Well…. I guess these rumors are indeed true and are sure to cause some controversy and spark debate all through the Disney fan community. From the San Jose Mercury News:
Disney’s ‘Pirates’ ride to add characters from the film
Associated PressANAHEIM, Calif. – In a case of life imitating art imitating life, Disney’s popular theme park attraction "Pirates of the Caribbean" will add several characters from the 2003 film it inspired.
The ride features lifelike figures that gesture and speak, called "animatronics." Several new figures, including Capt. Jack Sparrow, the character portrayed by actor Johnny Depp, and his nemesis Barbossa, played by Geoffrey Rush…
…The new additions will interact with some of the current characters as they race each other to reach a treasure chest. New special effects will also be added, as will the character of Davey Jones from the new film.
"Pirates" was the last Disney theme park attraction to be personally supervised by Walt Disney and opened at Disneyland in 1967, the year after Disney’s death.
Being the true libra I am, I havent managed to come down stongly on one side or the other. I am a big fan of Johnny Depp, and keeping the attractions updated and fresh is a great idea. However, Im not so sure I want the Pirates I have known and loved since I was a kid to be overhauled for the priveledge of looking at an animatronic version of Johnny. Now… If they could contract the real version and have him swing into the boat and rescue me from the queue line of boats at the end of the ride, I may be more in favor. What do you think of the changes?
7 Comments
Annette
I would love to be in that boat! 🙂
I think with two more Pirate movies coming out it will be a nice addition to the ride. Kids are going to enjoy seeing the characters they watch over and over again on the DVD in the ride. I liked how you saw some of the original characters in the first movie – so this mught be a nice meshing of the new and the old.
Vickie
Well, unless they do introduce a live appearance by Johnny Depp, I’m not sure I like the idea of changing a “classic”! I wonder if the changes will just be at Disneyland for now – will WDW wait to let them “test the waters” before they “jump in”?? (Don’t you just love those pirate-y metaphors?!) 🙂
Coleen
Hey Vickie – sorry to break the news to you but Pirates on both coasts are closing to add the new characters. I hope you got a chance to ride while you were just here. Both are closing in March and Disneyland is supposed to reopen in June and in DIsney World in July right before the second movie opens. I may be alone on this but I think it is a great idea. I have been on the ride so many times and have heard people asking where is Jack? Of course they are proabably the same people that don’t know that the ride came before the movie.
The Orlando Sentinel had some spoilers and I thought I would share but if you don’t want to know stop reading now. This is just a little from the article in the Sentinel on 2/3 written by Scott Powers.
A new plot line derived from the movies will be woven in: The evil pirates are looking for Sparrow, he’s trying to stay one step ahead of them, and both are looking for treasure. Sparrow will make his first appearance at the ride’s well scene.
“The captain at the well is dunking the mayor, asking him if he knows where Jack Sparrow is,” Eric Jacobson, senior vice president of creative development for Walt Disney Imagineering said. “In the shadows, just outside of the scene, is going to be the figure of Jack Sparrow.”
The Davy Jones character will be “a brand new special effect and a brand new way of presenting a character in the ride,” Jacobson said.
MikeS
It will be interesting how this change will be received on both coasts.
My initial guess is that the Disneyland guests will not take well to the change. Let me be a bit more specific. I think the locals will have a difficult time accepting any change to such a classic attraction that, and this is important, had Walt’s fingerprint on it.
Disneyland locals are Disney purists who have had their beloved theme park for a half-century now and most of them are baby-boomers who do NOT like change.
There was the to-do with “A Moment with Mr. Lincoln” and then the lukewarm reception to Disneyland’s California Adventure. One would think that they will not take too kindly to this change as well.
On the other hand those who frequent Walt Disney World are relatively okay with changes that come down the road from time to time. The fact remains however, that this is a Disney theme park classic and tampering with classics can be risky business.
So the imagineers are trying to please two audiences…the purists and the new breed of Disney park guests…looking for the middle ground is an adventure in itself.
It should be interesting.
Steph in nc
I can’t wait to see the updated version. I think it will be neat to have the characters of the movies in it. Glad I rode it when I was there.
mikkimouse
I am with you Coleen…bring on Johnny!!!!
What a great photo op!! lol
I might have to climb out of the boat and have one of my boys take a picture.
Any indication yet as to if the movie premiere will be at WDW? I heard rumors of this a few years
back. Wow, that would be grounds enought for a trip to WDW in July.
Aye Matey!
mikki
Amymouse
I’m going to keep an open mind about the changes (afterall, we ARE talking Johnny Depp here). I have been resistant to change at WDW in the past, but I had an enlightening experience that expanded my view on this topic recently.
It was a simple as having to switch from using an old cake decorating set that belonged to my mother to finally retrieving the new one I’d bought a few years ago and never opened. I actually cried when I broke the one that belonged to my mom last weekend…it held a great deal of sentimental value. But after I got out the new set and “took it around the block for a spin” I couldn’t believe I had waited so long to switch to the new. It was so easy to use, lightweight, and just so darn prettier than the old one!
I had been reading this article and a few of the comments shortly before I began baking, and my mind instantly leaped to an analogy between the article and my initial disappointment over having to give up the treasured item of my mother’s but then discovering how much I enjoyed the new one. I have to say, it really galvanized my thoughts over giving “pirates” a chance to wow me with the new elements and changes. So I’ll keep any negative thoughts about how much I dislike change to a minimum, and count the days until I can give a firsthand account of taking a spin around the block in the new attraction. I mean, heck, how disappointed could I possibly be? As I said before, we ARE talking Johnny Depp here!