Pirates of the Caribbean (ride)

Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the best-known attractions at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. It first opened at Disneyland in 1967, was the largest Audio-Animatronic project to date and was the last attraction of which Walt Disney was involved in the design.

Disneyland and Tokyo 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 Laffite's Landing, and are at once afloat in the heart of bayou country. On one side is an actual working restaurant, The Blue Bayou, made to look like the backyard dinner party of a southern plantation. It takes three days to empty and refill the "bayou" for renovations. There are 630,000 gallons of water on the attraction.

Once past several rickety houseboats, the soft strumming of banjo melodies (including "Oh! Susanna" and "Camptown Races") 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, voiced by Xavier Atencio, songwriter, 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 what 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 (absent at Tokyo) further into the depths of an underground grotto, guests behold the skeleton remains of an unfortunate band of pirates, guarding their loot and treasure with macabre delight.

The boats glide gently past a thunderstorm tossing an old pirate ship about, though the ship's pilot is nothing more than a skeleton. The boats pass through the Crews Quarters, complete with skeletal pirates playing chess, the captain looking up treasure on his map, an old Harpsichord playing the theme, and a huge amount of treasure being guarded by another skeleton pirate. The Aztec chest from Pirates of the Caribbean: 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. There are 40,000 gold coins in this scene.

A 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".

Next, 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 also used in 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 may feel a powerful blast coming from the cannon, accompanied by a large splash and underwater lighting effect to simulate cannon fire.

The village on the Isla Tesoro beyond is overrun with pirates in search of the Town Treasure. The first sight is the town square where some pirates have kidnapped the mayor and threaten to drown him in the well if he doesn't tell where Captain Jack Sparrow and his Town Treasure is. Carlos' wife tells him to be brave and not talk, but the attempts are useless; she is shot at as the mayor continues to repeatedly get dunked in the water, while several other city officials tied up look on. Captain Jack Sparrow is seen hiding behind some dresses looking to see if anyone sees him. Followed by that is the famous auction scene where a pirate Auctioneer auctions off the town women while the drunk bidders hoot and holler for a redhead who is next up for bids.

But unfortunately for them, the only person the Auctioneer wants to sell at the moment is an overweight forty-year-old that seems not to care what the others think of her. There is a pirate by the name of "Old Bill", who wants to share rum with terrified cats. The next scene is the chase where pirates run around holding treasure, chasing girls, and two foolish buccaneers have stolen some snacks and are chased by an angry woman holding a rolling pin. Just beyond is the infamous "pooped pirate" drunkenly waving a map and key to a treasure vault, boasting that Captain 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. 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, cannon balls, 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. 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!". At Tokyo and Florida a small parrot talks with him. Riders then return to the sleepy bayou where the journey began, passing by the parrot, Beauregard, viewed from the queue.

Magic Kingdom
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 San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Inside the Blue Bayou has been replaced by Pirate's Cove and into a short grotto with Davy Jones, skeletons of dead pirates, 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 the remainder of the ride is similar to Tokyo and California. Unlike in California however, you do not return to ground level in your boat. Instead you exit the boat immediately after the Jack Sparrow in the treasure room scene, then take a speed ramp up to the ground floor gift shop. The Florida version also does not include the scene past the powder room with the intoxicated pirates firing cannons.

The exterior of the attraction was slightly altered during the 2006 modifications. Included in the changes were the removal of the barker bird, and original attraction sign. A new sign was placed on the outside corner of the fort facing towards the entrance of Adventureland. The design of the new sign is a ships 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 Downtown Disney.

The position of the pieces on the chess board in the attraction's pre-show is not random. Marc Davis carefully arranged the pieces so that any move will result in a never-ending game - hence the skeletons who have been playing the same game since 1973. The pieces were accidentally moved during a minor refurbishment and were not returned to their proper positions until someone found Marc Davis's original sketches.

The ride begins with your boat passing through a cave and an image of Davy Jones appears. You then pass an island on your left with skeletons of pirates while hearing a disembodied voice saying "Dead Man Tell No Tales." You continue and pass by the wreckage of a ship in a storm with a skeleton at the wheel. The ride drops and you go down 14 feet, in the process, passing under the Walt Disney World Railroad and dropping down to ground level (the ride actually begins on a second level, and the surrounding Caribbean Plaza is graded to match the rest of the park). At the bottom you pass through a dark passage and pass a battle between a pirate ship and an island fortress. The ride continues as you pass through a town being ransacked and see a woman screaming down to her husband who is being dunked multiple times into a well in an attempt to get information from him on the location of Jack Sparrow. You then see Jack Sparrow hiding against a wall looking back over his shoulder at the pirates who are searching for him. The boat next passes a scene you see women being auctioned off as brides. You will hear a pirate yell, "Me wants the red-head!" You go under a bridge and see pirates stealing a treasure chest, and an old lady chasing a pirate with a broom. A pirate sitting on the left holding a map says that Jack Sparrow will not be able to find the treasure without his map and key. You then see that Jack Sparrow is behind him hiding in a keg and looking right at him. On the right is a very drunk pirate surrounded by and talking to cats. You then pass under another bridge and see that the town is on fire. There are three singing men, a donkey and a dog who are singing along to the song "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me.)" You see more pirates stealing treasure, singing, and carrying the torches which set the city alight. You then begin to pass under a bridge, there is a pirate on the right passed out and surrounded by pigs. Above a pirate dangles his hairy, dirty leg down. As in the Disneyland version you see prisoners trying to escape from their jail cell by attempting to lure a dog who has keys in his mouth over to them. On the left you see the key from the prior scene in an opened door, and Jack Sparrow, drunk as usual surrounded by treasure rocking in a large chair and speaking about his exploits, and singing bits of "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me.)" The ride then ends as you exit to your left.

