On any given day, if you were to look around, you’d almost certainly see something owned, created, or inspired by Disney. What began as a movie studio with a single theme park is now a multi-billion dollar worldwide conglomerate, with multiple theme parks in five different countries and reaching into all areas of entertainment. In spite of all of this, to quote Disney himself, “It all started with a Mouse.”
Mickey Mouse is, of course, synonymous with the Disney name, but over the decades, many more have stood with him regarding brand familiarity. Sure, there is a gaggle of Disney Princesses whose faces are plastered on nearly every type of merchandise you could think of; but not all Disney characters are as demure and frilly. In fact, they’re quite the opposite, behaving in a much more… shall we say, dastardly way—case in point: Captain Jack Sparrow.
Pirates of the Caribbean opened as a slow-moving water ride in Disneyland in 1967, taking riders on a rollicking journey from the bayou of Louisiana to an attack in the Spanish Main. From the safety of their boat, guests viewed now-famous scenes of rapscallion pirates besieging a village in search of treasure, who heartily drink and sing in celebration of their successful overtaking of the town, which ends up engulfed in flames.
One element missing from the ride during those early years, though, was the presence of Captain Sparrow, who today is inarguably the most recognizable aspect of Pirates of the Caribbean. What is now a hugely successful film franchise, with five installments to date, started twenty years ago this month with Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
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Released on July 9th, 2003, The Curse of the Black Pearl introduces us to Sparrow (played famously by Johnny Depp), whose quest to commandeer a ship results in him becoming embroiled in a prolonged battle against a mutinous band of undead pirates led by the charismatic Captain Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush). The overall plot of the film veers in several different directions, all of which eventually come together in the third act. The minor details and sequence of events don’t matter as much as the main components, which consist of an ancient curse, skeletal figures whose true forms are revealed in moonlight, treasure, treachery, and ornate ships.
Script work for a movie based solely on the ride began as early as the late 1990s, with Walt Disney Pictures wanting a more supernatural spin to the story, using the curse mentioned in the opening sequence of the ride as a reference. Screenwriters Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, and Stuart Beattie developed the script, fleshing out the finer details and creating the characters of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), thus ensuring the inclusion of a love story within the plot.
Intrigued by the supernatural aspect, producer Jerry Bruckheimer was convinced to join the project, with Verbinski following soon after to direct. Verbinski, in particular, was attracted to a pirate tale that would harken back to the classic age of cinema of the 1920s but would use more modern techniques to tell the story. Swashbuckling films from the days of yore starring Errol Flynn served as inspiration, as well as the aesthetic of the video game The Curse of Monkey Island, but there’s no mistaking the loving tribute to the ride that comprises The Curse of the Black Pearl.
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After its release, the movie grossed $654 million worldwide, cementing it as a bona fide smash hit, even by Disney standards. Over the last two decades, the franchise, and more specifically, the character of Jack Sparrow, has built up a fervent fanbase. So much so that the ride itself has been refurbished several times to include references to the films, as well as the animatronic inclusion of Captain Jack.
So, what is it about the Pirates of the Caribbean world (both the films and the ride) that make them so beloved? Let’s get one obvious statement out of the way right off the bat: pirates are just cool. From Treasure Island to Peter Pan to Sinbad, pirates have been a roguish fixture in storytelling for decades. They’re equally dangerous and appealing, coming across as antiquated rock stars.
Which brings us back to Jack. Depp wanted the character to be a mixture of Keith Richards, Groucho Marx, and even Bugs Bunny. His near-constant dazed, drunken demeanor makes his character so recognizable and was developed almost entirely by Depp. Yes, Jack Sparrow is a cad, a thief, and a liar, who will stop at nothing for his own personal gain, but he also exudes charisma and charm. He’s likable and flamboyant but also absurd and selfish. He’s a household name and the face of the entire franchise, including the ride that predates him by nearly 40 years.
Those of us who have ever walked through the gates of any of the Disney parks and boarded a boat that takes us from swamps to pirate-infested seas can likely describe the exhilaration that comes with the experience. The combined sense of adventure, danger, rowdiness, and amusement completely transports the rider to a time when the bad guys were unruly and aggressive, the heroes were dashing and bold, and the locales were lush and exotic. Sometimes, we all just want to be taken to that place where dead men tell no tales, the seas are clear, and treasure is bountiful.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl does all that and more. It’s a swashbuckling delight mixed with manic characters and an admittedly convoluted storyline. In some ways, an exchange between Will and Jack in the movie sums it up best, with Will musing, “This is either madness or brilliance,” and Jack replies, “It’s remarkable how often those two traits coincide.”
So, drink up, me hearties, and here’s to madness and brilliance. Savvy?
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