• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
MousePlanet – your resource for all things Disney

MousePlanet - your resource for all things Disney

You are here: Home / Disneyland / Bad Show!

Bad Show!

June 26, 2003 by Lani Teshima

As the public waits in anticipation for the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl to open on Wednesday, July 9, the folks at Disney are scrambling like mad to get ready for the big gala world premiere in Disneyland.

The theory must have sounded romantic and exciting on paper: Use the original Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in New Orleans Square as the backdrop for the world premiere. Since the Rivers of America already serves to provide a theater layout for the Fantasmic show, turn the area into a big grandstand. Cut no corners, make it as extravagant and as elaborate as possible.

We wonder if the management considered all of the regular guests during all the construction for the premiere. Scaffolding,

detour signs, congestion, roped-off areas, blocked views… in two words:

bad show.

We are hearing some comments from MousePlanet readers about the conditions

of the park this week. One person told us that the manner in which the

west side of Disneyland has been overrun with bleachers and screens for

the movie premiere is “absolutely appalling.” “Geez,”

the reader said. “Let’s just trash the park for the premiere of a

movie based on a ride… in the park! And who cares if you can barely

get to Pirates [of the Caribbean] because of this mess?”

So will all this hullaballoo help create big buzz for the movie? We’re

not sure Disney needs to cater to the premiere attendants so much; we

have a very special sneak peek movie review from Moxie, who is involved

in the entertainment industry. Moxie saw a not-quite-finished-cut version

of the movie this past Saturday, and word is that this movie has “hit”

written all over it.

Pirates attraction fans should not be disappointed. The movie pays homage

to the attraction in numerous places, as Moxie reports. Be warned, there are some spoilers in the review below, read at your own risk (though the photos and captions are safe).


Sneak Mini-Movie Review — Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

by Moxie

Just saw the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie on Saturday night, and it’s really quite good. I wasn’t expecting much, I’ll admit, but I was very pleasantly surprised. There are lots of laughs (as one would expect from the writers of Shrek), fantastic special effects and plenty of adventure.


Detour sign: At the entrance to Frontierland, a sign tells visitors that

all access to New Orleans Square and Critter Country is through Adventureland,

to the left. MousePlanet photo.


Welcome to the new outdoor Frontierland Movie Theater: The bleachers and

the screen on Tom Sawyer Island become visible from the front of the Golden

Horseshoe Saloon. There is access for the Stage Door Cafe, Riverbelle

Terrace, and Pirates of the Carribean. MousePlanet photo.

The first time you see actor Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, he’s
proudly perched atop the crow’s nest of what you assume is a grand ship.
But a full shot reveals that it’s actually a ratty little boat, which
is slowly sinking as it pulls into the harbor. Depp literally steps directly
from the mast to the dock without missing a beat just as the boat disappears
beneath the water. This pretty much sets the tone for his character for
the rest of the film.


A renovated Fantasmic? Think again: The giant screen rises on Tom

Sawyer Island. MousePlanet photo.


Normally an open promenade, the area now looks like the sidelines of a

football field. The wall bleachers along the edges of the Rivers of America

would be a great place to sit for Fantasmic. MousePlanet photo.

This is especially a great movie for Disneyland fans, with just enough

references to the ride but not too many to take away from the story.

As far as nods to the ride, part of the theme song is sung by characters

at three separate points: the very beginning, in the middle, and at the

end. The jail scene is faithfully re-created, complete with whistles and

dialogue taken right from the ride. Johnny Depp’s character even comments

from a neighboring cell, “That dog is never going to move,”

which made me laugh, because that’s what I always say.

There are probably even more references that I missed, but I’m sure I’ll

catch them the second time around, as I’m definitely planning to see it

again when it comes out.


Crowd control: Signs and cast members direct visitors to stay to the right

as they enter Adventureland. MousePlanet photo.


The already-crowded walkways are even more congested on the route towards

Tarzan’s Treehouse. MousePlanet photo.

