The first version

Image: DisneyOne of the stated aims of Disney Imagineering is to plus attractions. They want to refresh their rides to maintain their appeal with modern theme park tourists. Despite this philosophy, some of the original Disneyland attractions like Peter Pan’s Flight and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride have maintained their format since day one.

With Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney has employed a different strategy. It's evolved mightily, but once the general format was established, the changes didn't start for quite some time. That format, the dark ride through pirate-infested waters, is the one that you know today. After Uncle Walt chose to drop the museum, he went an entirely different way with the concept.

Because of the success of AAs at the World’s Fair, particularly Abraham Lincoln, he went all-in on the premise with Pirates of the Caribbean. It started with approximately 120 AAs. For comparison, the previous record for AAs used was…one.

Image: DisneyPark guests in 1967 marveled at the life-like qualities of the pirates on display on the attraction. One of the Imagineers, Blaine Gibson, struck gold with his philosophy. He understood that guests would only have a few seconds to appreciate each animated pirate, and so he built each one as slightly larger than life. They took on a cartoonish but memorable quality.

Imagineers did such a magnificent job in constructing lifelike sets that their quest for perfection caused unexpected problems. The city of Anaheim famously feared the realism of the burning set scene. The flames were artificial, but city officials believed that some visitors couldn’t tell the difference. That anecdote speaks to the immediate greatness of Pirates of the Carribean.

Thirty years later…

Image: DisneyObviously, the earliest version of Pirates of the Caribbean wasn’t the least bit politically correct. This aspect would prove problematic for later generations. As the embodiment of family-friendly entertainment, Disney probably should have anticipated eventual criticisms of the ride.

By the mid-1990s, many people loudly wondered why Pirates of the Caribbean leaned so heavily into misogyny. In one indefensible example, a woman cowered in a barrel while a drunken pirate searched for potential recipients of his lustful feelings. Even 20 years before the #metoo era, the idea of playing sexual assault for comedic effect was in poor taste.

Disney chose this scene and another for modifications. The barrel change involves the famous Pooped Pirate. He’s sitting down because he’s so worn out after chasing the terrified woman. Disney fired these AAs and replaced them with the Gluttonous Pirate and a cat. The former gentleman loves food and is happily devouring a drumstick. The feline rather than the woman hides in the barrel, presumably to protect the giant piece of fish in his mouth.

Image: DisneyThe second set piece showcased pirates chasing unwilling women around town. It’s the infamous spinning circle chase sequence. Enterprising park executives changed it only slightly. They gave the women alcohol and food on trays. This alteration suggests that the pirates want to eat and drink rather than, *ahem*, pillage.

Just to show how much society has changed since 1997, these alterations were universally hailed as positives.  A similar decision two decades later triggered a Twitter flame war that lasted for months. The internet has made us fightier.