingdom
Area Adventureland
Status Operating
Opening date December 15, 1973
Tokyo Disneyland
Area Adventureland
Status Operating
Opening date April 15, 1983
Disneyland Park (Paris)
Area Adventureland
Status Operating
Opening date April 12, 1992
Shanghai Disneyland
Area Treasure Cove
Status Operating
Opening date June 16, 2016
General statistics
Attraction type Water-based dark ride
Designer WED Enterprises
Theme Pirates in the 18th–19th century
Music "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" by George Bruns and Xavier Atencio
Vehicle type Bateaux
Vehicles 50 Boats
Riders per vehicle 23–24
Duration Disneyland
15:30 minutes
Magic Kingdom
8:30 minutes
Tokyo Disneyland
9:30 minutes
Disneyland Paris
10:30 minutes
Number of drops Disneyland and Disneyland Paris
2
Magic Kingdom Shanghai Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland
1
Audio-animatronics 119
Voices Paul Frees
June Foray
Thurl Ravenscroft
J. Pat O'Malley
Xavier Atencio
Johnny Depp (2006-current)
Geoffrey Rush (2006-current)
Bill Nighy (2006-current)
Ian McShane (2011-2013)
Dee Bradley Baker (2005-current)
Corey Burton (2003-current)
Manufacturer Arrow Dynamics (Disneyland, Magic Kingdom)
Intamin (Disneyland Paris)
FastPass+ available
Must transfer from wheelchair
Assistive listening available
Closed captioning available

Pirates of the Caribbean is a water-based dark ride at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Park in Paris. The original version at Disneyland, which opened in 1967, was the last attraction whose construction was overseen by Walt Disney; he died three months before it opened. The ride, which tells the story of a band of pirates and their troubles and exploits, was replicated at the Magic Kingdom in 1973, at Tokyo Disneyland in 1983, and at Disneyland Paris in 1992. Each of the initial four versions of the ride has a different façade, but a similar ride experience. A reimagined version of the ride, Pirates of the Caribbean – Battle for the Sunken Treasure, opened at the Shanghai Disneyland Park in 2016.

The ride gave rise to the song "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" written by George Bruns and Xavier Atencio. It also became the basis for the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, which debuted in 2003. Since 2006, Disney has incorporated characters from the film series into the Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland versions of the rides.

History

The Disneyland version was the last attraction that Walt Disney himself participated in designing; it opened on March 18, 1967, three months after his death.[1] It was originally envisioned as a walk-through wax museum attraction; however, with the success of the boat ride concept of It's a Small World at the 1964 New York World's Fair, Disney decided to employ a similar concept on Pirates of the Caribbean.[2] It is located within the New Orleans Square portion of Disneyland, its facade evoking antebellum era New Orleans, topped by a 31-star United States flag (which would indicate the 1850s). The ornate initials of Walt Disney and Roy Disney (W.D. and R.D.) can be seen entwined in the wrought iron railings above the attraction's entrance at Disneyland. An overhead sign at the boat dock names it for the famous pirate Jean Lafitte (although his name is spelled Laffite as the pirate himself originally spelled it, rather than with the English spelling which has now become standard), who fought alongside the U.S. Army at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. The second floor of the facade was originally designed to be a private Disney family apartment. Instead it later opened in spring 1987 as an art-related retail/museum space called the Disney Gallery until late 2007 when it was replaced by the Disneyland Dream Suite. The opening of The Disney Gallery in 1987 also coincided with the attraction's outside queue area being completely redone to improve traffic flows. A bridge walkway was built in front of the attraction entrance to allow crowds to pass through New Orleans Square without causing traffic jams with the guests waiting in line for the attraction. The original installation at Disneyland was manufactured by Arrow Development.[3] The attraction's passenger carrying boats are very similar to those in a patent assigned to Walt Disney Productions, but filed by Edgar A. Morgan, one of the founders of Arrow Development.[4] Arrow participated in the design and development of many attractions at Disneyland from 1953.[5] The Blue Bayou Restaurant within the ride opened the same day as the attraction, and is considered one of the original theme restaurants.[1]

Attraction description

Disneyland

There are 630,000 gallons of water, 53 audio-animatronic animals and birds, and 75 audio-animatronic pirates and villagers in the attraction. It takes three days to empty and refill the "bayou" for renovations.[6] Across from the boarding area is the Blue Bayou restaurant, made to look like the backyard dinner party of a southern plantation.

