'Pirates of Caribbean' ride sails again

Sound, lighting and some robots have been improved.
By SCOTT POWERS
ORLANDO SENTINEL
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Call it the "Pirates of the Caribbean featuring Capt. Jack Sparrow."
The anticipated reworking of Walt Disney World's classic ride "Pirates of the Caribbean" had its grand reopening Friday -- the same day "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," the second movie of the franchise, opened in theaters nationwide.
The old ride, which inspired the first "Pirates" movie, was the last attraction personally supervised by Walt Disney before his death in 1966. Since the changes were announced in February, many longtime fans had expressed concern that Disney might compromise the ride by turning it into a shill for the movies.
The ride's story does change, slightly, but bears no resemblance to the movie plots. Disney has added the movie characters of Capt. Barbossa and Capt. Jack Sparrow, played respectively by Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp.
And at least a few longtime fans, such as Joanne Quinn, 58, and her daughter Julie Collier, 36, both of Boston, said last week they were not disappointed after getting a chance to preview the ride during a "soft opening."
"It looked so authentic to me. I loved it," Quinn said.
True to original
Show producer Kathy Rogers, of Walt Disney Imagineering, said she had insisted the new version remain true to the original, as much to pay homage to the show's first designers, Marc Davis and Blaine Gibson, as to appease loyal fans. The reason the ride has been so successful -- it opened at Disneyland in 1967 and at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in 1973 -- is because of the original designers' vision, she said.
"We have such reverence for Marc Davis' storytelling," Rogers said. "This is not about making it the movie ride."
In the original ride story, pirates invade an island town, loot it, and terrorize the people into revealing where gold is hidden. The old pirate captain has now been replaced by Barbossa figures. Barbossa and his pirates are still looking for the gold -- but they also know that Sparrow is in town, and they seek him as well.