March 18, 1967 was one of the most important days in Disney history: the grand opening of Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland. Pirates was the last attraction that Walt Disney was heavily involved in before his death. Unfortunately, this was the attraction in Disneyland California, he never got to see the version in Florida, though I can make the argument that is a good thing.
With the success that Pirates saw in California, designers carved out a place for the swashbucklers in Adventureland in Florida. The grand opening for this version was December 15, 1973 and there was quite a difference between the two. Disneyland's show runs for approximately 15 minutes, while the Florida show runs for just over 8 minutes. This translates to entire scenes being cut from the original attraction. The attractions can not compare to each other and I personally believe that California received the superior one.
That is of course not to say that Florida has some interesting details of its own. One of my favorites has to be the skeleton pirates playing chess in the dungeon. Marc Davis, the lead designer, set the pieces on the chess board into a stalemate. In other words, nobody can make a move without losing. They have been locked in this move since 1973, except for a short time during a refurbishment. A minor refurbishment was called for the attraction and while an Imagineer was working in the room, he bumped the table knocking all the pieces over. The trouble came when not one person working on the attraction could set the pieces back into the stalemate. They had to go through the archives to find Marc Davis' original drawings so they could set the pieces back. It has been rumored that since that issue the pieces have been permanently attached to the table.
It was not long after the wild success of the Pirates movies that Disney management wanted to update the attraction. In 2006 the attraction went down for some serious updates. They were to include some Jack Sparrow audio-animatronics and a new score pulled from the movies. While the refurb was done in good taste, many Disney purists were outraged that these updates were made. I still stand undecided on this. I believe that had this refurb not happened, we would be seeing some intense show-compromising malfunctions. During these updates we lost a few loved characters. The parrot barker outside the attraction has been removed. He used to invite guests in to meet the pirates and warn to hurry since "we sails with the tide". We also lost the JollyRoger warning before the drop. He told us to keep our ruddy hands inboard and hold on... there be squalls ahead... and Davy Jones is waiting for those what don't obey...
Since this attraction opened in 1973 many of the Disney greats were part of this project. X Atencio wrote the lyrics for the songs played through the attraction as well as those of the Haunted Mansion. Marc Davis, as I mentioned earlier was the lead designer for the project as well as many others. Both of these men are Disney Legends.
This is a must see attraction. There are over 100 animatronics throughout the show and it has a small drop that may be a good test for Splash Mountain. The drop is 54 feet long but only drops 14 feet in height.
WARNING:
HERE BE A SHORT RANT
Pirates of the Caribbean represents the old way. An attraction whose story begins before you even enter the queue and does not end until you are back outside. The attention to detail is amazing. Too many times with new attractions we (as returning guests) see corners that are being cut and stories that are forced and unnatural. We are seeing a trend away from attractions with rich stories and a push more towards cheap thrills and technological excitement.
... steps off soap box and returns to his morning coffee.
THIS WEEK IN WDW HISTORY:
1858 - Kepple Disney marries Mary Richardson. The following year they will have a son named Elias, who eventually has a son named Walt.
1975 - The film Magic Carpet 'Round the World is shown for the last time at the Circle-Vision Theater.
1995 - The Penny Arcade, the Main Street Bookstore, and the House of Magic all close. These unique spaces will be turned into generic shopping stops.
1997 - Pleasure Island is turned into Pleasure "Ireland" for St. Patrick's Day.
1999 - Test Track officially opens. The ride has been operating since December of 1998, but various bugs plagued the attraction.
2004 - Exxon Mobile ends its sponsorship of Epcot's Universe of Energy.
2005 - Cinderellabration beings soft showings at Magic Kingdom's Castle Forecourt Stage.
2005 - After a year of being closed, "it's a small world" reopens in Magic Kingdom. The attraction received a 100% overall which included new sound, paint, costumes, and queue configuration.
2006 - Cirque du Soleil celebrates its 2000th performance of La Nouba at Downtown Disney West Side.
2008 - Block Party Bash opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios replacing the Disney Stars and Motor Cars parade.
2009 - The 16th annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival kicks off for a 75 day run.
No comments:
Post a Comment