Pirates of the Caribbean
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tripdownmemorylane remembers...This ride has such a distinct smell to it. Something in the water down there. (My tip would be, don't ... More »
Posted on 04/17/08
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Kids of all ages have long held an affinity for the swashbuckling adventures of pirates. What’s not to love? They wear eye patches, carry swords, shoot cannonballs, and often have a parrot residing on one of their shoulders. Granted, most of the images with which kids are familiar come from the abundance of pirate films that have been released over the years-- images that are far more fanciful than historic reality. Still, pirates remain a popular part of our culture, especially amongst the youngsters who are eager to be captain of their own ship and pillage some treasure on the high seas.
Walt Disney gave us the next best thing to being a pirate: a magnificent dark ride that takes us on a boat through pirate territory; through the battles, the pillaging and plundering, through a town being burned to the ground. If you like pirates, have we got a ride for you.
Amazingly enough, Pirates of the Caribbean was originally intended to be a walkthrough rather than a ride, similar to a wax museum that would feature actual historical pirates. Not a bad idea, but a tad boring. Luckily, when the Disney imagineers were designing an attraction for the 1964 World’s Fair, they devised a high-capacity boat transportation system for a ride called “It’s a Small World.” It only seemed logical to incorporate the same type of transportation into the pirates attraction and, lucky for us, the walkthrough idea morphed into a nautical journey through a world of highly realistic animatronic pirates instead. The ride opened in March of 1967 and quickly became one of the most beloved and popular attractions at Disneyland, as it remains today (various versions of the ride existing at Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris, as well). Its only competition for “best ride ever built” comes from another amazing attraction that shares space in the themed land known as New Orlean’s Square, and that would be the Haunted Mansion.
As with the Haunted Mansion, smaller kids usually want one question answered before they will consider entering this attraction for the first time: how scary is it? The basic answer is: not really. Most become so mesmerized and enthralled by the surroundings that they never have time to get scared; with one small exception which occurs surprisingly quickly in the ride. Once they pass this series of hurdles, they usually handle the rest just fine.
Things start out rather calm. After waiting in what can sometimes be a pretty long line, guests board their boat at Laffite’s Landing, located in a peaceful Louisiana bayou. Once the boat departs the loading area, they are treated to a peaceful, beautifully themed, evening backdrop of fireflies, a southern plantation, and a lazy swamp, complete with a porch-dwelling gentleman sitting in his rocking chair. Banjo music completes the mood. Hmm, this doesn’t seem so scary, does it?
Not so fast. Upon leaving the bayou, riders are greeted by a talking skull and crossbones, which, after mentioning that there are pirates ahead, shares some intriguing advice about holding on tight and sitting closer together so you don’t get wet. This is the point that you may notice the sound of rushing water. (Surely, that couldn’t be a waterfall that I’m hearing…) Indeed it is, and you are about to be plunged down, not one, but two drops that are likely to splash some pirate water upon you. The first is the scariest, mainly due to the fact that the lighting is a lovely shade of “pitch black” at this point. If a kid is going to lose his composure and start looking for an exit, it is here. Luckily, the experience is over before you know it, and once you have done it, not all that scary.
Now the fun begins as we drift through a cavern and begin to hear the “Yo Ho Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me” theme song. The first thing visitors seem to notice (and later, recollect vividly) at this point is a musty damp smell that is as much a part of the attraction as the music. Looking around, we begin to see the skeletal remains of some long since departed pirates. One is trying to steer his boat eerily through a lightening storm, a few are trying to drink a red liquid that flows down visibly through their ribcage, and still another who is lying in bed, reads a treasure map through a magnifying glass, as a harpsichord eerily plays by itself. We then come upon a room filled with vast amounts of treasure (or “loot” if you want to sound especially pirate-like). Sitting atop a mountain of gold coins, jewels, and other treasure is another long-dead pirate standing guard and having discovered that, when it comes to riches, you just can’t take it with you.
Just as you start wondering where all of the non-dead pirates might be, the cavern you are traveling through begins to narrow and grow darker. Actually, you may remember it growing pitch dark and filled with ominous ghostly voices in your younger years. These days, however, that effect has been diminished due to a recently installed waterfall effect, that you appear to float through without getting wet. This new effect brightens the tunnel considerably.
