Pirates of the Caribbean: Every Movie Scene Taken From The Disney Ride

In the Pirates of the Caribbean films, there are a lot of references to the ride at Disneyland that inspired them. The franchise’s beloved inspiration point is ironic, given that Michael Eisner, then CEO of Disney, initially resisted making a movie based on a Disneyland ride. The embarrassing failure of The Country Bears – another Disney film based on a Disneyland ride – suggested to him that it was a bad idea.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was Disney’s response to the lucrative and epic fantasy trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. Disney wanted their own epic fantasy trilogy, so, in 2003, The Curse of the Black Pearl became the first PG-13 film Disney released under the Walt Disney Pictures name. When Eisner finally saw the project in development, he conceded that it had potential – though he insisted on removing several overt references to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride to distance the two entities from each other in case the movie was a flop. But the risk that Disney took on Pirates of the Caribbean paid off; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides still hold spots among the top 50 highest-grossing films. Even the latest installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, did well globally with a gross of $794 million.

Though the Pirates of the Caribbean films have been profitable for Disney and popular among audiences, Pirates of the Caribbean was a group of theme park rides in Disney Parks long before it was a movie. Disneyland’s original Pirates of the Caribbean has impressively detailed sets, props, costumes, and more than a hundred Audio-Animatronics (Disney’s trademarked term for their robotic characters) thoughtfully crafted by Imagineers (Disney’s trademarked portmanteau of “imagination” and “engineering”). There is a lot to see and a lot to miss on this ride, even after experiencing it multiple times. There are plenty of details for the movies to reference – and each of the five Pirates of the Caribbean films does so at least twice. Here is every one of them.

The Bayou (Tia Dalma’s House) Dead Man’s Chest

Shortly after boarding their boats, guests float along the river between the faux outdoor seating of an actual Disneyland restaurant – The Blue Bayou – and several shacks on stilts surrounded by trees. An old man sits on the porch of one of the shacks, slowly plucking notes from “Oh! Susanna” and “Camptown Races” on a banjo. This calm, outdoor scene sets the mood for the ride and provides ambiance for the restaurant at Disneyland, but neither the bayou scene nor The Blue Bayou restaurant exists in the version of the ride at Walt Disney World in Florida. In Dead Man’s Chest, the crew visits Tia Dalma, who lives in a shack on a bayou – much like the one from Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland. The fireflies and trees surrounding Tia Dalma’s shack are also drawn from the ride.

“Yo Ho (A Pirates Life For Me)” The Curse of the Black Pearl, At World’s End

“Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me)” was written by composer George Bruns and Imagineer Xavier Atencio for Pirates of the Caribbean. On the ride, a slow instrumental version is played in Dead Man’s Cove and the song is later performed in its entirety by a jolly band of pirates.

In the opening scene of The Curse of the Black Pearl, a young Elizabeth sings the part of the first verse. Later, Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) sing the song while stranded on an island. The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End both conclude with lines from “Yo Ho (A Pirates Life For Me)” sung by Captain Jack Sparrow: “… and really bad eggs. Drink up, me ‘earties, yo ho!”

A similar-sounding but very different song is sung by the pirates at the gallows and Elizabeth in Singapore during At World’s End – “Hoist the Colours,” which was written for the film and includes the phrase “Yo Ho,” but is not related to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

The Drop (The Waterfall to Davy Jones’ Locker) At World’s End

The Curse of the Black Pearl had initially been planned to include a water flume at Isla de Muerta, which would have closely resembled the two drops included on Pirates of the Caribbean that take park guests from the bayou down into Dead Man’s Cove, but the scene was cut due to costs – and Michael Eisner’s hesitance to reference the ride. After the financial and critical success of the franchise had been secured, a waterfall scene was added to the third Pirates of the Caribbean film, At World’s End.

At World’s End pays homage to the drop by using clips of audio and quotes from the ride during the scene where the Black Pearl sails over the edge of the world and drops down the large waterfall into Davy Jones’ Locker. Before going over the waterfall, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) says to Elizabeth, “You may not survive to pass this way again and these be the last friendly words you’ll hear,” a direct quote from the ride. The lively tune of “Yo Ho (A Pirates Life For Me) and another quote from the ride are played together after the Black Pearl falls into the abyss: “Strike your colors, you bloomin’ cockroaches. Dead men tell no tales!”

