Kraken


 * For the creature that appeared in Atlantis: Milo's Return, see Krakken (Atlantis: Milo's Return).

The Kraken is a legendary sea monster of giant proportions that is said to dwell off the seven seas. The legend may have originated from sightings of giant squid that are estimated to grow to 13–15 m (40–50 ft) in length, including the tentacles. It has appeared in several Walt Disney Pictures films, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and its sequel.

Biology
The Kraken was a cephalopod-like beast, with a squid-like mantle, a number of long, suckered tentacles at the base of its head, Some of these were as thick around as a galleon's main mast, most significant are the two long forearms powerful enough to split a ship into fragments in mere seconds, and the suckers were strong enough to rip the flesh from a victim's face. The Kraken used the tips of its tentacles to feel its way around a ship before deciding where best to strike. It also had a long, sharp tail similar to a squid and large round eyes with orange irises and black pupils. It had a large, maw-like mouth surrounded by fangs below its large eyes, and a massive body at least twice as long as its tentacles. The overall length of the Kraken is similar to the length of ten ships, which would be approximately 1400 feet in total length. Its body resembles a massive, cuttlefish-like cephalopod.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
A warship approaches, firing upon the submarine, which descends into the depths, where it attracts the attentions of a giant squid. The electric charge fails to repel the monster, so Captain Nemo and his men surface to dislodge the beast. Nemo is caught in one of the squid's tentacles. Ned, having escaped from captivity during the struggle, jumps to Nemo's rescue, saving his captor's life by killing the creature.

Background
The Kraken is the tertiary antagonist of Dead Man's Chest. It was controlled by Davy Jones, ruler of the sea, and commanded to prey upon ships to ensure Jones had many unwilling candidates for service aboard his cursed vessel, the ''Flying Dutchman. According to concept art for the films, the Kraken was as long as 10 ships if its body was included, making it around 1,400 feet long (however, in the films, it is shown to be only slightly larger if not as long as the Black Pearl'') and it resembles a Giant Squid. Its suckers were strong enough to pull a man's face clean off, and its arms were as thick as if not thicker than the masts of most ships. It also had a frightening maw of teeth in its mouth at the center of the hub of its arms. It also gave off a foul smell, reeking like a thousand rotten corpses. The Kraken could be summoned from aboard the Flying Dutchman, with the use of a giant capstan hammer that sent a shock wave through the ocean that served as a call to the creature. Davy would often recite a chant while his crew summoned the beast. The Kraken was also unleashed upon those who had been marked with a Black Spot, and could only be called off if Jones himself removed the mark. A person given the Black Spot would be ruthlessly tracked by the Flying Dutchman and the Kraken, and even items of clothing or personal belongings left by the target would attract the creature on its hunt. Davy Jones was further able to order the Kraken to attack specific ships, as he did against the Black Pearl off Isla Cruces. It is also stated in related media tied in with the films that the Kraken was the last of its kind.

Dead Ma​n's Chest
Captain Jack Sparrow was given a Black Spot by Bootstrap Bill Turner, on behalf of Davy Jones, and was forced to avoid the open water to escape the Kraken. When Jack's hat came into the possession of two men aboard a fishing boat, the Kraken followed, drawn to the piece of Jack. The creature then sank the ship with frightening ease, killing all on board. Later, when Will Turner escaped the Flying Dutchman with the key to the Dead Man's Chest, Davy Jones sent the beast to attack the ship Edinburgh Trader, that had rescued Will. The Kraken's attack killed most of the crew and sank the ship, forcing Will to stow away aboard the Dutchman once again until the ship had reached Isla Cruces. The Kraken then appeared again later, this time attacking the Black Pearl on Jones' orders when he failed to catch the ship. When the creature attacked, Will ordered the cannons fired on the Kraken's tentacles, severely wounding it but destroying the longboats in the process, save for the one Jack was escaping in. However, when the Kraken attacked again, it destroyed the cannons and attacked the crew, forcing Will, Elizabeth and the crew to set a trap for it using barrels of gunpowder and rum. This plan would have failed had Jack not returned and fired the shot that caused the explosion that burned the Kraken's tentacles and caused it to retreat, making it even angrier than before. Ultimately, however, Jack was forced into a confrontation with the beast due to being tricked and being chained to the mast of the Pearl by Elizabeth so that everyone else could escape, and was consumed by it aboard his ship, the Black Pearl as the Kraken pulled it down. Witnessing this, Jones stated that Sparrow's debt was paid.

At World's End
Shortly after obtaining Davy Jones' heart, Cutler Beckett ordered Jones to kill the Kraken, fearing Jones may use it against him. The Kraken's death deeply affected Jones as well, as he was seen flinching at the mention of Beckett's recalling of the event. Upon returning from Davy Jones' Locker, Jack Sparrow and his companions discovered the dead beast washed up on a beach. Pintel and Ragetti approached the Kraken's face, and Pintel poked it with a long stick, celebrating the fact that the monster was dead and mused on calling themselves "Kraken Slayers" and turning the creature into an exhibit for profit. Recalling in silence that the Kraken had been the last of its kind, Jack reflected on his own mortality and the potential of being the last pirate in existence while looking into the beast's glazed eye and agreed that Beckett and Jones had to be stopped from taking control of the seas.

Once Upon a Time
The Kraken first appears in "The Heart of the Truest Believer". Gold and Neal summon it to steal its ink while stuck on Neverland. It appears again in "Dark Waters".

Trivia

 * It is commonly debatable on whether the Kraken or Beckett is the secondary antagonist.
 * Based on the fact that the Kraken is intact when the crew of the Black Pearl come across it, it is likely that Jones killed the beast ordering the beast to go ashore, where it drowned in air. It is also possible that the East India Trading Company killed it.
 * The Kraken originates from Scandinavian Mythology.
 * The Kraken's fame was such that it was immortalized in poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in 1830.

Disney INFINITY
The Kraken appears in the game.

Disney Magic Kingdoms
The Kraken appears as an attraction that can be built for the players park for gems.

The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow
The Kraken appears in the attraction.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure
The Kraken appears in the attraction.

Behind the scenes

 * In the "Creating the Kraken" featurette for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Lee Arenberg identifies the Kraken as an "old Disney character", the same giant squid from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.