You exit the tunnel and float through a patch of fog and smack dab into the middle of a fierce battle between a pirate ship and a fort positioned on the shoreline (Finally, some real pirates!). Cannonballs splash wildly around you as the animated pirate captain (who bears a not-so-striking resemblance to actor, Geoffrey Rush, who plays “Barbossa” in the film version of the ride) yells a series of commands to his shipmates as they continue to bombard the fort. Having safely navigated through this battle without being sunk by a misguided cannonball, you enter a town that has been taken over by pillaging and plundering pirates.
You first notice that pirates have taken the town’s mayor (Carlos) hostage, tied him up, and are dunking him repeatedly in the town well, as he is encouraged from a window above to be brave ("Carlos, don’t be Cheeekin!"). Hiding in the background is a recent addition to the ride, a very realistic looking “Captain Jack Sparrow” (from the popular movie series that was released in 2003). As you continue your journey, you come upon an auction scene (“Take a wench for a bride”, a banner proclaims) being led by an impressively animated Auctioneer who is taking bids on a number of ladies, including a beautiful redhead and a few wenches who aren’t selling as well (“We wants the redhead!” demand the impatient bidders).
The next scene shows that some of the women being auctioned have managed to escape, and are now being chased in circles by our rascally pirates. Well, at least they used to be, until a bit of political correctness a few years back persuaded the imagineers to reconsider the scene and change it so that the pirates now appear to be chasing food, rather than female victims (a change that didn’t sit well with purists of the ride).
As the boat continues to travel forward, we learn that giving a bunch of pirates an endless supply of rum has its consequences, namely that they have set the entire town on fire and are too drunk to care all that much. In every direction, pirates continue to indulge merrily in song and drink as flames dance wildly from every corner (thanks to a bunch of orange lights and fan blown cellophane sheets. It looks quite a bit more impressive than it sounds).
Our boat narrowly escapes this raging inferno and continues towards a series of jail cells. Within them, imprisoned pirates are desperate to escape their shackles before they are succumbed by the flames. They attempt to lure a dog within their reach who just happens to be holding the keys to the cells in his mouth. The dog has other ideas, however, content to sit and taunt the scurvy scum who are pleading for their release.
Next, the surroundings turn a bit more perilous for the riders as they now enter a rickety building, reduced to exposed beams that have been weakened by flames and are loudly creaking as the embers gradually eat them away. As we drift safely past the impending collapse, we are met with a few more pirates who are taunting each other and firing their guns over our heads. Lastly, we see an inebriated Jack Sparrow, who has found the treasure and happily greets each boat. And with that, it is time to reenter the real world. Since we entered this world of pirates by traveling down a waterfall, it only makes sense that we would leave by traveling up a waterfall, right? Apparently there is little that a group of imagineers can’t accomplish when they put their mind to it. Upon reaching the plateau, the boat circles around and passengers disembark, having survived their one-of-a-kind pirate adventure. Arrrrr!
The ride truly is a masterpiece, and one of Disneyland's crown jewels. From the technical achievements of the audi-animatronic pirates, to the attention to detail, this is a ride that leaves a lasting impression on the participants. If you haven’t experienced it, you simply must. As one of the last rides overseen by Walt Disney, it is simply one of the park’s finest.
The ride has proven so popular over the years, that a movie based on the attraction became a foregone conclusion. In 2003, to the delight of fans everywhere, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released, starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. It was an overwhelming worldwide success, so sequels were a no-brainer. 2006 brought “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”. A third sequel, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” is slated for a 2007 release.
To the dismay of many purists of the ride, the decision was made in 2006 to include animatronics of Johnny Depp in the ride and a new waterfall effect featuring Davey Jones. Younger fans of the movies, however, seem rather delighted to be able to see their favorite pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, residing along all the others. It would appear as if he is there to stay.
Regardless of how you feel, the ride scores a home run with pirate crews of all ages, providing visitors with a humorous and fanciful voyage into the land of scoundrels who rape, pillage, plunder, drink rum, and all that good piratey stuff from which legendary adventures are made.