The ride begins amid glimmering fireflies during an evening in a Louisiana bayou. Riders board their boats at Laffite's Landing and are at once afloat in the heart of bayou country, after the safety spiel given by Blackbeard. Once past several rickety houseboats, the soft strumming of banjo melodies (including "Oh! Susanna" and "Camptown Races") can be heard over the peaceful sounds of nature as guests pass by one houseboat on whose porch an old man calmly rocks back and forth in his rocking chair. Above an archway, a talking skull and crossbones (voiced by songwriter Xavier Atencio) 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 what don't obey.

A more chilling sound becomes audible from the darkness ahead: the thundering of a waterfall. The guests' boat takes a hair-raising plunge down the waterfall into a dimly lit cavernous passage, where a high-spirited version of the theme music plays.

After a second plunge further into the depths of an underground grotto known as Dead Man's Cove, guests behold the skeletal remains of an unfortunate band of pirates, guarding their loot and treasure with macabre delight.

The boats glide gently past a violent thunderstorm tossing an old pirate ship about, though the ship's pilot is nothing more than a skeleton. The boats pass through the crew's quarters, complete with skeletal pirates frozen in time - playing chess, the captain examining a treasure map, an old harpsichord playing the theme song, and a huge amount of treasure being guarded by another skeleton pirate. The Aztec chest from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl sits in the corner of the Treasure Room and is the last thing guests see before entering a dark tunnel.

A version of the main theme on a pipe organ echoes through the dark tunnel. A curtain of mist appears in the darkness. Images of Davy Jones and Blackbeard are alternately projected onto the mist and invite guests to proceed if "they be brave or fool enough to face a pirate's curse". The riders pass beneath the mist curtain, presumably traveling back through time, and emerge into the next scene.

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. A musical theme from the Pirates of the Caribbean films plays. From the deck of the Wicked Wench, Barbossa yells: "Strike yer colors, ye bloomin cockroachers, by thunder we'll see ya to Davy Jones! They need persuasion mates. Fire at will! Pound 'em lads! Pound 'em!" When a cannon is shot, guests may feel a powerful blast of air coming from the cannon, followed by a large splash and underwater lighting effects to simulate cannon fire.

The village of Puerto Dorado on Isla Tesoro is overrun with pirates in search of treasure. The first sight is the town square, where some pirates have kidnapped the mayor, Carlos, and threaten to drown him in a well if he doesn't divulge the location of the treasure. Carlos' wife tells him to be brave and not talk; she is shot at as Carlos is repeatedly dunked in the water while several other captive city officials look on. Captain Jack Sparrow is seen hiding behind some dresses. An auction scene follows, where a pirate auctions off the sobbing women of the town to other pirates. Drunken bidders hoot and holler for a redhead who is next in line, while ignoring an overweight but chipper woman currently offered for bidding.

In the next scene pirates run around chasing women holding trays of food, and two foolish buccaneers who have stolen snacks are chased by an angry woman holding a rolling pin. Just beyond is the "Pooped Pirate" drunkenly waving a map and key to a treasure vault, boasting that Captain Jack Sparrow will never see it. Jack is hiding in a barrel just behind him, popping out and getting a good look at the map over the pirate's shoulder. Off to the side, a pirate by the name of "Old Bill" wants to share rum with a group of terrified alley cats.

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. One of the pirates holds a noose, hoping to trap the dog.

