No End of Year List

By this time in years past, I have posted on "The Best of Year______", my hopes and dreams for the coming one, and my disappointments and delights from the previous year. Not today. From the highs (like a trip to Rome and Paris with some of our best friends) to the lows (loss of a parent and more), 2023 was certainly a mixed bag. So as you celebrate the end of the year and the new one coming, know that in the midst of life's ups and downs, there's a whole new eternal life to consider. Jesus is calling people to himself. Is He calling you?

When Disney Does Something Right

Let's be honest: Disney deserves much of the criticism sent their way. Robert Iger and the corporate leadership has lost its direction and forgotten its roots and what made them great. However, Imagineering (again) did something right. Very right. Working with the Make A Wish foundation, they granted this young man's dream to become an Imagineer.

So, kudos to the team for doing something beyond themselves. Well done, Imagineering! Well done!

(Video copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

From Our Family to Yours

As you enjoy time with your family and friends, it is our prayer that the peace and joy of the Christmas season be with you! May the love of Jesus fill your heart and renew your hope. May He give you new life and a fresh beginning as you look to Him. 

Unplanned Pregnancy

What could he do? His girlfriend was now carrying someone else's child. They both knew that was the truth, and he was confused. It was her choice. What a mess! What was she thinking now? Abortion wasn't an option for her. She was certain the baby deserved to live. But how could she walk this out?

People were talking, making the entire matter much harder than it had to be. But you know how people are! They love to gossip and slander and make themselves look better than others. Soon the news was everywhere, and people were looking at her growing belly. Even her relatives felt the need to comment on the situation. One woman even told her she knew this would happen. Can you picture yourself saying that to someone? Wow! What is it with people? God had been so gracious to this older woman in her own shame, taking it away, but she had to open her mouth and say something. The young woman's response to her was very gracious. She believed  even unplanned and unexpected events had a purpose. In an odd turn, the younger woman agreed to move in and help the older one who needed some special assistance. For three months, she stayed to help her. Imagine that!

Eventually, the couple both felt compelled to travel to his hometown. She was close to having the baby now. Flying wasn't an option, so they packed up their bags and took to the road. It was a long, hard trip. The countryside was beautiful, but then she went into labor. No one could help.  She delivered the baby, and they did the best they could to keep him warm and safe.

There were folks living in the fields nearby who worked in animal sciences. They'd heard about what had happened from someone they didn't expect. Even under the circumstances, the news hit that this was something to be glad about. 

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praying God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

(From the accounts in the books of Matthew and Luke. Copyright Mark Taft.)

Figment Asks "Can They Imagine, too?"

Now that Imagineer Zach Riddley's EPCOT seems almost complete, like many fans of Figment, I'd make a hard to disprove case that the original EPCOT Center attraction Journey into Imagination is the most beloved Disney attraction created since Pirates of the Caribbean. Before that, I say the most beloved attraction title was given to Disneyland's opening day classic Peter Pan's Flight. I'll be very, very curious to see how the revisions to the second park at Walt Disney World bring in the crowds, ie. increased attendance or flattened. Are Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, The Journey of Water inspired by Moana and the new night time show Luminous enough?  Will all the changes enhance Epcot's reputation among guests too young to remember when it was great? If it doesn't succeed, the Imagineers can always come back to Figment as they always do when they need a boost in revue and fan excitement. Fans of the purple dragon and his friend Dreamfinder will lap it all up. This one included.  

(Photograph copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Christmas Family Devotional 2023- Week Three

Our final devotional for the year should not be the last one. God is good all the time, and focusing on Him each day brings peace, joy, and hope in a world that is sorely lacking in all three. How our hearts long for a connection with our Heavenly Father! 

December 21 - 31

Time of Praise
Open the book of Psalms together.
Show your children how often the word “praise” appears.
Lead prayers and statements of praise. It’s ok if they repeat your words. They are learning by your example. 

Time of Confession
Read 1 John 1:9 and Psalms 103:11, 12 together.
Point out that a perfect love like God’s can only truly wipe out our sins so that they are not held against us. This is hard for all of us to believe.

Model a prayer that God builds a humble spirit in them, making them willing to confess their sins, and trains them to look to God as their only true source of forgiveness.


