VIDEO: Celebrate 53 Years of Pirates of the Caribbean with a FULL History of the Classic Attraction, Plus a Prop & Memorabilia Tour, and More!

Jessica Figueroa

VIDEO: Celebrate 53 Years of Pirates of the Caribbean with a FULL History of the Classic Attraction, Plus a Prop & Memorabilia Tour, and More!

You could say we’ve been navigating some rough waters lately, but that’s no reason to miss the anniversary of one of our favorite iconic attractions: Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean.

Having opened on March 18, 1967, Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland was the last attraction that Walt Disney himself participated in designing. The attraction debuted three months after his death, but was an instant hit. In celebration of the attraction’s 53rd anniversary, we’ve rounded up some great content chronicling the attraction’s storied history, from a full, 4-hour Back to the Future segment on the full history of Pirates of the Caribbean, to a full tour of incredible props and memorabilia from the 2017 D23 Expo, and finally, a ride-through of one of our favorite versions of Pirates of the Caribbean from Disneyland Paris. Avast there, mateys! It’s time to celebrate 53 years of Pirates of the Caribbean!

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History of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean – Back to the Future LIVE!

Join WDWNT for an in depth look at the complete history of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean attractions as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the original on March 18, 1967 at Disneyland. (This BTTF segment was originally recorded on March 13, 2017 in celebration of the attraction’s 50th anniversary, and it was actually one of the first-ever Back to the Future LIVE! recordings ever!)

Do note that the video was recorded before the attraction’s scheduled refurbishment that ultimately brought the controversial auction scene change in 2018. In June 2018, the auction scene with the Redhead was changed in a controversial re-imagining of the character during a scheduled refurbishment. Previously, the Redhead was the prized item at a wench auction. Now, the character, renamed Redd, is a pirate herself, taking on the role of auctioneer as she seeks to profit off the goods she’s plundered. That same refurbishment also included three changes to the tunnel scene following the treasure room: the mist waterfall (and Davy Jones/Blackbeard narration) was removed entirely, the original 1967 narration by Paul Frees was reinstated, and a scene was added at the end of the cave, depicting a skeleton transforming into a live pirate as the boat passes by.

A Pirate’s Life for Me Exhibit – Theme Park Props and Memorabilia from Pirates of the Caribbean

Take a tour of the 2017 D23 Expo’s Dead Men Tell New Tales: “Walt Disney Archives Presents—A Pirate’s Life for Me” exhibit, which featured over 350 artifacts on display!

Pirates of the Caribbean – Full Ride POV – Disneyland Paris

It may not be the first (it’s actually the fourth) version of this classic attraction, but it’s one of our favorite versions of it. Check out a full ride POV video of Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland Paris, which is housed in a battle-scarred fortress at the back of the park.

Happy 53rd birthday to one of the most incredible feats of Imagineering that was ever created. Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!