March 18, 1967. Pirates of the Caribbean opens in Disneyland’s
New Orleans Square on a dreary, rainy day — what some called fitting
considering the attraction’s theme. Reporters are invited onboard the
Columbia Sailing Ship where “pirates”—including Mr. Golden
Horseshoe himself, Wally Boag—dance, cavort and drink grog prior
to premiere of the first attraction to open after the death of Walt Disney
in December 1966.
The Sailing Ship Columbia prepares to participate in another kind
of Pirates premiere. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The afternoon sun shines through a movie poster strung from the ship.
Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Fast forward to June 28, 2003. The 80-something degree-day at Disneyland
turned into a clear, cool night—what the folks behind the scenes
of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, based
on Walt Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean attraction—had been praying
for. The Sailing Ship Columbia was used this time as well, although
only invited guests, celebrities and selected members of the media had
the opportunity to see it.
The giant screen was lifted onto the island in pieces by helicopter. Photo
by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Cast members make sure the bleachers are clean, and the souvenir blankets
folded. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
But before the guests even made it to the 1500-seat Sea World-like bleachers
set up around the Rivers of America, they had to walk down what was referred
to by several stars as “the world’s longest red carpet.” Many
celebrities, including Raven-Symone (That’s So Raven) and Pirates
leading lady Keira Knightly (Elizabeth Swann) regretted wearing such high
heels for the walk from the Mad Hatter shop (next to Great Moments with
Mr. Lincoln on Main Street), around the flag pole, down Main Street and
past Sleeping Beauty Castle, until reaching the entrance to Frontierland.
Disneyland’s K-9 team sniffs around the special event area. Photo by Adrienne
Vincent-Phoenix.
The rules say no recording — and Maynard is on guard to enforce them.
Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
Premiere guests ate dinner in one of five designated areas. Photo by Adrienne
Vincent-Phoenix.
After the premiere, all in attendance were treated to a seafood feast
of crab and lobster, and enjoyed sweet treats of chocolate and special
gold coins made just for the event. [Thanks to Thomas in Foods for the
delicious behind-the-scenes scoop]. They were also invited to experience
the Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye,
the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Splash Mountain and, of course,
Pirates of the Caribbean, which closed at 4 p.m. that day along with almost
the entire west side of the Park, to anyone who lacked proper identification.
The red carpet wound around Town Square, and up Main Street. Photo by
Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The red carpet lines the entirety of Main Street USA, from Town Square
(seen in the back). Fans line behind the barricade on the left, while
broadcast media take positions on the right. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Disney maps are usually printed a week at a time, but when visitors
came to Disneyland Saturday morning, they were given a special one-day-only
map Each map had a page called “Tips to Make Your Day More Magical.”
It invited visitors to view the red carpet arrivals and reminded them
that certain attractions would be closing early: 3 p.m. (Mark Twain
Riverboat
The red carpet path winds around the hub and ends abruptly at the entrance
to Frontierland, where the final roll of carpet stands ready to complete
the route. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Members of the print media wait for the celebrities to arrive. Photo by
Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The earliest closure in the history of Saturdays at the park didn’t
dampen the spirits of most visitors, even though new admissions were halted
at 6 p.m., and the entire park was closed to visitors at 9 p.m. On the
contrary, several visitors had arrived at the park as early as 5:45 a.m.,
45 minutes before the park even opened, to grab a spot along the red carpet
hoping to catch a glimpse of Pirates of the Caribbean leading men Johnny
Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow) and Orlando Bloom (Will Turner).
A crowd of Orlando Bloom fans travelled from Riverside, California—and
waited over 12 hours—just to see their favorite star. Photo by Adrienne
Vincent-Phoenix.
This group arrived even before park opening to stake their spot on the
red carpet. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Amy Jensen and Erica Abke were among the early risers and had made an
enormous sign hoping to catch Bloom’s attention. By 4 p.m., the Riverside
residents had made friends with the strangers who piled in around them
over the course of the day.
A crew of pirates entertains the crowd during the long wait. Photo by
Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Fans jockey for position to see who’s next down the carpet. Photo by Adrienne
Vincent-Phoenix.
