After closing for refurbishment on March 14, after the pandemic had shaken the norms of the world for two years, Disneyland has finally reopened the original Pirates of the Caribbean ride. While the iconic ride debuted in 1967, it took a new level of interest after the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and the performance of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.
Given the current atmosphere around Depp due to the Amber Heard allegations, the actor’s connection to the franchise raised some questions about how it would affect the ride. Since 2006, characters from the films have started to appear as part of the ride to blend the worlds together. Depp’s portrayal as Sparrow is one of the main additions, with the actor even taking part himself back in 2017.
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So with Depp’s legal woes and public battles with his ex, many assumed part of the refurbishment was to remove Jack Sparrow from the ride in similar fashion to his removal from the film series. Depp last appeared in 2017, with a reboot rumored to drop him in the future.
But that didn’t happpen! Sparrow is intact and the show looks unchanged from before, though it wasn’t a smooth return. According to Deadline, the ride reopened an hour late than scheduled, featured a 45-minute wait, and has several breakdowns. This is not ideal for Disneyland officials given the reason for the closure in March was related to alleviating some of these lagging issues.
After its initial opening woes, the ride had to shut down temporarily at least two times before 2 p.m., to the frustration of fans on the ground. One fan even tweeted that the ride had falled 4 times total on July 1, making fans wonder what refurbishing went on during the off-time.
So Depp is still part of the Pirates franchise in one fashion, will the rumors turn out to be true with Depp’s return to the film series too in the wake of his legal victory over Heard? With the actor’s ex attempting to have the verdict overturned due to an alleged fake juror, that remains to be seen. But stranger things have happened.
