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New Rides To Topple Contentious Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland

Just days after yet another Pirates of the Caribbean breakdown at Walt Disney World Resort, replacements for the controversial ride at Disneyland Resort were proposed.

Related: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Canceled: Disney Releases Urgent Notice

Despite its age, Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the least stagnant Disney Parks attractions. In the mid-2000s, Walt Disney Imagineering updated the boat ride at Magic Kingdom Park and Disneyland Park to include Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) animatronics. In the late 2010s, they gave an outdated bride auction scene a feminist twist by turning the female animatronics into pirates.

Nevertheless, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride still draws ire. In 2023, a guest amassed social media attention after stating that she felt ogled by the male pirate animatronics.

“I just think this is kind of a weird ride,” she explained. “I don’t know… It’s just a little bit rapey.”

The auctioneer in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Resort holding a whip in his hand with a woman from the town holding a hen and a basked of eggs and a pirate beside him
Credit: Ed Aguila, Inside the Magic

Related: Character Gives Emergency Signal as Brawl Breaks Out Among Disneyland Paris Guests

Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort aren’t planning to get rid of Pirates of the Caribbean anytime soon, but things are changing. Disneyland Park removed Captain Jack Sparrow from Fantasmic! and Magic Kingdom Park recently shuttered its adjacent restaurant, Tortuga Tavern. Imagineers previously announced a Pirates of the Caribbean bar but haven’t provided updates.

After another Pirates of the Caribbean ride breakdown last week, Disney Parks fans on Reddit discussed other non-intellectual-property-based attractions they’d like to see at Disneyland Resort. (Think Haunted Mansion or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad instead of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance or Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission – BREAKOUT!.)

“They’d never do it due to the performance of the movies, a land based on Atlantis or Treasure Planet would be awesome,” u/Plutosanimationz wrote.

Guests riding a Pirates of the Caribbean boat at Tokyo Disneyland.
Credit: Tokyo Disneyland

“I’d love to see something futuristic in Disneyland,” said u/freewarriorwoman. “Tomorrowland could really use a long ride. That area of the park is a dud. So maybe a dark ride in a space ship through space where you come in contact with Martians, space stations, etc. that would be super neat!”

Tomorrowland was a popular choice for a new, non-IP attraction’s location.

“With technology the way it is right now and as Disney is high on screen rides, I thought it would be cool to bring back ‘Adventure Thru Inner Space’ or something similar,” u/LoveForDisneyland replied. “Tomorrowland has TONS of great ideas for non-IP space ideas that can co-exist with Space Mountain.”

Space Mountain at Tomorrowland in Disneyland Park at night
Credit: Disney

Others were less optimistic about original concepts ever returning to Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park.

“I have decided the reason Disney won’t create any new rides that aren’t IP based is because upper level management doesn’t truly believe in the creativity of their staff,” u/LeaveMeAloneLoki argued. “They fear the risk.”

u/wilcobanjo argued that Disneyland Resort has always been the place to promote intellectual property:

“Thinking about Disney’s intention to base all attractions off IP from now on, I just realized that they have WAY more IP to work with now than when Disneyland opened in 1955. Not only do they have 70 more years’ worth of movies and cartoons, but they’ve acquired properties like Marvel and Star Wars. And using the parks to promote movies isn’t new – Sleeping Beauty hadn’t been released when the park opened, so the castle was used to create interest in the movie.”

What original ride concept would you like to see at Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort? Share your ideas with us in the comments. 

Jess Colopy

Jess Colopy is a Disney College Program alum and kid-at-heart. When she’s not furiously typing in a coffee shop, you can find her on the hunt for the newest Stitch pin.

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