The Future of Pirates of the Caribbean

[Imagineer999]

A few months ago Disney announced that Johnny Depp will not be in any new Pirate films, and recently the writers of what would have been a reboot left the project. This had made me wonder, "What does this mean for the future of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction?" The movies are still beloved by many people, but they certainly don't feel as relevant as they used to be. I don't see as many people getting excited over Jack's appearance in the ride as I used to. It's not like how it was in 2006 when all the movie fans and average guests wanted him in the ride, pointing out his appearances. Not as many people seem to care anymore, at least from my personal experiences riding it. Speaking of the 2006 movie changes, Disneyland removed one of them in 2018 (Davy Jones is gone, the ghostly dialogue has returned). It makes me wonder if other movie additions from 2006 will be removed over the years, gradually restoring the ride to its original version.

Personally, I would love for some original scenes to return. I know not all of them will (chase scene and auction in particular), but the movie additions, to me, have always stuck out like a sore thumb and it has bothered me that every antagonist in the ride is name-dropping Jack Sparrow. It feels like an advertisement for the character. The plot changed from a simple story about pirates searching for treasure to a story about Pirates searching for treasure AND Jack Sparrow (but it is never specified why. Maybe it's to beat him to the treasure, but he doesn't have the key and map at first because the Pooped Pirate by the barrel does). The classic attraction and movie characters have never blended well to me. This is all just my personal opinion though, and to each their own.

What do you all think? Do you think the movie additions will be sticking around much longer? Would you like to see them stay or replaced? How do you feel about the ride's future?

 

[thomas998]

The only thing that would result in them spending the money to remove Captain Jack is if Depp would do something outrageous such as tap dance on a carpet of kittens while juggling puppies.... It costs money to make changes and they aren't going to spend money to make those changes unless they see a reason to. The better chance of him being removed would have been if the reboot were to take place and they then decided to stick the new Captain Jack or whatever the main character of the reboot happened to be into the ride. At this point I suggest you just accept the ride for what it is because there is little chance it will be changing anytime soon.

 

[ppete1975]

I have always disliked the jack sparrow additions.
It really depends, if he does something that reflects badly on the park (cosby, oj, Michael Jackson) then I see him removed quickly.
IF not I see them not changing it due to it not costing them anything.

My dream, put it back to the original ride with the pc changes you have to make in this wussy era.

 

[JohnD]

A few months ago Disney announced that Johnny Depp will not be in any new Pirate films, and recently the writers of what would have been a reboot left the project. This had made me wonder, "What does this mean for the future of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction?" .... It makes me wonder if other movie additions from 2006 will be removed over the years, gradually restoring the ride to its original version.

I'd like to see it return to the original without Jack Sparrow. Don't count on the red head scene returning to the original, though.

 

[ppete1975]

The only thing that would result in them spending the money to remove Captain Jack is if Depp would do something outrageous such as tap dance on a carpet of kittens while juggling puppies.... It costs money to make changes and they aren't going to spend money to make those changes unless they see a reason to. The better chance of him being removed would have been if the reboot were to take place and they then decided to stick the new Captain Jack or whatever the main character of the reboot happened to be into the ride. At this point I suggest you just accept the ride for what it is because there is little chance it will be changing anytime soon.

HA we clearly had the same idea

 

[KellBelle]

I also would love for it to go back to pre Depp and bring back the auction scene, but I agree that would be a longshot.

 

[Imagineer999]

Yes the changes will all depend on if Depp does something awful. Otherwise, Disney won't see any reason to spend the money to take him out. It will also depend on if the reboot ever happens or is successful. I can see new characters from a successful reboot being put in, but if it fails or doesn't happen then the ride will stay as it currently is unless Disney is willing to spend the money to remove the 2006 changes.

 

[Imagineer999]

I also would love for it to go back to pre Depp and bring back the auction scene, but I agree that would be a longshot.

Personally, if Disney wants to make it up to me for the auction and chase scene changes, they will have to remove the movie characters, but I know that is a long shot.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

I also would love for it to go back to pre Depp and bring back the auction scene, but I agree that would be a longshot.

And also "We wants the Redhead! We wants the Redhead!"
And my favorite line by Paul Frees, "It be gold I'm after!"

This whole thing with chickens and rum though...

I swear it is somehow sponsored by Chik-fil-A and Jack Daniels.

 

[LaughingGravy]

We wants the redhead back!