Disneyland Park (Paris)
The Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland Park is the only installment not to feature the movie characters. It is housed in a battle-scarred fortress and is much different than the originals. The ride begins as guests depart on boats from a landing and enter a lush lagoon at nighttime with the thundering of waterfalls everywhere. The boats pass through a shipwreck and enter an old fortress nearby. Inside gun noises and sword clanking are heard in the back as the boats climb up a large lift hill used to haul cargo throughout the fort. At the top flames are engulfing the fort and the shadows of fighting pirates and soldiers are seen. Up ahead the guests see the pirates in jail trying to coax the key out of the naughty guard dog. The boats go down a waterfall in the side of the fort caused by a cannon ball and pass the bombarding-the-fort scene, where the soldiers and the pirates fire at guests. Entering the relative safety of the town, guests see all the original scenes from the Disneyland original except for a new pair of swordfighting men who duel for a girl in the chase scene. After passing the burning town, darkness fills the air and red flashes and hot air appears as the arsenal of the town has blown up sending the guests to Davy Jones' Locker. They pass all the grotto scenes from Disneyland and exit the boats after a parting thought from the skull and crossbones.

The original ride
The ride begins amid glimmering fireflies during an evening abuzz with the croaking of bullfrogs. Daring adventurers board their boats at Lafitte'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. 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.

Changes
At one point in the ride, pirates were seen chasing women. The intent of the pirate must be inferred; many interpreted it as attempted rape. A 1997 modification of the story has a woman carrying a plate of food with her to suggest that the pirate is after the food, not her. A woman who occasionally peeked out from under the barrel she was hiding inside was replaced with a fish standing on it tail; the fish was later removed. The "pooped pirate" who had been chasing the woman and had managed to get hold of her shoe and part of her slip was changed to offer a turkey leg to passers by. A figure of Captain Jack Sparrow now peers out from inside the barrel. In addition, the original 1967 storyline has been restored and extra farm animals added around the Pooped Pirate removed. Also at the beginning of the ride you ride through smoke that has a projection of Davy Jones on it. Also there is a mild drop.

POTC: The Movie Franchise
In 2003, a film based on the ride was released: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, as well as two sequels Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. A computer game (by Akella), loosely connected to the movie's plot, was also made. A fourth movie in the franchise, titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, was releaseded on May 20, 2011. It is the first film in the franchise not to be directed by Gore Verbinski.

Ron Gilbert has often been quoted for having said that his inspiration for making Monkey Island came from the ride (this has since be refuted to 'merely' being a source of ambience ). The ride has left its mark however, the best example of this being the prison scene in Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge with the key-carrying dog, who is named Walt after of course, Walt Disney.

Movie Tie-ins to the Attraction
The original Disneyland attraction reopened after a lengthy refurbishment on June 26, 2006. In addition to the restoration of the original chase scene story and the removal of figures added during the 1997 change, the attraction now boasts a new audio system, upgraded solid-state lighting, additional treasure and tie-ins with the two movies to date. Extremely realistic Audio-Animatronic figures of Captain Jack Sparrow appear in the dunking scene, the chase scene and in a new finale. Another realistic AA of Barbossa now captains the Wicked Wench in the fort scene and a digital Davy Jones from the latest movie now appears on a mist screen. The Disneyland attraction received the benefits of actual movie props from Dead Man's Chest including the actual Aztec treasure chest. Engineers intended to retheme the Wicked Wench into the Black Pearl, but permission was denied by producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The Magic Kingdom version has additional scenes as well, but not on the level of Disneyland's.

POTC: The Online Game
On October 31st, 2007, Disney Interactive introduced an online multiplayer role playing video game based on the movie.

Disneyland

 * Opening day - March 18, 1967
 * Ride time - 14.5 minutes
 * Capacity - 3400 guests per hour
 * Audio-Animatronics figures - 66 pirates; 57 animals and birds
 * Total amount of water - 750,000 gallons
 * Main lift pumps - Pump number one is rated at a maximum of 20,000 gallons per minute while Pump Number Two is rated at a maximum of 18,000 gallons per minute
 * First drop length - 52'
 * First drop angle - 21 degrees
 * Second drop length - 37'
 * Second drop angle - 21 degrees
 * Length of final lift back to Lafitte's Landing - 90'
 * Angle of final lift back to Lafitte's Landing - 16 degrees
 * Number of buildings - 2
 * Number of levels - 3 (Blue Bayou, upper caverns and main show in basement)
 * Maximum ceiling height - 40'