Time of Thanksgiving
Read Psalms 136 together.
Encourage your kids to repeat the line “His love endures forever” each time they hear it read. As you do this with them, pray that thanksgiving grows in their hearts.

Lead children to ask God to build a sincere gratefulness in their hearts.

____________

May God bless you this Christmas season with the greatest gift- 

a strengthened relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who paid the price for your sin by dying on the cross in your place.

(Devotional copyright Mark Taft.)

A Little Night Music

Well, truthfully, it's a little afternoon music. After our visit to Rome's incredible Colosseum, we walked a bit and wondered into an area that was definitely a locals hangout. As we entered the restaurant and rounded the corner, there stood three small chairs and a turntable on top of one of them. Being a music lover, I just had to get a photo of what seemed like old school Rome. More trip report coming up soon, including the coolest thing we've ever done and the world's most beautiful restaurant.

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Guilty of Murder and Set Free

I was so moved by this story of indifference to compassion, I knew I had to share it when I first read it. In our world of selfishness, chaos, depravity, and disillusionment, it's refreshing to read of a person brave enough to acknowledge and encounter their part in it and make a change.
-------
"I was an abortionist. The abortion industry isn't willing to prioritize patient safety. I was pro-choice for decades. I performed abortions and had an abortion myself. Can't we all at least agree on importance of safety in the industry?

I’ve killed more people than Ted Bundy.

Coming to terms with the fact that I was a professional mass murderer was devastating, but it compelled me to speak the truth.

I began my medical career believing the modern clichés that women must have total control over our bodies, and that it’s irresponsible and unethical to bring unwanted children into an overpopulated world. During my OB-GYN residency in Florida in the late 1970s, I went above and beyond the usual first-trimester abortion requirement and asked to learn to perform second-trimester dismemberment abortions. When faced with my own unwanted pregnancy before entering medical school, I chose abortion.

Abortions, I soon discovered, can be very profitable. When I got my medical license in Florida in 1978, I moonlighted as an abortionist on the weekends, making more money than I would have made working in the emergency room. I was amazed by the perfect little fingers and toes but treated fetal remains like any other medical specimen — with no emotion. I even performed abortions while I was pregnant. The difference was clear to me at the time: My baby was wanted; my patients' babies weren't. I saw no contradiction in that.

The only time I questioned my line of work was during my neonatal rotation, when I realized I was trying to save babies in the neonatal intensive care unit who were the same age as some of the babies I was aborting.

The path to life-

Three patients changed my professional trajectory.

I was preparing to perform an abortion on the first when I realized I had already performed three on her in the past — she was using abortion as birth control. I protested doing the fourth, only to be told by my boss that I had no right to deny it to her. “Easy for you to say, you’re not the one doing the killing,” I snapped back. I did the killing, but my response startled even me.

A sad choice, but the right one: I had a later abortion because I couldn't give my baby girl both life and peace

The second patient was a young woman there with a friend. Her friend asked whether she wanted to see the tissue when I was done, and she replied angrily that no, she just wanted to kill it. “What did this baby ever do to you?” I wondered, again surprised by my reaction. I don't think I had ever thought of them as babies before.

But it was a mother of four who felt she just couldn’t manage another child who brought me to tears. She wept before, during and after the procedure. It was the grief of a woman who knew the moral gravity of what she was doing that ended my abortion career.

I stopped doing abortions, but I remained pro-choice. Over time, I saw in my OB-GYN practice young girls flourish who had chosen not to abort, and older, more educated patients who had aborted struggle psychologically. Gradually, I began to see the feminist narrative that abortion empowers women as increasingly flimsy.

Ultimately, I could not shake the realization that the only thing that decided the fate of the baby was whether he or she was wanted or not. The former was born. The latter was killed. The life or death of a human being should not be so arbitrarily decided.

I became pro-life.

Shoddy, dangerous care

I now give expert testimony on the realities of abortion, like the testimonies the Supreme Court will soon consider in the case of June Medical Services LLC v. Gee.

For years, many abortion clinics have gotten away with shoddy practices that no surgery center would be likely to get away with. This is surely because abortion workers, legislators and law enforcement fear that they will be accused of restricting access to abortion if they hold abortion clinics accountable.