Younger children might be a little scared by the skeletons, but otherwise

I can’t really see the reasoning for the PG-13 rating. And they’ll love

the sight gags, the best of which is Depp’s character’s entrance (described

above).

Other scenes re-created from the ride are the sand crab next to the skeleton stabbed with a sword in its back, and the pirate sleeping with the pigs. I think Geoffrey Rush has some dialogue taken from the pirate captain on the ship as well.

The design of the village and the pirate town is very reminiscent of the ride, though not a complete replica.


At Tarzan’s Treehouse at the end of the Adventureland bottleneck, visitors

are directed to the left, up and over the Pirates bridge, to enter New

Orleans Square. MousePlanet photo.


The open-air cafe of Riverbelle Terrace is normally a nice place to enjoy

lunch with a view. The bleachers erected along Rivers of America, however,

provide an exceptional view from Riverbelle Terrace… of steel piping.

MousePlanet photo.

There’s even a hidden Mickey in the movie! Personally, I would have missed it if my friend hadn’t nudged me and pointed it out. We didn’t see a finished print, so I don’t know if they’ll keep it, but it was cool to see it.

If you wish to know where the hidden Mickey is, scroll to the bottom of this page or click here.


The Royal Street Verandah is closed, so its seating area can be used as

an alternate entrance into the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. MousePlanet

photo.


The view from the corner near Cafe Orleans. The Rivers of America are

directly ahead, Pirates of the Caribbean is to the right. MousePlanet

photo.

I actually got the chance to interview the cast and the writers on Sunday,

including Johnny (who still had the gold teeth in), Orlando and Kiera

(but not Geoffrey Rush).

They all seemed genuinely excited about the movie as well as the Disneyland

screening on Saturday night. Orlando has never actually been on the ride

and is looking forward to going for the first time on Saturday at the

premiere.

One of the writers (Stuart Barrie, who is credited with the “screen

story”) told me that he had originally had the wench-chasing scene

in the script, but the Disney execs thought it was too un-PC and made

him take it out (much like what happened with the ride).


The path along the Rivers of America affords a delightful view of the

backside of the risers. MousePlanet photo.


Tom Sawyer Island and the giant screen are visible through a gap between

the risers. MousePlanet photo.

Hidden Mickey Spoiler Warning

In the first night scene, as the clouds part away from the full moon,

they briefly form a Mickey head before floating away.

Author

  • Lani Teshima
    Lani Teshima

    View all posts

Filed Under: Disneyland

Primary Sidebar

Categories

MousePlanet has a new home!

Welcome to the new home (and new look) of MousePlanet! We’re currently performing a long overdue replatforming of our site to utilize newer technology and provide a cleaner experience for you, our readers.

The site is still a work in progress. We know that some features are not fully operational yet, but our crackerjack team of ninja hamsters is working to bring the site back to full functionality as quickly as possible.

To sate the demands of those who can never get enough of MousePlanet, our decades of articles and park Updates are again available, but there remains work to be done, including getting many more of our images optimized and loading properly. Thanks for your support!

Ready to book your next Disney vacation?

As always, the experts at MousePlanet’s travel partner Get Away Today are ready to guide the way and help you plan the best vacation ever.

Book your travel

 

Footer

MousePlanet is your independent consumer guide to Disney travel and vacations, covering Disneyland, Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line. Look to MousePlanet for daily news, weekly theme park updates, and detailed travel and resort guides for your favorite Disney destinations. As with any endeavor of this size and complexity, we couldn't hope to succeed without the assistance of our readers. We encourage you to submit news, updates and feedback from your Disney travels.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • About MousePlanet
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

MousePlanet is not associated in any official way with the Walt Disney Company, its subsidiaries. or its affiliates. The official Disney site is available at www.disney.com. This MousePlanet Web site provides independent news articles, commentary, editorials, reviews. and guides about the Walt Disney Co. All information on this site is subject to change. Please contact destinations in advance to confirm the most up-to-date information.

Copyright © 2025 Mouseplanet.com ยท Log in