Pirates ride, where's the mermaids?

[trainplane3]

In California they were.

It was weird though. Every time I rode it over the past week it was either on or off. Audio was on no matter what the screen was doing.

 

[MotherOfBirds]

If the new movie bombs or just barely makes it’s budget back: Davy Jones gone in WDW, Barbossa will be redressed as Blackbeard (and Blackbeard will have his original Paul Frees voice), well scene will be restored (no Jack Sparrow), barely Sparrow to be redressed as something else (Spanish soldier?), final Jack Sparrow scene boarded up (not expecting a restoration of the treasure room scene in the WDW version), and Davy Jones and Blackbeard audio cues to be removed from DL version.

I don't think we're in any danger of that. The fact is that they make a killing on these in foreign markets, especially China, and don't really care how much they bring in stateside. They've got the formula down and they'll keep pumping them out as long as they make money. Depp and the series wore out their welcome a long time ago, and yet here we are. I can only see a combination of Depp's reckoning and WDI wanting to expand on the new Red concept motivating WDW to remove the movie characters.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

They weren't, at least not this past Wednesday. Davy was there with his squid face telling us something I couldn't give a...something...about.
View attachment 322687
Bad photo but good luck trying to capture a still, on a mist screen, in the dark, while moving.

I was reffering to Disneyland's version....

 

[trainplane3]

I was reffering to Disneyland's version....

Whoops...

 

[Disney Maddux]

So from what I’ve been reading on this post...

Big renovation in 2022 that removes all animatronics and mentions of Sparrow, restores original characters and dialogue, and adds in Mermaid animatronics in cavern scene..?

 

[MotherOfBirds]

So from what I’ve been reading on this post...

Big renovation in 2022 that removes all animatronics and mentions of Sparrow, restores original characters and dialogue, and adds in Mermaid animatronics in cavern scene..?

I'm assuming you're kidding, but in case you aren't, no to all of these. It's a combo of armchair imagineering and wanting to revive dead concepts.

 

[Disney Maddux]

I'm assuming you're kidding, but in case you aren't, no to all of these. It's a combo of armchair imagineering and wanting to revive dead concepts.

Oh.

...I wouldn't mind these changes, though.

 

[MotherOfBirds]

Oh.

...I wouldn't mind these changes, though.

The 2006 addition of Jack and the movie elements is relatively unpopular, so many of us have been hoping that it would be removed and replaced, or at least restored to its former glory with some technical updates. The mermaid animatronics in the caverns were based on the 4th movie and were to have been placed in the water in the caverns. The combination of their design and how close they would have been to the boats would have likely been way too scary.

 

[Disney Maddux]

The 2006 addition of Jack and the movie elements is relatively unpopular, so many of us have been hoping that it would be removed and replaced, or at least restored to its former glory with some technical updates. The mermaid animatronics in the caverns were based on the 4th movie and were to have been placed in the water in the caverns. The combination of their design and how close they would have been to the boats would have likely been way too scary.
View attachment 322790

I figured that's why they were removed, cause from the looks of that photo, any guest on the left side of the boat could've easily grabbed at or touched the animatronic, which would cause a problem.

 

[MotherOfBirds]

I figured that's why they were removed, cause from the looks of that photo, any guest on the left side of the boat could've easily grabbed at or touched the animatronic, which would cause a problem.

Which is insane to me, given that my second biggest fear is touching/being touched by an AA that is in the water. Double points if I am also in the water. Don't worry, I'll summon the ghost of Freud to talk it over on Wednesday.

On another note, can anyone tell me why the skull-shaped rock was added to the caverns during the same refurbishment that added the mermaid projections? Was it to house/hide something for the AA's that never were?

 

[Bocabear]

I figured that's why they were removed, cause from the looks of that photo, any guest on the left side of the boat could've easily grabbed at or touched the animatronic, which would cause a problem.

Actually most of thiose rocks are not in a touchable range...and I am SURE they would have made sure of that... It would have made for an amazing and exciting beginning of the ride...(creepy and a little scary being the point... Sinbad Ride in Tokyo Disney Seas has mermaids but more cartoony...

 

[MotherOfBirds]

Actually most of thiose rocks are not in a touchable range...and I am SURE they would have made sure of that... It would have made for an amazing and exciting beginning of the ride...(creepy and a little scary being the point... Sinbad Ride in Tokyo Disney Seas has mermaids but more cartoony...View attachment 322915

Still a bit creepy, but in more of a Jim Henson's Creature Shop kind of way.

 

[Bocabear]

Still a bit creepy, but in more of a Jim Henson's Creature Shop kind of way.

The original version of this ride was very creepy...these are the revised figures made to look more friendly...
They overhauled the attraction adding an Alan Mecken song and made it a lot more kid-friendly...It is charming now...though I liked both versions.. I am surprised they never made a film based on the attraction....

 

[MisterPenguin]

Which is insane to me, given that my second biggest fear is touching/being touched by an AA that is in the water. Double points if I am also in the water. Don't worry, I'll summon the ghost of Freud to talk it over on Wednesday.

On another note, can anyone tell me why the skull-shaped rock was added to the caverns during the same refurbishment that added the mermaid projections? Was it to house/hide something for the AA's that never were?

 

[VJ]

Just want to point out that the comment made suggesting (no confirmation) that Disney is moving on from Johnny was by Stuart Beattie, who created Jack Sparrow. Though his name appears in the credits in all 5 films, that's pretty much it. The only film that he was involved in the making of was CotBP. I'm not saying he's wrong, but I'm not saying he's correct either.

Exactly. Stuart Beattie hasn't been involved with the Pirates franchise since before the first movie came out, so it confuses me that literally every news outlet is taking his word as confirmation.

 

[Dragonman]

Don't get me wrong I love the pirates movies (at least the original 3) but I feel like they're not the best anymore. I'd rather have the ride without any movie elements as that's the way I first experienced it. I'm always a fan of old effects and animatronics returning however

 

[Kman101]

Don't get me wrong I love the pirates movies (at least the original 3) but I feel like they're not the best anymore. I'd rather have the ride without any movie elements as that's the way I first experienced it. I'm always a fan of old effects and animatronics returning however

I definitely agree with this. Personally though, as lackluster as the water effect was, I found the mermaid idea creepy and I kind of liked it. It's too bad it wasn't more.

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

I don't really see the movie stuff going anytime soon, regardless of whether the series is rebooted or not and whether Depp falls from grave due to scandal etc., the movie series is still going to have a legacy as a hugely successful and culturally important series... In fact if the films are rebooted and they're decently successful we could even be facing more movie stuff in the rides. I don't think the movie stuff has any chance of leaving for the next couple decades.