Loving abortion clinic workers, too:Pro-life movement should follow Abby Johnson's lead, turning abortion workers into allies

A former manager of an abortion clinic told me that she was instructed to use dish washing liquid to clean their instruments when their sanitizer broke down so they wouldn’t have to close while it was repaired. Inspection reports in multiple states have found clinics not properly sanitizing their instruments. 

A patient who came to me for complications from a late-term abortion said she was kept in a cold room overnight without a blanket during an induction abortion. She was forced to give birth in a toilet the next morning, only to watch her still living baby drown.

As a gynecologist on call in the emergency room, I personally treated women experiencing severe complications, including life-threatening hemorrhage and infection from abortions, because no one at the abortion clinic had admitting privileges. No abortion clinic personnel ever called to give me information on a patient they were sending to the ER. This is not a safe way to practice medicine.

When it comes to abortionists being required to have local hospital admitting privileges, the issue the court will consider in Gee, the fact is that many physicians on staff at ambulatory surgical centers are required to have hospital privileges to ensure that patient care is not compromised in the event of a complication.

Helping patients fight for their lives, and their rights:We met as doctor and patient, but a life-saving abortion was the start of our friendship

One of the reasons we are told these safety standards aren’t needed is because abortion is so safe, but we don’t know the true percent of women who experience complications.

Only 28 states require abortion providers to report post-abortion complications, and states are not required to submit abortion data to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Abortion clinics don't want this information to come out, and providers have taken states to court to try to avoid reporting. 

Recently, a former Arizona abortion clinic employee won millions of dollars in a wrongful termination lawsuit after she was fired for noting serious health and safety violations at her clinic.

Yet Americans were horrified when the unsanitary conditions and unsafe medical practices of convicted Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s abortion clinic were uncovered, and shocked when news broke about Dr. Ulrich Klopfer, an abortionist who, day after day, walked out of his office with bags of aborted fetal remains, accumulating thousands, and violating endless ethical, medical and legal standards. These are hallmarks of an unsafe industry.

I was pro-choice for decades. I performed abortions and had an abortion. I understand in a deep and personal way where the fault lines of disagreement over abortion in America lie. But can’t we at least all agree on the importance of safety in the abortion industry?" 

Dr. Kathi Aultman is an associate scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute and a member of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 

(Published by USA Today January 22, 2020.)

Pirates of the Caribbean: From Disneyland to Florida, Tokyo to Paris and onto Shanghai- History, Concept Art and More!

Walt Disney World's Pirates of the Caribbean opened 50 years ago, but its story spans many more years than that! The impact continues on with the latest incarnation of the attraction being with Captain Jack Sparrow in Shanghai Disneyland. But let's take a voyage back in time beginning with Walt Disney's plans for a little expansion at his Anaheim park...

It's an epic story! And why wouldn't it be? Walt Disney Imagineering's groundbreaking Pirates of the Caribbean is the most celebrated of all theme park attractions and rightfully so. 

There are more detailed articles on this blog about our beloved Pirates adventure than any other Disney Imagineering attraction. The history behind Pirates- and the exploitation of it- makes for a fascinating tale that never gets old.

Walt meets a new cast member.

When this incredible attraction debuted at Disneyland in 1967, Walt and his team knew they had created something at once cutting edge and timeless, a real crowd pleaser. Little did they know it would become the enduring standard for theme park adventures. Disney's original and some say best Imagineering team had created the grandest "E Ticket" of them all, the ultimate dark ride, and my personal favorite of everything Imagineering has built.

A new "E Ticket" standard is born!

Imagine a Pirates of the Caribbean as a walk through interactive wax museum. It almost happened. Really. Thanks to the overwhelming success of The Enchanted Tiki Room and the public's favorable response to Audio-Animatronics, Walt and company embraced the challenge to expand on the original concept and create the masterpiece cruise through treacherous Caribbean waters. Imagineers were off to work.

Pirates finally take up residence in New Orleans Square.