Timbers are smoldering and cracking overhead as riders sail through a storage room filled with gunpowder, cannonballs, and rum-filled, gun-shooting pirates 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 (possibly the "Treasure Vault" as mentioned by the Pooped Pirate). He is draped over a large throne-like chair and waves his new treasures around happily while chattering to himself and to passing guests. Every once in a while he sings, "Drink up, me hearties. Yo ho!". The boats proceed up a lift hill, and Davy Jones' and Blackbeard's voices are alternatively heard once more, encouraging riders to come back soon. The boats reach the top of the hill and spill back into the sleepy bayou where the journey began, passing by a parrot on a sandbar that can be seen from the queue.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom's Pirates of the Caribbean

The attraction, guarded by the Caribbean watchtower Torre del Sol, is housed in a golden Spanish fort called Castillo Del Morro, inspired by Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in the Old San Juan in San Juan.[7]

Inside, the Blue Bayou has been replaced by Pirate's Cove and into a short grotto with Blackbeard, mermaids swimming in the water and singing their melody, skeletons of dead pirates and Mermaids, the hurricane lagoon, and an echoing "Dead men tell no tales". There is no treasure-room sequence as found in other parks. Following the plunge down one waterfall (going underneath the Walt Disney World Railroad tracks) to get to the rest of the attraction. The remainder of the ride resembles those in Tokyo and in California. Unlike in California, however, riders do not return to ground level in their boat; instead, they exit the boat immediately after the "Jack Sparrow in the treasure-room" scene, then take a speed ramp up to the ground-floor (going back underneath the Walt Disney World Railroad tracks) gift shop to get back into Adventureland. The Florida version also omits the scene past the powder room with the intoxicated pirates firing cannons.

The exterior of the attraction changed slightly during the 2006 modifications. Changes included the removal of the barker bird and original attraction sign. A new sign was placed on the outside corner of the fort facing toward the entrance of Adventureland. The design of the new sign is a ship's mast with the attraction name written in its black sails, and a skeleton of a pirate up in its crow's nest. The barker bird was eventually moved to the Pirates of the Caribbean section of the World of Disney store at Disney Springs.

Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris version

The Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland Paris is the only installation that remains without the addition of characters from the films. It is housed in a battle-scarred fortress at the back of the park.

The queuing area winds through several courtyards outside before entering the fortress show building. Inside, the queue passes through the dungeons of the fort, offering glimpses of several skeleton pirates, along with a view of the crew's quarters scene from a balcony looking down. The queue then enters the Blue Lagoon area inside the show building, made to feel as though guests are outside at nighttime. The transport system was manufactured by Intamin. After boarding boats from a dock at the base of the fort, riders are sent under an archway and out into the Blue Lagoon, passing by the dining area on the left side and a jungle setting on the right. The boats pass through a shipwreck and enter an old fortress nearby. Inside the fort, gun noises and swordplay are heard in the back as the boats climb up a large lift hill used to haul cargo throughout the building. At the top, riders are given a brief view of the Wicked Wench pirate ship in the harbor below before entering into the depths of the fort. Inside, flames engulf the fort, and the shadows of fighting pirates and soldiers are seen. Up ahead, riders see the pirates in jail trying to coax the key from a guard dog.

The boats go down a waterfall in the side of the fort caused by a cannonball and pass the 'bombarding the fort' scene, which riders have just previously seen from above, where the soldiers and the pirates fire at guests. Entering the relative safety of the town, riders see all the original scenes from the Disneyland version, as well as a new pair of sword-fighting men who duel for a girl in the chase scene, and a projection effect of two pirates chasing a girl around in an upstairs window. The main dialogue of the scenes is in French, with the minor parts in English. The boats then enter the burning town scene, where the original English vocal tracks are present, singing the attraction's theme song.

The boats pass under an archway and enter the arsenal. The supplies are ignited by the fire and explode. Lights flash as an on-ride photo is taken, and the boats go down another drop into darkness. They emerge into the grotto scenes, passing all the skeleton pirate vintages seen at Disneyland, and a new shipwreck scene. This part of the ride can be seen from the railroad as it passes through the show building (similar to Splash Mountain at the other parks). The skull and crossbones from the original are seen over an archway, issuing a bilingual safety spiel. The boats return to the dock, and riders exit into a themed gift shop where they can purchase their on-ride-photo.[8]

Shanghai Disneyland

The Shanghai Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean features a ride experience which greatly deviates from the original 1967 version of the ride and all subsequent incarnations. The ride blends digital large-screen projection technology, and traditional set pieces and audio animatronic figures to create an immersive experience.

Modifications

The "auction" scene in which women are offered for sale by the invading pirates has remained largely intact since the attraction opened, though the "Take A Wench For A Bride" banner comes and goes with some refurbishments.