Dead Man’s Cove (Isla de Muerta) The Curse of the Black Pearl

After the prologue to the ride on the bayou, riders plummet down two waterfalls and enter Dead Man’s Cove – but the island that was inspired by Dead Man’s Cove doesn’t appear until the end of The Curse of the Black Pearl as Isla de Muerta. The skeletons in Dead Man’s Cove are from the pirates who appear later in the ride, pillaging and burning a small town.

One of the skeletons from Dead Man’s Cove has a brief but obvious cameo in The Curse of the Black Pearl. When William Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Jack Sparrow sail up to the beach at Isla de Muerta, there is a crab-covered skeleton with a sword through its back. This foreshadows Jack’s betrayal, but it’s also a reference to Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland.

“Dead men tell no tales…” (Title) Dead Men Tell No Tales

Though the idiom existed long before Pirates of the Caribbean came to Disneyland, the fifth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise likely gets its name from the voiceover of a ghost who issues the ominous warning to park guests in Dead Man’s Cove: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Skeleton Captain (Teaser Poster) The Curse of the Black Pearl

As riders exit Dead Man’s Cove, they pass by a skeleton at the helm of a ship in a storm. The most well-known poster for The Curse of the Black Pearl features Will, Jack, and Elizabeth, but an early teaser poster included this image taken from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Skeleton Drinking Rum (Barbossa) The Curse of the Black Pearl

In the Crew’s Quarters scene of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, a pirate skeleton drinks wine – or possibly rum – that passes through his ribcage and out of his body. This skeleton is referenced in The Curse of the Black Pearl when the cursed Captain Barbossa uncorks a bottle of wine, drinks from it while in his skeletal form, and the wine trickles down his ribcage and splashes onto the ground.

Skeleton in Bed with Mounted Skull (Ponce de León’s Bed) On Stranger Tides

Just beyond the Crew’s Quarters are the Captain’s Quarters, where the skeleton of a pirate captain is in an ornate bed, map and magnifying glass in hand. The design of the bed includes a skull mounted on the headboard. One of the few overt references to the ride in On Stranger Tides occurs toward the end of the movie. There is a scene on board the Santiago where Jack and Barbossa are shown sitting on a bed with a skull mounted on the headboard and the skeleton of Ponce de Leon between them – map and magnifying glass in hand.

Treasure Room (Isla de Muerta) The Curse of the Black Pearl

After passing through the captain’s quarters on Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland, the boat sails on to the treasure room. A voiceover warns that the treasure is cursed as park guests look upon a skeleton sitting atop a pile of gold. Cursed gold drives the plot of The Curse of the Black Pearl and the piles of gold in the caverns of Isla de Muerta are a nod to this ride scene. The chest of cursed Aztec gold stolen by Cortés was added to the treasure room following the release of The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Pirate Battle (Attack on Port Royal) The Curse of the Black Pearl

After leaving the treasure room, the boats pass through a dark cavern and under a “waterfall” of fog. When the boats emerge, they are in the middle of an intense battle between pirates and the Spanish army. Canons “splash” in the water and the score written by Hans Zimmer for The Curse of the Black Pearl plays in the background.

One of the alterations to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride following the release of The Curse of the Black Pearl was the addition of Barbossa to the pirate battle scene, but the Barbossa animatronic has since been removed and replaced with the original animatronic captain. However, Geoffrey Rush’s voiceover as Barbossa remains – shouting commands and demanding that Jack Sparrow be handed over as his crew attacks the Spanish army at Isla Tesoro.

Though this scene is not identical to the battle that takes place in The Curse of the Black Pearl, it is reminiscent of the Black Pearl’s attack on Port Royal in search of the last cursed medallion.

Wicked Wench (Young Jack Captains the Wicked Wench) Dead Men Tell No Tales

During the pirate battle on Pirates of the Caribbean, a pirate ship called the Wicked Wench attacks a Spanish port on Isla Tesoro. In a flashback scene from Dead Men Tell No Tales, a young Jack Sparrow captains the Wicked Wench – a subtle nod to the ride and one of the only references in the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film.

Puerto Dorado (Tortuga) The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End

On the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, pirates defeat the Spanish soldiers at Isla Tesoro and continue to pillage the town of Puerto Dorado. The scenes at Puerto Dorado are full of Audio-Animatronics. Most of these characters have canonical names given to them by Disney’s Imagineers and appear briefly in various Pirates of the Caribbean films – particularly in scenes that take place at Tortuga.

