Disney World’s ‘Pirates’ ride reopening
ORLANDO, Fla. – Call it the “Pirates of the Caribbean featuring Capt. Jack Sparrow.”
The anticipated reworking of Walt Disney World’s classic ride “Pirates of the Caribbean” is complete and ready for a grand reopening Friday – the same day “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” the second movie of the franchise, opens in theaters nationwide.
The old ride, which inspired the first “Pirates” movie, was the last attraction personally supervised by Walt Disney before his death in 1966. It opened at Disneyland in 1967 and at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in 1973.
Since the changes were announced in February, many longtime fans had expressed concern that Disney might compromise the ride by turning it into a shill for the movies.
The ride’s story does change, slightly, but bears no resemblance to the movie plots. Disney has added the movie characters of Capt. Barbossa and Capt. Jack Sparrow, played respectively by Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp.
Show producer Kathy Rogers, of Walt Disney Imagineering, said she had insisted the new version remain true to the original, as much to pay homage to the show’s first designers, Marc Davis and Blaine Gibson, as to appease loyal fans.
“We have such reverence for Marc Davis’ storytelling,” Rogers said. “This is not about making it the movie ride.”
In the original ride story, pirates invade an island town, loot it and terrorize the people into revealing where gold is hidden. The old pirate captain has been replaced by Barbossa figures in the new version. Barbossa and his pirates are still looking for the gold – but they also know that Sparrow is in town, and they seek him as well.
Robotic versions of Sparrow make three appearances as the plot unfolds. At the end of the ride, Sparrow winds up with the gold, replacing a scene in which the pirates stood before the gold and captured soldiers.
None of the ride’s other characters was changed. The movie’s other key characters – Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, played by Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley – do not make an appearance.