Down the red carpet in front of the Plaza Inn were James Miller and
his wife, Noemi, who had flown in from Las Vegas and were celebrating
Noemi’s birthday by making friends with the Carroll family, who had traveled
from Vancouver, Washington. The two groups took turns saving each other’s
spots so both families could enjoy the attractions throughout the day.
Both families had known about the premiere. The Millers saw the notice
on the Disneyland Web site, while the Carrolls, who booked their vacation
through Walt Disney Travel, already had made plans to come down when they
received a phone call from the company informing them about the event.
But not all the guests that day were as fortunate as the Carrolls and
Millers.
Disney Archivist Dave Smith (left). Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Actress Jane Seymour and her husband, James Keach. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Elsie, her coworker, Dale and six others had made the trip down from
Seattle and arrived in Anaheim Friday night. They made it to the park
around 10 a.m. and were only able to enjoy a handful of attractions. They
weren’t sure if they were going to head over to Disney’s California Adventure
park or if they were just going to return to their hotel for the evening.
The group, who were sitting in front of City Hall, didn’t know about the
event and hadn’t planned to stay for the red carpet walk, but were stuck
because Elsie’s daughter had taken a spot behind the rope along Main Street.
“We can’t go, because she’s in there somewhere,” Elsie said,
gesturing to the mass of people in front of her.
Comedian Tommy Smothers. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Actress Lea Thompson. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The crowd, which enjoyed the entertainment provided by jugglers on stilts
and a accordion-playing pirate who led everyone in a singalong of “I
Fought the Law and the Law Won,” finally got its reward when, around
6:45 p.m., the Who’s Who of Orange County, Disney, and Hollywood descended
upon the red carpet.
Champion ice skater Michelle Kwan. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Actress Teri Hatcher (left). Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, regarded by many to be the finest-fielding
shortstop. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Among them: Disney Archivist Dave Smith; James Keach and Jane Seymour
(who walked down to shouts of “Dr. Quinn!”); comedian Tommy
Smothers; Giovanni Ribisi (FriendsFor the People),
who said that the evening was a great idea because it made the celebrities
feel really famous; Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap), who noted that
it was great to see Disneyland taking this kind of leap; Hall of Famer
Ozzie Smith who came in his Pittsburgh Pirates jacket and hat; Danny Bonaduce
(The Other HalfBaywatch8 Simple Rules minus John Ritter; Mr. Nigel Channing (aka Eric
Idle); skater and Golden Dreamer Michelle Kwan; Teri Hatcher (Lois
and ClarkCurly Sue) and Daryl Hannah
(star of the first Touchstone movie, Splash), who were both decked
out in pirate garb; Drew Carey (Whose Line Is it Anyway?Facts
of Life
Actress Cloris Leachman poses for a photo with her fans. Photo by Adrienne
Vincent-Phoenix.
Imagineer Tony Baxter. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
While the movie was the reason for the season, most couldn’t help but
share memories of Disneyland and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Imagineering guru Tony Baxter, who scooped ice cream at Disneyland in
1965, remembered being around when the attraction first opened, and said
that the movie premiere was the largest he’d ever seen. The sentiment
was echoed by actors Christopher MacDonald (Spy Kids 2) and Oded
Fehr (The Mummy) and Disneyland Resort President Cynthia Harriss.
Actor Enrique Murciano. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
X Games athlete Kevin Robinson takes a break from DCA’s X Games Xperience
soft opening to attend the premiere. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Randy Baumberger, Senior Vice President of Resort Operations and Sales
for the Disneyland Resort, was thrilled with the whole thing and hopes
Disneyland gets to host more world premieres. When asked if The Haunted
Mansion (starring Eddie Murphy, Don Knotts and Jennifer Tilly) would
have its premiere at the park when it opens in November of this year,
Baumberger said, “We’re certainly lobbying for it,” but that
the final decision would be up to Buena Vista Pictures.
Actor Corbin Bernsen wishes for strawberry fields forever. Photo by Adrienne
Vincent-Phoenix.
Spy Kid Daryl Sabara (left) said that the Pirates premiere was
much bigger than the premiere for his movie at Disney’s California Adventure.
Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Corbin Bernsen (Celebrity Mole) said the park was a great place
for a premiere and that it brought back a lot of memories from when he
was younger as he has been coming to Disneyland from “the day I was
born.” But he also joked, “Bring back the orange groves and
strawberry fields.”
“Spy Kid” Daryl Sabara exclaimed that this premiere was quite
the contrast from the Spy Kids 2 opening at Disney’s California
Adventure. “It’s the whole Disneyland Park!” he said.
His Spy Kids co-star, Alexa Vega, said this was the longest press
line she had ever been in, but she was very excited to see the movie and
ride Pirates of the Caribbean.
“I’ve always been scared of the pirate on the bridge whose leg hangs
down,” she said. However, she planned to face her fears and ride
the attraction again—even bringing her sisters along for support.
Marcel the Monkey sits on the shoulder of his trainer Nerissa Pulizer.
Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar signs autographs for his fans. Photo by Adrienne
Vincent-Phoenix.
So would the pirate with the hairy leg be making an appearance in The
Curse of the Black Pearl? And just how much influence did the attraction
have on the movie?
According to the production information, “the film is an homage
to the popular Disney ride, not a direct interpretation of the attraction
itself, although [filmmakers] did rely on sketches and original concept
drawings by Marc Davis, one of the ride innovators, for reference points.”
Isaac C. Singleton Jr., (Bo’sun in the film), greets the press. Photo
by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Composer Klaus Badelt wrote the movie score without ever riding Pirates
of the Caribbean. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
One part of the movie that didn’t have an attraction reference point
was the music, as composer Klaus Badelt (The Time Machine), has
never been on Pirates of the Caribbean.
“This way, there is a fresh perspective,” he said, although
“Yo Ho, Yo Ho; a Pirates Life for Me!” by X. Atencio does make
a few appearances throughout the film.
While the invitation said “topical attire,” some people opted
for the eyepatch look. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann in the film), said she wished she had
worn shorter heels. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
“The first ride we would always go on was Pirates of the Caribbean,”
explained Verbinski in the production notes. “Something in the song
and in the images of the ride is ingrained in our collective psyche. It
was very scary when I was young, yet we celebrate that macabre sensibility.
We’re trying to do a contemporary version of that while keeping the same
spirit of the ride.”
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer pointed out that, “It’s important to
give an appreciative nod to the artistry of so many people who worked
to put it together.”
Co-writer Terry Rossio noted that fans of the attraction would appreciate
certain elements in the film.
Orlando Bloom, who plays Will Turner in the film. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Orlando Bloom speaks with Orange County Film Commissioner Janice Arrington.
Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
“Marc Davis and, of course, Walt Disney, did an amazing job,”
Rossio said in the production notes. “Serious fans of the ride will
look for and recognize similarities, even in small details, such as the
crab in the sand next to the back-stabbed skeleton… So the movie
offers plenty of vignettes and tributes to the ride. But, most importantly
for us, we hope people will find the same spirit of excitement, fear and
humor they experienced when they first plummeted down into those haunted
caves.”
So did the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Movie make people
as happy as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Attraction? It depends on whom
you ask.
Johnny Depp, who plays Jack Sparrow in the film. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Actor Johnny Depp. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The Mendez Family from Salinas were not too happy to learn of the early
closure, until Disneyland signed the backs of their one-day tickets—and
the one-day tickets of any guest who wanted it—to allow them to visit
Disney’s California Adventure. While another family who visited DCA after
Disneyland closed hoped there would be another premiere soon, because
they didn’t have to wait in any lines in Fantasyland after 6 p.m.
Disney execs should have been very happy with the hundreds of guests
who made their way over to DCA from Disneyland, bought dinner and might
have enjoyed one of the additional performances of Aladdin – A
Musical Spectacular, Who Wants to be a Millionaire – Play
It! and Disney’s Electrical Parade. Visitors could also catch a “soft
open” performance of DCA’s Xtreme Xperience, which officially starts
on Tuesday.
Orlando Bloom signs autographs for an esctatic crowd. Photo by Adrienne
Vincent-Phoenix.
As for the celebrities? Judging by the buzz the film is already generating
and the reports by some cast members who worked the event, it looks like
Disney might have found gold. Yo ho!
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl opens in
theaters Wednesday, July 9.
