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Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the best-known attractions at Disneyland , the Magic Kingdom , Tokyo Disneyland , and Disneyland Paris theme parks. March 18 , 1967 , was the largest Audio-animatronic project to date and was the last attraction which Walt Disney was involved in designing. During the course of the indoor boat ride, guests experience an immersive, larger-than-life Pirate experience – complete with gunshots, cannon blasts, explosions and fire. Since the Disneyland attraction was constructed before the advent of life-like research skeletons, the original skeletons that made up parts of the show were genuine medical specimens; most still remain today. It is widely rumored that the Skull And Crossbones mounted on the headboard of the bed featured in the "Captain's Quarters" are genuine as well, given to Walt Disney Another interesting feature may be seen above the bar in that same scene: the portrait of the lady pirate is an original work by Marc Davis . In addition, the pirate captain in the scene where captured women are auctioned as brides is also a test bed for updates and developments to audio-animatronic technology; many innovations are tried on him first. As a result, his movements are far more lifelike and expressive than virtually any other audio-animatronic in all of Disneyland. The ride was never intended to be part of Magic Kingdom out of fear that it would not be exotic enough to Floridians, due to its geographic proximity to the Caribbean . Instead, planners intended Magic Kingdom to have a Pirates-type ride called the Western River Expedition , which would feature Cowboys and Indians instead. However, guest demand forced the Florida resort to build the ride, although it is shorter than its counterpart in Disneyland . The ride opened in Florida on December 15 , 1973 , more than two years after the Florida resort opened. It is an original to both Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, having both opened with their parks' opening days of April 15 , 1983 and April 12 , 1992 , respectively. There is no ride yet at Hong Kong Disneyland , but there are plans to add this ride to that park in the near future, but with some Splash Mountain -style elments. THE ATTRACTION The ride begins amid glimmering Fireflies during an evening abuzz with the croaking of Bullfrog s in a swamp. 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 (which is actually Oh! Susanna ) 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 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 that don't obey. Then a more chilling sound becomes audible: the thundering of a waterfall, down which guests plunge. Then they hear the frightening echo of "Dead men tell no tales!" After a second hair-raising plunge further 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. As you continue through the caves, foreboding voices overhead taunt the guests: Perhaps ye knows too much. Ye've seen the cursed treasure; ye know where it be hidden. Now proceed at yer own risk. These be the last friendly words ye'll hear: ye may not survive to pass this way again... 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. "Surrender, ya lilly liverd lubbers!" The village beyond is overrun with sinister pirates, looking for treasures to steal, wenches to auction, and rum to drink. One pirate is even offering cats some rum. 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. 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. There are sounds 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 gunpowder, cannon balls and whiskey-filled, gun-shooting pirates that are singing a drunken version of "Yo, ho, ho, a pirate's life for me.". The final shootout 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. CRITICISM The ride has gone through changes over the years. In its original form, the Disneyland ride had a subdued, yet interpretively racy sequence in which pirates were chasing various females around the town (achieved by minimal animatronic figures on turntables hidden below guest view), along with a large woman chasing a pirate around, reducing the raciness of the situation a bit. This sequence was changed to the men looting food from the town, and the large woman chasing after a pirate with a prized ham. One such pirate brandished a petticoat at one point, saying things like "... to hoist me colors upon the likes of that shy little wench," and "I be willing to share I be." Behind him a maiden would pop her head out from inside a barrel. The "Pooped Pirate", as he was called, is now the Gluttonous Pirate called Rene Verheesen , stuffing his face, with a new script: "Me belly be feeling like galleon with a load of treasure," and "I be looking for a fine pork loin I be." The woman in the barrel was replaced by a cat. Prior to the changes, six out of the Seven Deadly Sins could be found throughout the ride. The pirate that chases the woman carrying a plate of food depicts gluttony, the seventh deadly sin. Such changes have garnered resentment from many of the Disney theme park aficionados. They argue that, while the ride has less glorification of a criminal lifestyle, the changes sacrifice historical accuracy and Walt Disney 's original vision. There are currently no plans to change Pirates of the Caribbean to its original context. Some have criticized the perceived glorification of the pirate lifestyle. However, the ride is filled with depictions of the unpleasant lives and violent deaths of pirates, which suggests that its message is not one of glorification but of condemnation. In 2006, Disney added depictions of Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa, and a projection effect featuring Davey Jones from to the ride. ADAPTATIONS ''.]] In '' is expected. A Computer Game (by Akella ), loosely connected to the movie's plot, was also made. Also, Port Royal, a world based on the Pirates of the Caribbean movie appears in the Square Enix Video Game , Kingdom Hearts 2 . In , was opened to the public in DisneyQuest . On this attraction, up to five riders board a mock pirate ship to sail around a small virtual world. Riders may fire cannons at other virtual pirate ships; if players sink the other ships, then they will 'steal' treasure from them. Ron Gilbert has often been quoted for having said that his inspiration for making '' Monkey Island '' came from the ride (this has since been refuted to 'merely' being a source of ambience {Link without Title} ). 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. ATTRACTION FACTS Disneyland
The Magic Kingdom
If there were to be an emergency at the attraction, there are no more than five employees in the attraction at a time. In case of an emergency, the "skippers" from the Jungle Cruise are called into action. {Link without Title} 2006 UPDATES In 2006 , Walt Disney Imagineering will give both versions at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom major overhauls to coincide with the release of the second movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Both storylines will be completely dismantled and replaced with storylines involving Captain Barbossa (from the first movie) and Davy Jones (from the second and third movies) leading separate searches for Captain Jack Sparrow through the many scenes of the original attractions. The "Hurricane Scene", the "Crews Quarters Scene", the "Captains Quarters Scene" and the "Treasure Scene" at Disneyland will all be unchanged visually except for a few new props used in the movies. The Disneyland ride will receive its official re-opening at the world premiere of ''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'', which will also be held at Disneyland. {Link without Title} The update, although little is known at this time, has received much criticism from fans of Disneyland, many claiming that being the final ride Walt Disney worked on, it should remain as he envisioned it. They also claim that it's a classic that's been operating nearly 40 years with no problems, and there is no need to change it now. Despite the backlash, a sizeable portion of the community still supports the updates, citing Disney's wishes to have Disneyland forever changing, and the fact that except for the addition of several new animatronics and the updating of some effects, the original ride experience is remaining virtually unchanged. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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