In The Curse of the Black Pearl, a pirate sits under a barrel of ale with his mouth open while the ale pours out. In a deleted Tortuga scene from The Curse of the Black Pearl, a woman chases a man inside the tavern as Will, Jack, and Mr. Gibb enter – both of which occur on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The crew returns to Tortuga briefly in Dead Man’s Chest and at the end of At World’s End.

Redd (Scarlett) The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End

Though she is called Scarlett in the movie, the character was based on a woman named Redd, who appears in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Previously known as “The Redhead,” this character was rebranded in 2017 following the removal of the controversial “bride auction” scene. The Redhead became a pirate and her name was changed to Redd.

Scarlett appears in the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films in Tortuga. She is the woman who first slaps Jack across the face when he arrives at Tortuga in The Curse of the Black Pearl then similarly slaps Will in Dead Man’s Chest. Scarlett’s last film appearance is at the end of At World’s End when Jack and his crew have returned to Tortuga.

Magistrate Carlos (Mayor Dunked in Well) Dead Man’s Chest

After pirates have overrun the town of Puerto Dorado, they tie up Magistrate Carlos and repeatedly dunk him in the well. This scene was adapted on screen for The Curse of the Black Pearl but was later removed. The footage was reused in Dead Man’s Chest when Jack, Will, and Mr. Gibb return to Tortuga to fetch ninety-nine souls and pay Jack Sparrow’s debt to Davy Jones.

The Scalawag (Mr. Gibb) The Curse of the Black Pearl 

Also in the pillaging scene of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, a pirate is shown asleep beside some pigs. The sleeping pirate remained unnamed until 2006 when a line of Pirates of the Caribbean ride figurines was released and he was called “The Scalawag.” Though it’s unclear whether Mr. Gibb’s character was based on The Scalawag, Mr. Gibb first appears in The Curse of the Black Pearl asleep with pigs.

Old Bill (Man Giving Rum to Cat) On Stranger Tides

Old Bill can be seen on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride during the burning of Puerto Dorado giving rum to a stray cat. In the On Stranger Tides, Old Bill is tucked in the corner of a tavern – also giving rum to some cats – though this direct reference to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was deleted from the final cut of On Stranger Tides.

Prison Dog (Dog with Keys) The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End

The Prison Dog is perhaps the most well-known reference to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. On the ride, three imprisoned pirates tempt the dog who holds the keys to the cell. One pirate offers a bone while another holds a rope, probably hoping to lasso the dog if it gets close enough. The dog does not budge.

This is nearly identical to the Prison Dog’s first scene during The Curse of the Black Pearl – except there are four pirates, not three. The prisoners eventually escape when cannon fire from the Black Pearl blows a hole in the prison wall. Jack Sparrow is left alone, stuck in the next cell over. He tempts the dog with a bone and the dog begins inching closer until a loud noise frightens him away. The Prison Dog is later seen in a boat with Pintel and Ragetti and then again on the beach in Dead Man’s Chest. In At World’s End, Captain Teague summons the dog to bring the keys that unlock the book containing the POTC series’ version of the pirate’s code.

Barrels of Gunpowder Hanging from Rope (Barrels of Gunpowder Used to Fight the Kraken) Dead Man’s Chest

The final scene of Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland (aside from a small vignette that features an Audio-Animatronic Jack Sparrow, who was added in 2006) takes place in Puerto Dorado’s underground arsenal, which has caught fire – thanks to the pirates. But the pirates are now too drunk to notice the danger surrounding them and haphazardly fire their pistols whilst several barrels of gunpowder dangle from a rope overhead.

In Dead Man’s Chest, the Black Pearl is attacked by the Kraken and the crew’s plan to drive it away includes hoisting barrels of gunpowder and kegs of rum into the air and waiting for the moment when the Kraken is in range. Jack Sparrow shoots the barrels, creating a massive explosion that severely injures – but does not kill – the Kraken. This is an unconfirmed reference, but the visual is strikingly similar.

Pirates of the Caribbean is a classic Disneyland attraction, beloved by many. It’s been estimated that as many as 400 million people have experienced the ride since its opening in 1967 and fascination with the ride has only grown since the release of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie – a movie that honors the adventuring and mysterious spirit of the ride while telling a swashbuckling, supernatural story of its own.

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