The History of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean Ride

Following the successful use of Audio-Animatronics in Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room attraction at Disneyland in 1963, Walt and his team of Imagineers started searching for their next big project. The idea of a pirate-themed "walk-through" ride was considered, but soon morphed into a water-based dark ride akin to the highly successful “It’s a Small World” attraction, in part because the team realized that rides that used the boat ride/water trough system could handle roughly 3,000 guests per hour, reducing wait times and entertaining more guests. Marc Davis and Blaine Gibson designed the pirates, while Bill Justice and Wathel Rogers programmed the final Audio-Animatronics figures. On March 18, 1967, shortly after the passing of Walt Disney, Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride opened. It featured engaging characters and the iconic tune, “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me),” which was composed by George Bruns with lyrics by Xavier “X” Atencio. It grew so popular that in 1973, a sister attraction was added to Walt Disney World in Florida and each additional Disney Park got its own version of the attraction, many of which featured their own unique spin. Then in 2003, the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl hit theaters. Inspired by the rides, it paid homage to the themes of the attractions while introducing audiences to a whole new cast of characters, many of whom were later added to the park rides in animatronic form. Today, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride remains one of the most iconic and beloved Disney attractions.