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" women 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, although this time she is hiding a small treasure chest in the barrel with her.

At Disneyland Paris, however, these changes have not been made.[9]

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".

Blackbeard projection at the Magic Kingdom ride

To coincide with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, a projection of Captain Blackbeard from the film (voiced by original actor Ian McShane) temporarily replaced the 2006 projection of Davy Jones in the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom version of the attraction beginning on May 20, 2011.[10]

Adaptations

In 2003, Disney released Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a feature film inspired by the attraction starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, an Oscar-nominated performance. It is has been followed by three sequels: Dead Man's Chest (2006), At World's End (2007), and On Stranger Tides (2011), with the second installment winning an Oscar for Best Special Effects in 2007. The series has grossed over US$3.7 billion worldwide. These films included numerous allusions to the ride, most notably the attack on the fort, the famous jail scene, the namesake song, and a few lines from the characters.

At Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom Park of Walt Disney World, the character of Captain Jack Sparrow is occasionally available for photos and autographs, and is further featured in the short show Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial based loosely on the film series. The show is presented in front of or adjacent to the respective park's Pirates of the Caribbean attractions and features Captain Jack holding court and enlisting budding pirates to join his crew. Alongside Captain Jack is Mack, his faithful crewman; together they teach the audience how to be a pirate.

A video game by Akella, loosely connected to the first movie's plot, was released to coincide with the film. Port Royal, a world based on the Pirates of the Caribbean films, appears in the Square Enix game Kingdom Hearts II.

In 2000, Pirates of the Caribbean II: Battle for Buccaneer Gold opened at DisneyQuest at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort. On this attraction, up to five players board a virtual pirate ship to sail around a small 3-D world. Players may fire cannons at other virtual pirate ships; if opposing ships are sunk, their treasure will be "stolen".

Video game developer Ron Gilbert has often said[11] that the ambience for the Monkey Island video game series was partially inspired by the Disney attraction. One obvious homage is the prison scene in Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, in which the player needs to retrieve the cell key from a dog using a bone. Although the dog in the scene is named Walt, it is named after game artist Steve Purcell's dog and not after Walt Disney.

On May 25, 2007, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island opened at the Disneyland park on the existing Tom Sawyer's Island section of the park. It features new caves and a Captain Jack Sparrow meeting area that is currently unused. The island also featured a 20-minute stunt show featuring character Captain Jack Sparrow when it originally opened.

A long-standing urban legend maintains that Disney was cryogenically frozen and his frozen corpse stored beneath the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.[12]

Soundtrack

Releases

A version of "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" can be heard in several Disney theme park fireworks shows:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Disney history: Pirates of the Caribbean opens". The Orange County Register. March 14, 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  2. ↑ Jim Fanning. Disneyland Challenge. Disney Editions, 2009. p.28 ISBN 978-1-4231-0675-3
  3. ↑ Gurr, Bob (27 November 2013). "DESIGN: Those Were The Times – No.23 1955 Arrow Development – Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon". MiceChat. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  4. ↑ US patent D204282, Morgan, Edgar A., "Passenger-carrying amusement boat", published April 5, 1966, assigned to The Walt Disney Company
  5. ↑ O'Brien, Tim (November 30, 1998). "Pioneers share Living Legend Award". Amusement Business. 110 (48): 20.
  6. ↑ Jim Fanning (2009). Disneyland Challenge. Disney Editions. p. 28. ISBN 978-14231-0675-3.
  7. ↑ Puerto Rico "Pirates of the Caribbean" Disney Reporter – Where the Magic Lives
  8. ↑ Strange and Frightening Sounds (2011-12-25). "Strange & Frightening Sounds Blog: Pirates at Disneyland Paris". Strangefrighteningsoundsblog.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
  9. ↑ Attractions Magazine (24 June 2015). "POV Ride on Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland Paris". YouTube. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  10. ↑ Fitzgerald, Tom (May 6, 2011). "Blackbeard Comes Aboard at Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom Park May 20". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
  11. ↑ Scumm Bar (March 7, 2003). "Monkey Island – The Revelation". Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  12. ↑ Mikkelson, B & DP (August 24, 2007). "Suspended Animation". Snopes.com. Retrieved May 21, 2008.

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.