 

[tomast]

The only thing that would result in them spending the money to remove Captain Jack is if Depp would do something outrageous such as tap dance on a carpet of kittens while juggling puppies.... It costs money to make changes and they aren't going to spend money to make those changes unless they see a reason to. The better chance of him being removed would have been if the reboot were to take place and they then decided to stick the new Captain Jack or whatever the main character of the reboot happened to be into the ride. At this point I suggest you just accept the ride for what it is because there is little chance it will be changing anytime soon.

and only after 10 years of the release of the new movie.

Btw, pirates was a great ride then and now, jack is ok. Barbosa is awsome, the ride is preatty good. It does not matter if its jack or pirate "a"

 

[tomast]

And also "We wants the Redhead! We wants the Redhead!"
And my favorite line by Paul Frees, "It be gold I'm after!"

This whole thing with chickens and rum though...

I swear it is somehow sponsored by Chik-fil-A and Jack Daniels.

Jack Danils is whiskey maybe Captain Morgan? or Bacardi?

 

[Paper straw fan]

It might be more of if Depp is found to have already done some awful things- seems he’s unsurprisingly not the greatest person of the metoo era, but there’s been no concrete proof. But I agree it probably stays, and the moments deemed not PC in this day and age will never see the light of day again.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Jack Danils is whiskey maybe Captain Morgan? or Bacardi?

Yes! Captain Morgan.

Duh.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

It costs money to make changes

It costs Disney money to have Depp's robots working 365 days a year. They would only have to spend once to get rid of him.

and the moments deemed not PC in this day and age will never see the light of day again.

The non-PC stuff is still in Tokyo. The auction scene and the pirates chasing the ladies. Only the girl in the barrel is gone for Jack Sparrow.

 

[Paper straw fan]

It costs Disney money to have Depp's robots working 365 days a year. They would only have to spend once to get rid of him.



The non-PC stuff is still in Tokyo. The auction scene and the pirates chasing the ladies. Only the girl in the barrel is gone for Jack Sparrow.

Ok, in America? I assume on here we’re primarily talking about WDW by default!

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Ok, in America? I assume on here we’re primarily talking about WDW by default!

I know, I just thought it's interesting that only in America is PC Pirates a thing (or was until they made the changes in Paris - they DID have girl in the barrel until the end of 2016).

 

[Paper straw fan]

I know, I just thought it's interesting that only in America is PC Pirates a thing (or was until they made the changes in Paris - they DID have girl in the barrel until the end of 2016).

Agreed! Couldn’t find the laughing emoji but that’s real interesting. I guess that means some decisions aren’t made worldwide

 

[bhg469]

I say bulldoze it and get a brand new attraction it its spot. It is arguably the worst iteration of pirates of the Caribbean and the much better version is still available to ride any time you want to. I say start from zero and give a complete attraction instead of the really sad attempt that was built in orlando.

 

[Imagineer999]

I say bulldoze it and get a brand new attraction it its spot. It is arguably the worst iteration of pirates of the Caribbean and the much better version is still available to ride any time you want to. I say start from zero and give a complete attraction instead of the really sad attempt that was built in orlando.

I know the Magic Kingdom version gets a lot of flack for being the shortest version, but it does an amazing queue and prior to 2006, a narrative that was different from the other versions. You see, the Magic Kingdom queue has some nice details implying that the fortress you're walking through is in use and about to be attacked. You used to be able to hear the sounds of marching Spanish soldiers, singing pirates who infiltrated the fortress, a prisoner in the dungeon playing the guitar, a guard playing the guitar above the fountain, pirates digging for treasure in the cave, and sea gulls. The ship off in the distance from the load dock is implied to be the same one battling the fortress later in the ride. It was also implied that the cast members were soldiers helping you escape by sending your boat through the caves...only to drop into the battle minutes later! The only music loop you heard in the queue was at the entrance and it was called Pirates Arcade (Fortune Red). Well in the 2006, the Imagineers who I am assuming were from Glendale and didn't do their research on the Magic Kingdom version (or wanted to leave their mark) thinking that the time travel story was there too, made the weird decision to loudly blast the Pirates Overture from Disneyland's queue in Magic Kingdom's. The sound effects are still in the queue but now you can barely hear them. Magic Kingdom's version was, in some ways, a different attraction altogether with a story all taking place in the present instead of one about time travel. It also has a superior ending with a large treasure room that before Jack Sparrow came along, had eight animatronics.

Like I said, yes it gets a lot of flack, but the Imagineers in 1973 did put effort into Magic Kingdom's version to make up for it being a shorter ride with new details and characters absent from Disneyland's version. Here is a link to a ride through mix of the pre-2006 version of Magic Kingdom's Pirates, where you can hear what the original queue was like.