Once the story was firmly established, sketches were drawn and humorous gags by the great Marc Davis were sprinkled throughout to keep the perfect balance between threatening and inviting, realism and fantasy- to a point. An iconic song, "Yo Ho (A Pirates Life for Me) was created to tie it all together and make it a memorable experience. Glad they added it, but they didn't need to worry!

Above photographs copyright The Walt Disney Company.

At opening, the unprecedented 15 minute boat ride would encompass highly detailed sets and showcase almost 130 Audio-Animatronic humans and animals. The elaborate story determined a need for wide open spaces for battle on the open sea, large caverns, a burning village, and backstage facilities for maintenance of both the attraction and its vehicles. No one would forget this, but where could they house such an ambitious and space consuming project?

The brilliance of Marc Davis

found in this beautiful character concept.

In some very significant ways, the space limitations in Walt's original kingdom forced the Imagineer's hands in its eventual design. The small amount of space within the park and the unprecedented magnitude of the scope and scale for the lengthy cruise were at odds. Never one to avoid a challenge, their ingenious solution takes guests under the tracks of the Disneyland and Santa Fe Railroad, accessing open space beyond the park's perimeter. It would be a trick the Imagineers would use on the upcoming Haunted Mansion as well.

It's best to obey the captain.

The end result of taking boats over a waterfall with two drops into mysterious caverns in the dark created thrills as well as appropriately setting the emotional tone of the show. What the lack of extra land at the park was seen by some as shortsightedness by Walt and a problem for future expansion became an incredible advantage. 

Advertising the new ride in Disneyland's Spring 1967 Guide Book.

While it was a planning, design, and engineering nightmare, the space limitation was one of the attractions greatest strengths. The extra time needed to get guests from the landing dock to the waterfalls also gave them time to be fully immersed into the story, removing them from the real world. The smaller acreage of Disneyland forced creativity but also begat charm, intimacy, and vitality, demanding Imagineers struggled with new ways to get every attraction built with the final result they desired.

Deluxe book celebrating the attraction (front).

And the back.

The a new cover and inside map from

the "making of" souvenir book

once it arrived at

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

Attraction music!

When New Orleans Square opened in 1966 shortly before Walt's untimely death, the art of Disney Imagineering was displayed at its finest. The beautiful wrought iron work, the delicate colors, and the foliage, blended with unique shopping and dining experiences true to the original city and new to the west coast. Disneyland was no ordinary theme park, and the bar for excellence had once again been raised. Wonderful food, unique shopping, and true to form jazz music enveloped guests in another world. The pirate adventure would debut a bit later, later creating guest anticipation- and guaranteed return visits to the park. Once word got out what was built behind that relatively understated exterior doors, the crowds would come. Little did the park planners understand how these large numbers of guests would impact the kingdom. To this day, crowds continue making the Pirates of the Caribbean entrance a pinch point of the masses. 

The epic pirates attraction entrance coyly hid behind a very normal looking facade. A most elegant sign gently announced the experience within. Curious park guests venturing beyond these doors encountered small watercraft silently gliding along under a moonlit Louisiana bayou filled with fireflies. Instant atmosphere, instant mystery, and again, instant crowds.

Artwork showing the gorgeous Blue Bayou Restaurant.

It was an adventure designed to embrace all the senses: unbelievable sights, captivating sounds, untouchable but desirable props and atmosphere, musty smelling caverns and waters, and taste in the form of delectable dishes at the adjoining Blue Bayou Restaurant. 

Original entrance in Florida.

Enhanced exterior treatment post Captain Jack Sparrow.

The new enhancements to Florida's fortress

look even better in person.

(Photographer unknown.)

So popular was Pirates of the Caribbean, that its lack of presence at the 1971 opening of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom created quite the stir among guests. Complaints came in droves to Main Street's City Hall, and the effect changed the course of Walt Disney World's future. The park's Frontierland became a shadow of what was intended, but Adventureland gained another major E Ticket attraction.

Master model for the Magic Kingdom

with Thunder Mesa on the right,

and not a hint of Caribbean Plaza

where it would eventually arise

behind the Sunshine Pavilion.

