Info on the PotC ride update

I was pointed to this by Cory Doctrow on BoingBoing (A man who loves his "Pirates of the Carribean" ride):

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-02-2006/0004273809&EDATE=

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. and ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- 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
Dick 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.

Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S

[ Edited by: freddiefreelance 2006-02-03 07:00 ]

that's depressing

I agree. The Pirates is sacred and shouldn't be changed. They already ruined the Swiss Family Treehouse by modernizing it. What's next? An audioanimatronic Eddie Murphy in the Haunted Mansion?

I want an Audio-Animatronic ORLANDO BLOOM, dammit!! :lol:

I was bummed when they changed the Pirates ride the first time. The ship used to be in the beginning of the ride, the pirates used to chase the wenches, now they have food and are being chased as theives (They tried to PC it a bit.) It needed an industrial strength cleaning in there, the dust bunnies and algae were gettin pretty thick. The two pirates at the end of the ride who are trying to hoist the booty up the hill were badly chipped and haggard. Also, the past three times I've been to Disneyland the ride broke down each time. Plus they use every boat available and and stack them with inches in between the boats so you end up with whiplash at the end of the ride when they log jam together at the loading platform. I'm open to a little change, I hope they don't take away the original concept and the key players (The dog in the jail, etc.) They'll probably just replace the captain with a more Depp looking version. Even the Indiana Jones ride guy doesn't look like Harrison Ford... I'm hoping they just do like they did to the Tiki Room, just spruce the place up a bit with some minor changes. But, as the saying goes, "If wishes were fishes we'd never go hungry."

I hate what they did to the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, but now it's packed where people used to just walk on past. I know they added handicap access (which was needed) but the Tarzan theme isn't as cool as the SFR was (to me anyway).

This earlier Thread has some interesting info on changing the PotC ride.

-Z

On 2006-02-03 23:08, cynfulcynner wrote:

I want an Audio-Animatronic ORLANDO BLOOM, dammit!! :lol:

....and a Kierra Knightly as well!!

i am a huge fan of the classic ride, but i must admit i think the captain jack sparrow character is great and in line with the spirit of the original ride.