POTC circa September 1969

Thanks to the recent acquisition of a batch of September 1969 Disneyland images, I can compare and contrast two scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. First up is the Captain's Treasure in the grotto area. Surprisingly, it appears that the ceiling has not really changed at all over the years. Even many of the items surrounding the skeleton have stayed in place. Shocking!



The Wicked Wench scene shows a huge change in its main character.



We have gone from Blackbeard to Barbossa. Still, the ship itself is very much the same.



See more vintage (and current) photos from Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at my main website.

1967 Journey Through POTC, Pt. 1

One of Disneyland's most beloved attractions opened on March 18, 1967 and continues to be a guest favorite. To publicize its opening, the Disney publicity machine ran this piece in Vacationland Magazine, 1967:

Picture, if you will, the eerie and cavernous headquarters of the infamous Blackbeard, or the swampy bayous on the treasure-laden island of John Laffite. Take a page out of history when pirates sacked the Spanish Main, looted cities, set them ablaze, auctioned off the fair ladies and conquered fortress after fortress. Combine all of this with the most hilarious blackhearted buccaneers the world has ever seen, and you have a small idea of the excitement you’ll experience during a visit to Disneyland’s New Orleans Square this summer for the Park’s newest adventure, the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Using the most advanced techniques of the space age, Disney designers and “Imagineers” (the company’s word for imaginative engineering) have assembled an adventure not only unlike any other in the world, but unequaled entertainment-wise too.

In the best Disney tradition, not a moment is wasted. As the adventure begins, the action begins, and boat-borne guests literally “plunge” into the adventure with a thrilling splash down a 52-foot waterfall.

From there on it’s action and hilarity every league of the way —right up to the exciting climax and grand finale, when an entire port city is set ablaze, right down to the town arsenal full of powder kegs.

How do you escape the raging holocaust —only at Disneyland could you “fall up” a waterfall.

This 1967 promo shot shows the Wicked Wench, complete with its original Blackbeard animatronic:





After the release of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, Blackbeard was replaced by Barbossa. I feel so old when I hear young guests actually believe that the movie came first before the attraction.



Over at the Wench Auction, the Auctioneer has seen very few changes over the years:





See more Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean attraction photos on my POTC web page.

Tell-No-Tales Thursdays: Pirate Ship Attack on a Spanish Town

Originally, the stretch between the skeleton-pirate-treasure room and the Wicked Wench room was a somewhat boring, quiet, and dark ride. This all changed with the Jack Sparrow/movie-inspired additions that occurred a few years ago. This Davy Jones projection on the mist effect was a way cool addition, and a nice intro to the Pirate Ship Attack on a Spanish Town Scene.

This shot is from a vintage viewmaster reel, showing the Pirate Ship attacking a Spanish Town. You can almost smell the smoke effects!



Here’s what the Wicked Wench is shooting at. I have always loved coming out of the dark tunnel into this huge set area of the ship, the canon fire, and the dueling shadows on the wall.



Here is what the Pirate Ship looks like now, with the exchange of Blackbeard for Geoffrey Rush’s character, Barbossa, from the “Pirates” movie.







Apparently, Producer Jerry Bruckheimer would not give permission to refurbish the attraction’s ship into the Black Pearl. Since it is a Disney-owned movie, I have my doubts to this story. Anyone in the know care to comment?

This poor pirate has lost his sight. Back in July of 2006 he was 20/20, now he’s wearing a patch. Poor varmint. It was pointed out to me by a reader that all the figures on the Wicked Wench are from the same facial mold. Check it out!





See more Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean photos at my website.