The new direction derailed plans for building Master Imagineer Marc Davis's epic- and very expensive- Thunder Mesa with its Cowboy and Indians focused Western River Expedition. With its own theme song, majestic soundtrack, and immerse sets, it was destined to be a smash. Although once thought to be the more grand and ambitious daughter of its predecessor, plans for its completion were ultimately shelved. The area's multi-attraction project eventually died a slow death. Remnants of what was once to be remained in Imagineer Tony Baxter's take on Davis' Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Even Epcot would hold its own Western River Expedition tribute in the form of Future World's (sadly destroyed) World of Motion. One of the key scenes was a direct life of what Davis had planned for his Thunder Mesa centerpiece attraction.

"No, ma'am. No Pirates here."

Back to the story. Going with a proven winner, Pirates was quickly approved by the suits and put into place to please the demand of the Florida crowds. Debuting on this day in December of 1973, it was quite the Christmas gift!

Set sail from Caribbean Plaza!

With its unlimited land, you might think the Imagineers would create something very elaborate and even more impressive, a new Pirates attraction that would surpass the original. They did not. Money may have been a factor as Walt Disney World had just opened, draining the company of its resources. There was also the urgency to quickly please guest demand. In the end, I believe this was the real reason the cruise itself felt rushed through the design process and is ultimately all the worse because of it.

Florida's Pirates adventure is not without its unique differences or its charms. But it is the complex which houses it versus the boat ride itself which stuns. The beautiful setting here is Caribbean Plaza, a newly created subdivision within Adventureland. Walking from the hub of the Magic Kingdom, guests come into the plaza as they pass the Jungle River Cruise and the Sunshine Pavilion, home to those Enchanted Tiki Room birds.

A Magic Kingdom with Pirates circa 1974.

It's a fairly jarring transition from the African inspired then tropical, Polynesian feeling area to the islands of the Caribbean, but somehow its worked until Aladdin's Magic Carpets invaded the land. The sound of steel drums, the stucco walls and the red tile roofs draw visitors forward and signal their transition.

Every pirate has his parrot- even at the Magic Kingdom!

The very prominent Castillo Del Morro is found at the end of this area, just around the corner from the far end of Frontierland. (Unknown to me prior to research for this post, the castle's clock tower has its own name, Torre Del Sol.)

An "E Ticket" smash!

The building for the Magic Kingdom version of this attraction is much more impressive than what houses the California original. Traveling through the halls of the ancient fortress, guests are increasingly removed from the sunny outside world and into the darkness. A brilliant design move! Menacingly, the fortress also houses a prison, and guests quietly walk past captured pirates left to rot. One of Imagineer Marc Davis' most macabre gags resides here: two skeletons play a game of chess, hopelessly locked in an eternal stalemate.

This decidedly non-family friendly scene is thankfully removed from the youngest of eyes, only visible by much taller tourists. Much like Disneyland's later Haunted Mansion and its stretching room and art gallery, (or even the detailed queue of the Indiana Jones Adventure or the equally foreboding hotel lobby of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror), this lengthy maze of a queue brings guests into the story long before boarding the boats, making it an integral part of the overall experience. 

Finally arriving at the landing, guests boarding watercraft can't help but notice the storm ahead- and notice the lack of returning passengers who have made the journey before them. The dim lighting of the dock and the lightning ahead provide no assurance of safety. Creepy caverns lie ahead. It's a much darker, more sinister world than what travelers encounter in New Orleans Square, with its happy diners across the way at the gorgeous Blue Bayou restaurant.

Whether it makes up for where the actual ride is lacking is debatable. From here, the beginning of the cruise is shortened compared to the earlier west coast incarnation and minus one waterfall drop. The waterborne portion of the attraction experience is half as long as that in California. It's strange and noticeable to those who have experienced the Disneyland version but not nearly as important to guests who have not. Going forward, the bulk of the story, sets, and characters remains mostly the same. There are a few differences, the biggest one being the end of the attraction.

Concept art from my 1972 Walt Disney World

souvenir book. Click on it to see it larger.

In California, we go into the underground prison and wind up being target practice for a small crew of drunken scallywags. Here at the conclusion of the Florida story, we stumble upon a brand new and very impressive scene: the pirates have discovered the treasure room, and the guards commissioned to protect the shimmering loot are the captives, bound and gagged. Of course, all this changed once Jack Sparrow took over. 

The same scene realized.

