When the concept for Pirates began to expand to ever-grander scales, Sklar says that Imagineers realized that the attraction was larger than any space available inside the park's limited footprint. "Then, somebody figured out we could go outside of the berm if we put the attraction into a building and brought the boats to the building. The public doesn't see what's going on inside the building." (The Haunted Mansion uses a similar tactic.) "Pirates was the beginning of stretching Disneyland."
And it was a stretch in other ways as well. With its elaborate sets, scores of costumes, the characters' complicated mechanical movements, and other elements that contributed to the sheer scope of the attraction, Sklar says that Pirates "...took a huge leap of faith."
It also raised the bar by a quantum leap and changed the very nature of the theme park experience. Sklar says that in Disneyland's early days, he used to enjoy going to the ticket windows to eavesdrop on guests. "They'd say, 'I want to go on the Jungle Cruise, the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Pirates of the Caribbean...but I don't want to go on any of the rides!' I figured out that rides meant the whip or the Ferris wheel at amusement parks. The public recognized these were different. They all had stories."
The Pirates' story continues to unfold as new generations of fans set sail with the animatronic buccaneers. It's every bit as relevant and popular today as when it opened in 1967. And that, me mateys, is a testament to Walt and his crew of Imagineers--all master taletellers--that built this incredible attraction.
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Pirates of the Caribbean review
