Anyone Else Miss The Original POTC?

[rteetz]

We rode it 3 times on 3 different days and no cannon ball splashes... Just a light mimicking where the cannon ball would land.

Maybe something mechanical was down... But, with so many changes I just assumed they did away with them.

They worked in January.

 

[DekrRini]

The cannon ball splashes were there in December when I went. In fact, I sat in the dreaded first row and got wet from both the cannon ball splash and the drop. Try to avoid the front row if possible otherwise you WILL get wet.

 

[John Paul]

I like the additions!

 

[JimmyV]

They had no choice. They couldn't very well have a franchise with international box office receipts of almost $4 billion (and counting), and have an attraction with the very same name, and not have the attraction give a nod to the movies. Could you imagine the Dumbo ride featuring flying elephants that look like plain ol' elephants, or Peter Pan featuring animatronic figures of Mary Martin instead of the cartoon PP? While the "older" generation of Disney fans will always think about the classic attraction first and the movies second, the new generations of Disney fans will always think about these in reverse.

 

[jrt1176]

The Pirates ride inspired the movies.

The Dumbo and Peter Pan movies inspired the rides...

I understand your point, and said as much in my original post, but I still miss the original.

They had no choice. They couldn't very well have a franchise with international box office receipts of almost $4 billion (and counting), and have an attraction with the very same name, and not have the attraction give a nod to the movies. Could you imagine the Dumbo ride featuring flying elephants that look like plain ol' elephants, or Peter Pan featuring animatronic figures of Mary Martin instead of the cartoon PP? While the "older" generation of Disney fans will always think about the classic attraction first and the movies second, the new generations of Disney fans will always think about these in reverse.

 

[jrt1176]

I was there at the end of January.

They must have been down...

They worked in January.

 

[rteetz]

I was there at the end of January.

They must have been down...

I was there marathon weekend.

 

[AngiTN]

No, I prefer the new version

 

[JimmyV]

The Pirates ride inspired the movies.

The Dumbo and Peter Pan movies inspired the rides...

This is true, and will always remain true. But if you are under the age of 18, this nuance will always be lost. And since the majority of Disney's guests over the next 50 years fall into that demographic, they did what they had to do.

 

[Iowajes]

I dislike the change from the pirates chasing the women to the women chasing the pirates. Any kid old enough to understand what is going on is old enough to not be bothered by it, and it shouldn't bother adults either. This way, just not very realistic. I don't mind Jack Sparrow being in the ride, I think they did a wonderful job incorporating him, and like the ride as is except for that one detail.

At what age does rape become something not to be bothered by?

This is one change I am very happy about. Of course, the glorification of pirates isn't really something we appreciate in my family. Pirates are not heros, and shouldn't be glorified. They were, and still are, criminals who did horrible things to people.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

For me, the worst part about the new changes was the change in GUEST behavior. The addition of Depp triggered the plague of photo flashes! It seems like the trend has finally tapered a bit.

Also, after 40+ years, it is just strange to have the post-ride toy guns gone. It was odd enough when WDW brought out the bright pink and blue toy guns. I'm not saying it a was a bad choice on WDW's part, just a distinct sign of the times in which we live.

Me too! Thankfully, no changes to The Haunted Mansion! I know the movie wasn't a box office hit.

Um, HM has had multiple changes in the last ten years, both the interior and the exterior queue have changed in rather significant ways! Just to name some: no more glowing spiders, much improved stretch room audio, brighter colors, significant changes to the attic scene, the traveling ghosts were drastically improved, the exterior gift shop was totally re-themed, and the whole Rapunzel path area is vastly different from what it used to be.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Pirates are not heros, and shouldn't be glorified. They were, and still are, criminals who did horrible things to people.

As archetypes go, however, they make perfect two-dimensional classic bad guys. To me, that has always been the point.

Do you know someone who became a pirate after going on PotC?


All fiction takes us to a place of imagination that is the power of good literature. Most of the real PotC led fairly miserable lives, and died in horrible ways. Modern piracy is arguably even more of a life of sad desperation.

Escaping, just for a moment- into life as a fictional character- gives us a momentary respite from the worst realities we all face. The respite, inspires our resolve.

Fiction with bad guys is older than the oldest Greek tales, and newer than Kylo Ren in the newest Star Wars.

 

[Iowajes]

As archetypes go, however, they make perfect two-dimensional classic bad guys. To me, that has always been the point.

The POTC franchise, and all of Disney's pirate marketing, and the cruise lines pirate nights aren't about them being the bad guys though. Kids don't want to fight the pirates, they want to be the pirates. And of course I don't know anyone who went on to be a pirate; but I also don't know anyone who went on to be a Princess after watching Sleeping Beauty, so that is a just a strawman. It still isn't values I want my children to have.

Like I said- I'm really glad to see the woman chasing scene reversed. Because that wasn't something that should be played upon in an amusement park.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

The cannon ball splashes were there in December when I went. In fact, I sat in the dreaded first row and got wet from both the cannon ball splash and the drop. Try to avoid the front row if possible otherwise you WILL get wet.

My experience exactly last week. I was fine ALL the other times when I was in the 5th & 6th rows. That first row got me soaked!

 

[Cadaverous Pallor]

The only thing I miss at Pirates is that I need to book a dang FP+ to see the skeletons playing chess in the jail cell.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The POTC franchise, and all of Disney's pirate marketing, and the cruise lines pirate nights aren't about them being the bad guys though.

I'm sorry, this is not a matter of opinion, the ride and lyrics are VERY clear. There's nothing remotely obscure. The original ride is a parable!

The lyrics are a list 19 horrible things pirates do, and 10 synonyms for villain!

1. We pillage, 2. we plunder, 3. we rifle 4. loot 5. We kidnap 6. ravage 7. We extort 8. we pilfer 9. we filch 10. sack 11.Maraud 12. embezzle 13. high-jack 14. We kindle 15. char 16. inflame 17. ignite 18. We burn up the city. 19. We're really a fright.
20. We're rascals 22. scoundrels 23. villains 24. knaves 25. We're devils 26. black sheep 27. really bad eggs 28. We're beggars 29. blighters 30. ne'er-do-well cads

[They lyricist even emphasized the message by adding the dialect of kids! In the 1970's, being a called bad egg was a horrible playground taunt. Kids said, "the last person to ____is a rotten egg!" Everyone then shunned the rotten egg, so we DREADED being called that!]

From the time I was very little, I understood that the ride was a warning, not a glorification.

The original ride ending is horrific! The pirates are trapped in a burning jail cell! They are completely undone by their own evil because they lit the fire!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Now that I am an adult, I more fully appreciate the parable.

Living outside the rules - say drinking- might initially look like fun and thus be tempting, but there is a steep price to pay. The pirates are not undone by the law; they are undone because they don't respect any rules!