A Walt Disney World postcard from CardCow.com.

It's a very effective and startling ending to our pirate adventure. What's even more startling is that the dock to disembark is seen by us even as we are finishing our journey. Even though it is a minor detail, this breaks the flow of the story and reminds us we are in a theme park. Up a speed ramp we go back into the Florida daylight.

Making its Tokyo Disneyland appearance.

When it came time to build Tokyo Disneyland, the Japanese executives were smart enough to demand a Pirates of the Caribbean attraction all their own. Choosing between the Disneyland version and that found in the Magic Kingdom, they opted for the longer, more elaborate cruise over the Magic Kingdom's truncated one. 

Entrance sign at Tokyo Disneyland.

From 8-Bit Theme Park Japan.

In an odd twist, Tokyo's Pirates is found in a mini New Orleans Square, a subdivision in their Adventureland. The ride itself mirrors California's minus one waterfall drop and is also shorter in length than the original. I'll never fully understand why they didn't choose Florida's exterior and queue with California's actual boat adventure. You can bet things would be different today after the success of the park and especially Tokyo Disneysea.

Oui! Pirates invade the City of Lights.

Given that Imagineer extraordinaire Tony Baxter was at the helm of designing EuroDisneyland, it is no surprise that Pirates of the Caribbean would become the centerpiece of a new Adventureland incarnation. The entire park would be the most beautiful Magic Kingdom ever built, learning from all the successes and failures of each previous kingdom.

Tony Baxter with the Disneyland Paris model.

Pirates of the Caribbean is behind him

at the center left side of the photograph.

There's a well-known story of a very young Mr. Baxter riding the attraction long before its debut in California. It is said this was when Tony decided that he must become an Imagineer, so Pirates must hold a special place in his heart.

Pirates real and imaginary together- blasphemous!

Purists may wince at the fact the attraction is found next to a Peter Pan and its Neverland inspired Adventure Isle, but they may cringe even more so with the changes to the beloved journey. Or maybe its just the thought of Disneyland Paris itself.

A large model of the area courtesy Disney and More.

Buy the book- amazing!

The white stoned fortress that houses the attraction is a magnificent piece of work. Majestic and alluring, it demands to be noticed with slivers of precious Parisian sunlight landing on it and the surrounding sandy beach. No qualms here, its inside that counts, and it is here that the debate is born.

My first look and first photograph of it.

It's even better than the model!

Guests walk through its courtyards and enter the weathered fortress, wandering down its halls much the same as in Florida. The atmosphere becomes rich and dark. Lighting is minimal. Boarding the bateaux, guests round the bend and stumble upon visitors enjoying patio dining in the evening moonlight. Learning from the success of California's Blue Bayou and the penchant for fine dining in Europe, Imagineers made sure Paris' attraction included a Caribbean inspired Blue Lagoon restaurant with a seafood inspired menu. Diners may get to watch the boats glide by, but those on the attraction get to view some creatures of the sea emerging just outside the sight lines of those watching from the shore.

It's up we go!

Rounding a darkened corner, long time guests familiar to going down the waterfall at the American and Japanese versions on the attraction are surprised to find themselves going up the ramp like ship's cargo instead. This dramatic beginning and the first change to the classic version of the ride signals one of many, marking the beginning of the "Which is better?" discussion.

Reaching the top of the fortress, a swinging pirate on a rope glides overhead while prisoners remain inside a cel, still trying to convince that dog to bring them the key. Sounds of battle- and words of war in French and English- fill the air while the realization hits that the building is on fire. From the view high above, adventurers can see that pirates are taking the town as a battle ensues between their ship and the folks on the island. Suddenly, the boats plunge downward, heading straight into the battle between them. Cannonballs fly overhead.

Into the town, much is the same as in the previous three takes on the attraction. However, there's a new scene here, one so vital, so essential to every pirate story that we realize it is missing in other versions the minute we see it: Sword fighting. At the opening, one pirate is challenged to a duel by a villager, defending the woman at risk. (Now, there's a female pirate in the sword fight.) It is an excellently rendered addition, with the footwork of each man impressive and the swords clashing even more so. Kudos to the Imagineers who chose to take this on and to the ones who took the time to make it actually work.

