02 February 2006
CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW TO JOIN THE AUDIO-ANIMATRONICS CREW OF DISNEY’S PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ATTRACTION

Classic Attraction in California and Florida Adding New Characters Inspired by Hit Film Franchise Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean


ANAHEIM, Calif. / ORLANDO, Fla. (Feb. 2, 2006) - - First the theme park attraction inspired the movie – now the movie is inspiring the attraction.

Pirates of the Caribbean, the classic Disney theme park adventure brought to the big screen in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, is adding new characters and features from the blockbuster entertainment franchise and debuting when the next adventure begins in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

Both the Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida will close the attraction in March to complete the updates in time for the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest on July 7. The attraction will re-open at Disneyland on June 24 and in Florida’s Magic Kingdom on July 7.

The attraction will feature the addition of two of Hollywood’s most infamous buccaneers, Captain Jack Sparrow and his nemesis Barbossa. Joining the wildest crew that ever sacked the Spanish Main, Captain Jack and Barbossa add an exciting new twist to the attraction’s original storyline as they race to be the first to claim a cache of plundered treasure.

“Successfully adding the popular characters from the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films with the mythology of our classic attraction is an example of Disney synergy and Walt Disney Imagineering at its finest,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “These additions will result in an exciting new chapter for the attraction and an unforgettable experience for our guests, giving them another reason to come and be a part of our continuing 50th anniversary celebration.”

Woven into some of the attraction’s most memorable scenes, the rival swashbucklers will be seen interacting with some of the more familiar Audio-Animatronics buccaneers found inside the ride-thru adventure. Also making a guest appearance is the ghostly Davy Jones from the second movie in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. But new characters are only the beginning. New special effects will also be added to enhance the “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme park experience.

"The creative legacy of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ has come full circle with the attraction initially inspiring our highly successful film franchise and now the films inspiring exciting additions to the attraction itself,” said **** Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. “The attraction enhancements capture the same spirit, swashbuckling humor and action that moviegoers loved in the first `Pirates of the Caribbean' which will continue with the highly anticipated new tales this summer and beyond.”

Created under the direct creative supervision of Walt Disney himself, Pirates of the Caribbean is the quintessential Disney theme park adventure, a swashbuckling voyage that transports guests back to the days when pirates and privateers roamed the Spanish Main. Starring a comical cast of rascals, scoundrels, villains and knaves, the world-famous attraction sends guests of all ages on a boat ride through mysterious caverns where “Dead men tell no tales” and then into a colonial era Caribbean seaport under siege by a band of fun-loving pirates. The attraction’s jaunty theme song, “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me),” sets the show’s light tone with its tongue-in-cheek depiction of high-seas lawlessness.

The original incarnation of Pirates of the Caribbean premiered on March 18, 1967, in New Orleans Square at Disneyland in California. Featuring more than 120 Audio-Animatronics performers, lavishly decorated sets and special effects, it’s considered to be one of the most spectacular and enduring attractions ever created for a theme park. With its setting revised slightly to fit a Caribbean Plaza location in Adventureland, the attraction opened to guests at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on December 15, 1973. More than 500 million people have experienced the rollicking fun of Pirates of the Caribbean in California and Florida over the past 39 years.

“Enhancing the classic Pirates attractions with new characters and new technology will ensure their relevance and place in Disney theme parks as timeless adventures,” said Tom Fitzgerald, senior creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering. “We’re adding a layer of storytelling from the films to the attraction while retaining all the familiar elements that make it vibrant and exciting for every age group.”

The Pirates of the Caribbean additions are one part of the “Happiest Celebration on Earth,” an 18-month salute (continuing through 2006) to 50 years of Disney park magic around the globe that started with the opening of Walt Disney’s original park, Disneyland, in 1955.

I Changed My Mind

I Think This will Be Great I Cant wait!!!!

i dont like this idea. i think it is really stupid. they are ruining a perfectly good ride. i've come to know and love the ride that is there now. i dont want to see a bunch of characters added just because the movie is so popular. the movie came after the ride not the other way around. keep the ride the way it is dont add and dont remove anything.

I want to be against it, yet sadly times have changed and many are asking for them in the rides. BUT I think they will be able to do it where it will not changed the ride that much. I have faith that Disney can be good about this decision.

I myself, will fall for this gimmick...

I'm not a big fan of the "Original" Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, and I wouldn't go back on it again (Unless someone in my party had never been on, or actually wanted to go on it...)

This will definitely keep my interest in this attraction, and I would make a special trip out to Magic Kingdom park just to ride, and see all the new changes...

I've heard the full plans of where the new stuff will be added and what it will be and how the story will be changed/enhanced, and I think they're going to do quite well in preserving the nature of the originals for longtime fans while also satisfying the newer riders with characters from the movies.

Joy

I do believe that the POTC ride in Florida should be changed as the construction of the ride was so rushed and had little special effects compared to California! It is in need of a little update!

For me, it'll be a fun and cool new update. Besides, they're not completely destroying the old one for a new one, they're just adding on to the existing one, which is cool. Like Walt Disney said, Disneyland will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world.

Spinmarty did you get this info from thrillnerds? i found this exact same artice on its website but i guess you can find it everywhere.

Finally an official press release to clear out all those rumors about the refurbishment. Thanks Spin

The link from Disney that displays that same press release as posted by Spin can be found here:
http://www.disneylandnews.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=126

Time they are a changing. And I for one am happy to see that WDW and DLR are keeping up with them. As a member of a pirate crew that travels to entertain children and children at heart, even I have become bored with the old POTC ride. It lacks the imagination of our time. I visited WDW from the beginning in the early 70's, during the 80's, 90's and today. I look forward to the new enhancements. I applaud Disney for keeping up with the times.

I have to admit I'm very split on the decision to update Pirates. Why for? I guess I'll have to explain that won't I?

Pirates really is a piece of living history...a testament to the creative force and the technological achievements of the Disney company in the 1960's. For me, the attraction has a timeless quality. Where else are you going to find yourself in a Louisiana bayou...and find yourself transported from Lousiana and into is a Carribbean town being plundered by ruthless pirates. There's a whimsical aspect to the entire experience because these pirates don't have names, there's no solid storyline throughout the entire experience, and the outside world doesn't intrude on the entire experience from the moment the queue enters the building.

Of course Disneyland isn't a museum, but what good is there by adding familiar 21st century faces to the ride? Yes, we get to see what the Disney imagineers have up their sleeves now...but what used to be a timeless attraction will become locked into the 2000's. Johnny Depp has a face that will stick out from the nameless pirates. I just have a feeling it will just mean more overcommercialization and too much of the outside world entering the ride.

Rest in peace Old Pirates...let's just hope this refurb will be tasteful.

Thank you so much for posting the press release here.

I just hope the Imagineers apply the same level of care and attention to detail that Walt demanded, and take no short cuts for the sake of Budget or Time. What will be undone is classic Disney magic - I hope the replacement can live up to the challenge - The Imagineers have a very tough act to follow. May Walt's spirt be their guiding light -
Steady as ye go there mateys. :pirate: