Mickey Monitor – May 2006

 

The pirate scoundrel & other surprises come to Pirates of the Caribbean
You Walt Disney Imagineering Show Writer and Author of Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies Beginning July 7, when you visit Pirates of the Caribbean at the Magic Kingdom® Park, you’ll be experiencing history: the fi rst time a Disney Theme Park attraction has made the journey from the Magic Kingdom Park to the movies – and back again! My fellow Imagineers are adding Captain Jack Sparrow to the Disney Theme Park experience.

It’s a fitting addition, considering that Walt Disney and his original team of Imagineers drew inspiration from Hollywood’s Golden Age pirate epics when they were developing their early pirate attraction concepts. Walt’s own big-screen Treasure Island helped define the
popular pirate persona with its depiction of Long John Silver. Over 50 years later, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl made
the swashbuckler movie “cool” again, with the character Captain Jack Sparrow setting a new standard for movie pirates.

We were eager to find ways to include some of the film characters in the Disney Theme Park attraction—as eager as the new generation of
kids who, as we quickly discovered, were also hoping to see Captain Jack in the attraction.

The original attraction story will now be appended with the addition of Audio Animatronics® versions of Captain Jack in several scenes, plus an appearance by Barbossa from the first film. You’ll also catch a ghostly glimpse of Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. In our new added story overlay, Barbossa unleashes his pirate crew on a seaport town, looking for Captain Jack Sparrow and the treasure they’re sure he can locate.

Of course, every pillaging, plundering, and fire-blazing moment will still be there, including the signature “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)” song.

We think of Pirates of the Caribbean as one of the crown jewels —
pun intended—of Disney attractions. Whenever Imagineers consider new Theme Park adventures, Pirates is always held up as the gold standard against which we measure everything else.

Pirates of the Caribbean will continue on as the classic experience that our guests have enjoyed for decades, but now it will also resound with our newest guests. After all, it’s as much a treasure to us as it is to you.

For more information, go to DisneyParkPirates.com

LET CAPTAIN JACK SHOW ’EM THE ROPES
Ever wonder how swashbucklers buckle their swashes? Little pirates-in-training may find out when Captain Jack Sparrow divulges his own whimsical pirate “how-to” pointers. So hoist your mainsails for Caribbean Plaza in Adventureland® from July 7 to the end of August. You won’t need a treasure map, but you may want to pick up a Magic Kingdom Times and Entertainment schedule for specific appearances.
Entertainment subject to change without notice.
 

Pirates of the Sunshine State

Public demand is bringing Captain Jack Sparrow to the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction—but then, public demand brought the ride to the Walt Disney World® Resort in the first place.

Though the original attraction had been a huge Disneyland® favorite since its 1967 opening, a Florida version was not originally part of the Walt Disney World plans. One reason was that it was felt that these guests, living so close to the real Caribbean and its pirate lore, wouldn’t be as interested in the attraction! But after the Magic Kingdom® Park opening, guests kept visiting City Hall to ask, ‘Where are the pirates?’

Within weeks, Walt Disney World Cast Members sported buttons
reading, “The Pirates Are Coming, December 1973.” The resulting
Pirates of the Caribbean, while somewhat condensed, boasts these
creative touches that made their debut in the Florida version:
Whether you’re enjoying the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction on the East or the West Coast, there’s always plenty of rollicking fun
to experience over and over again!

Caribbean Plaza. This Adventureland® area was created to put you in the pirate mood before even entering the attraction.

Fortress queue line. You travel through a cavernous maze of catacombs, dungeons, and weaponry before you reach the oceanfront bluff where a ship gleams in the distance as seagulls cry through the misty air. And the ride hasn’t even started yet!

The ship in the distance. As you approach the embarking area, you come to a beachfront area where a mysterious ship floats on a distant shore. “The ship in the distance was one of the details that impressed me when I was much younger,” said Jason Surrell. “It’s the tiniest little details that make the difference. There’s something about seeing that ship bobbing out there and hearing the lonely cries of seagulls that make that area extremely atmospheric. It puts you right in the mood for the pirate adventure you’re about to have.”

A little gem for little pirates
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa offers a fun-filled Pirate Cruise for boys and girls ages 4–10
to various Disney Resort “ports of call” along Seven Seas Lagoon.
As the grownups head away from the marina for two hours of “boring” relaxation, the kids wear exclusive Mickey Mouse pirate bandanas, board a fl oat boat flying a Jolly Roger flag, and shout “ARGGH!” to passing watercraft. Three Disney Cast Member pirates set the stage for clues, missing map pieces and lots of laughter. Each cruise is a little different each time. The two-hour Pirate Cruise, including light
lunch and a little treasure for the kids to keep, sets sail every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 9:30 am. For reservations, call 407-560-PASS (7277) up to 90 days in advance.
 

The Pirates go downtown

After Can’t get enough of Disney pirates? Sail down to the Downtown Disney® area, where there’s plenty of other fun to plunder. Plunge into new World of Disney adventures The most rip-roaring excitement to be had among the 10,000 feet of new World of
Disney® store experiences is the new Adventure Room. But watch out for Stitch at the entrance. He’s determined to spit at everyone who passes by! And there’s a bonafide pirate there to greet you—Rusty Blade, an Audio-Animatronics character created especially for
the Adventure Room, adding his crusty comments to the goings on.
As you explore this goldmine of action toys and gifts, you never know what this stout fellow will say next.

No pirate worth his salt would pass up a chance to Create Your Own Pirate Skull. You just take a skull and stuff it full of gooey eyeballs, rubber snakes and other delightfully icky stuff. You can also Create Your Own Pirate Hat, using a variety of headgear and everything from feathers to bandanas and pirate patches, and Fill Your Own Treasure Chest with “precious” gems, polished stones and other
pirate plunder.

Become a bold DisneyQuest pirate
Inspired by the classic attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold gives you an active part in the action. It’s one of the
most popular attractions at DisneyQuest® Indoor Interactive Theme Park, and with good reason— it’s a blast for everyone!

Up to five players don 3-D glasses and step aboard a ship’s deck, the sea’s dangers waiting before them. One player becomes the captain,
steering the ship and giving orders to the others as they aim cannons at enemy ships and other hazards created in state-of-the-art CG animation and special effects. A mysterious voice guides the crew, but he has his own secrets to keep—and may not be what he seems! It’s part interactive game, part scary movie, part shooting gallery—and all fun!
 

Music legends spring up at the Festival

In addition to all the magical topiaries, hands-on demonstrations, and kids’ fun at the Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival, expert Passholders attend as many Flower Power Concerts as possible. When mega-hit entertainer Tony Orlando makes his first Epcot appearances May 30, 31 and June 1, it will be like coming home. “Disney has been part of my life for years,” he recalled. “My
first gig with Dawn was in Disneyland at the Tomorrowland® theater.” It led to the long-running Tony Orlando and Dawn TV variety series, now on DVD. While Tony racked up Gold Records for such hits as “Knock Three Times” and “Tie a Yellow Ribbon,” he made time for Disney vacations. “I remember taking my son for boat rides, riding the monorail, going on rides—it’s a big part of my children’s life and my family life, so I owe a lot to Walt Disney World and Disneyland ” .

“I hold a very high respect for the Disney experience and its
values for the family. When I step on the Epcot stage, I’m carrying that with me—this great tradition of entertaining people in the best way possible.” Multi-award-winning actor/singer/composer Davy Jones enjoys his Epcot performances as much as the guests. “I recognize people every year,” he said. “It’s almost like singing in front of the home crowd.” May 12–15, fans of The Monkees will hear Davy sing hits like “Daydream Believer,” and enjoy his engaging charm. “I like to make the audience feel comfortable,” he explains. “I want to make sure that we’ve all shared something special together.” The revival of Monkees songs by new artists brings Davy new fans all the time, and he still makes his older fans swoon. “When I’m at Epcot, I see the faces of the younger kids when they’re looking at their mothers when I sing—the song from The Brady Bunch or something—and I can tell they’re saying, ‘Why is she looking at him like that?’