Here is a "flow through" map of Disneyland Paris' version.

The burning town is in full swing by now, and guests enter the arsenal. This time, all that dynamite finally explodes, and boats are plunged down another waterfall into the grottoes below. Skeletons abound, reminding us "Dead Men Tell No Tales", while guests aboard the railroad have a chance to look into the scenery from the safety of their seats. 

From Inside the Magic.

Jack Sparrow and company are here in Paris too, with an eerie Captain Barbossa scene sure to make riders sit up and take notice. 

Our multilingual Parisian pirate adventure ends similarly to the way Anaheim's begins but with a twist. The very alive skull and crossbones overhead gives riders the exit spiel in several languages, the English version spoken by a John Wayne imitator. A nice little tribute to the fine man who loved Orange County and made it his home. (And a great idea should Western River Expedition ever get built!)

To answer the debate, although the French take on the attraction is one third less in length than that in California, I find this version of Pirates of the Caribbean may just surpass the original. That is, perhaps, until I ride the one at Shanghai Disneyland.

Planned for Hong Kong, shipped to Shanghai!

In between Hong Kong Disneyland and the premier of the first Disney park in mainland China, Walt Disney Pictures announced a little film in development based on the Pirate attraction. Many folks expressed disdain for the project and predicted its failure. That is until its starring role was given to an actor by the name of Johnny Depp.

The influence of the films is felt!

Captain Jack Sparrow now decorates Disneyland's queue.

Captain Barbosa takes over the ship!

Jack meets Johnny.

Its hearty success would mean many sequels. This would change the face of Pirates of the Caribbean attractions worldwide, those built and those to come. New effects and three Audio-Animatronic Jack Sparrows were added to the attraction. Everywhere but in Paris- for now.

Jack seeks treasure while Barbosa seeks Jack...

...and he finds it after all.

Tampering with a classic is risky business, but the Imagineers did not destroy its original flavor. Instead, they chose to introduce the attraction to an audience only familiar with the films.

Want more proof it was meant for the park?

Just enlarge the image.

Oddly, Hong Kong Disneyland was built without its own high voyage on Caribbean waters, although there were plans. You can find them on this blog. Some will say it was a cultural consideration due to real pirates still being in the area, but I would venture to guess its absence is due to the greedy actions of Disney's corporate pirates who tried to build yet another park as cheaply as possible. This incredibly huge blunder, and other shortcuts to the park, brought much less treasure into the company storerooms. 

Disney executives did not make the same mistake in Shanghai. When the attraction line up was finally announced, that park's Pirates of the Caribbean was the very first to be designed around the storyline of the films and its main character Jack Sparrow.  In fact, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure is this park's masterpiece. Fans the world over cannot get enough of the groundbreaking special effects and a new thrilling voyage that takes them under the water before concluding with an epic battle at sea.

In Shanghai, Pirates is found in Treasure Cove, 

a single IP based land. Photograph copyright JoJo's World.

China may be the home of the newest and flashiest pirates attraction, but the original adventure in Walt's park in Anaheim remains its heart. There's something special about riding Pirates of the Caribbean in beautiful New Orleans Square and knowing that although he didn't ride the completed attraction, Walt did in fact cruise down the very same swampy waters.

A recently rebuilt entrance handles the continued crowds.

An attraction so celebrated, its even art!

Commemorative plaque at Disneyland in California

The beautiful plaque at the entrance to the Disneyland original attests to the attraction's iconic status and its enduring popularity. Although Jack Sparrow and company now make an appearance and update the show for today's audiences, the fact is, Disneyland and this attraction are a national treasure.

More posters attest to the adventures ongoing popularity.

Concept for an undeveloped Pirates themed water park.

The ride still impresses and inspires. From Lego sets to Vinylmation and family games and all the merchandise imaginable, Pirates of the Caribbean is the ultimate Disney creation from both a creative and financial standpoint. As an attraction, it remains among the Imagineers best efforts, period. Decades later and in Disney parks all over the world, this swashbuckling cruise is still the ultimate attraction, a measurement tool in which all other themed attractions are compared.

(Artwork copyright The Walt Disney Company. Most photographs by Mark Taft.)