Mermaids coming to POTC - finally confirmed by Disney Blog

[Timon'sGirl]

When is the one day rehab supposed to take place again?

[napeterson18]

It's happening overnight, so the attraction will remain open.

[flynnibus]

When is the one day rehab supposed to take place again?

It's happening overnight, so the attraction will remain open.

There is a one day closure scheduled for Oct 9. While the blog talked about doing things overnight.. work like that has been happening for quite some time already. I still think we'll see changes from that Oct 9 date.

[Timon'sGirl]

Ahh ok. Thanks.

[MJMcB]

not sure how i feel

adding the sparrow and barbosa figures were great

I like the smoke screen too

i guess we will see

[Gracy_hm]

Just wanted to say a few words on the subject.


First....Time Travel is REALITY. It is possible mathematically so no use saying it isn't I.E (dont destroy my dreams)

Insiders have said they have seen testing photos and although the mermaids first looked like figures it will be a projection effect and they will be scarey mermaids.

[JerrodDRagon]

I don't think it adds to the attraction....just like adding Jack it's just to make people say "look from the movie" then go buy it..or watch it again.....

I would not mind...little nod's to the movie but it's made a once classic ride that had only ties to the imagination into an Ad

[monorail91]

Where would they even go? I'm definitely open to the idea but the "track" is pretty full of characters/sets as it is. I'd like them in the caverns if they get rid of the stupid Barbossa/Blackbeard waterfall.

[flynnibus]

Where would they even go? I'm definitely open to the idea but the "track" is pretty full of characters/sets as it is. I'd like them in the caverns if they get rid of the stupid Barbossa/Blackbeard waterfall.

in one of the beach scenes in the caverns

[IndyFan1]

How could they possibly add animatronics and adjust lighting and install projection and test all the systems sufficiently in one day? unless there's been HEAVY work being done every night. It took them about a week to install the new Indy animatronics i believe, and there were no effects that needed to be worked in with it.

[Gracy_hm]

How could they possibly add animatronics and adjust lighting and install projection and test all the systems sufficiently in one day? unless there's been HEAVY work being done every night. It took them about a week to install the new Indy animatronics i believe, and there were no effects that needed to be worked in with it.

From what I've been told by those close you are correct and changes and testing have been done on location, audio as well.

[darkamor]

I've never been to the Magic Kingdom, so its not fair for me to comment on anything regarding the Pirates of the Caribbean (in Adventureland) .... but as a long time Disneyland fan (& with New Orleans Square as my favorite section) I appreciated the necessary rehabs & the improvements to the boats (especially the audio) but never cared for all of the changes that began in 1997 (especially the "politically correct" changes made to where Pirates used to be chasing Damsels - I feel adding food was as ignorant as almost everything Eisner ushered in). Even Imagineer Francis Xavier "X" Atencio called these modifications "Boy Scouts of the Caribbean" (& I agree!). I didn't find any of the references to the Film Franchise added anything, however I wouldn't have mind a Halloween change involving pirates turning into skeletons in moonlight. Lastly, to all of those who went on Pirates & complained over the years? it would've been best if you kept your neutered selves to Fantasyland & just stayed there! ... .

The Disney Blog was posted back on September 19th. While most of the Fans keep posting "mermaids"as a guess, there are other characters in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides which would only require a single Audio Animatronic (Angelica Teach - played by Penelope Cruz, Joshamee Gibbs - played by Kevin McNally, Captain Teague - played by Keith Richards, etc). If there are any changes I would <3 to see, it would be returning Pirates to what it originally was as a Ride (only using modern technology to enhance scenes) with a stern warning for the neuters to keep from riding if the subject matter is too much for their tastes ....


C J

[HMF]

in one of the beach scenes in the caverns

Keep in mind also for those who are familliar with the Disneyland original, The Grotto portion of the WDW ride is much shorter and lacks the time travel narrative implied in the Disneyland version containing only a smaller version of the Dead Man's Cove and Hurricane Lagoon scenes immediately after loading followed by a drop into the Battle Scene. The Mermaids are supposedly going into the Dead Mans Cove scene which is far less visually interesting in it's WDW context so I am currently cautiously optimistic but on disaster watch. In the context of the Disneyland attraction the mermaid additions would be disastrous and incompatible with what is supposed to be conveyed in the DL version.

[Dapper Dan]

If the mermaids go in the Dead Man's Cove scene it implies that the pirates in that scene were killed by evil scary mermaids as opposed to greed. That kind of muddies the overall message of the ride. Granted, Captain Jack already muddied the thing up pretty good on his own.

[film975]

When I first saw the DisneyParks blog post about this, I remember they had a picture of Barbossa in the ride on there. It got me to thinking that perhaps they are changing his ship to the Queen Anne's Revenge. That is something that wouldn't take too long to install in the ride.