Cursed Pirate Hector Barbossa Finds His Way to Disneyland Paris' Pirates of the Caribbean

In 2003, the debut of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl brought the famous and beloved Disney attraction to the silver screen. And fans couldn't get enough- which of course led to Disney releasing many sequels, all of various quality and box office success. Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow made Disney edgy and cool once more. Nemesis Hector Barbossa played but Geoffrey Rush was the perfect villain of villains- witty, charming in an odd way, and therefore, quite likable. Naturally, the theme parks would be affected.

Just three years later- quite the quick turnaround for the slow to move Disney- Disneyland's original attraction added the film's main two characters to the New Orleans Square attraction. Then, the rest of the parks followed suit.

Stateside, Barbossa had a star turn of sorts appearing on the huge ship while it was attacking the town's fortress, but he appears in a very different spot at Disneyland Paris' version. There, Barbossa comes into play after the explosion scene. And as a bonus, he appears both in his  natural state and in his cursed form once the lightning strikes. This rather rare piece of concept art sets him in place. It's one of many differences that makes the French Pirates attraction different and worth a trip to the most beautiful Magic Kingdom of them all.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Indeed

Here's a summertime movie that makes it impossible for you to move your eyes from the screen... waiting for something incredible to happen! Pirates of the Caribbean 4, On Stranger Tides, is in fact quite strange. Not horrible by any means, but it is a single plot line movie with plenty of gaps in the story, new but underused characters with great potential, and some clumsy, occasionally clever, dialogue.

Captain Jack Sparrow has to be one of the most iconic characters ever created and exploited by the Walt Disney Company. Johnny Depp was born to play the part, but too many times throughout the film, it seems he is playing a caricature of himself. Yet, there's not much to work with. Penelope Cruz is stunning to watch and effective. Ian McShane could have been great as Blackbeard, but it is Geoffrey Rush's Hector Barbosa that gives the film its depth. While there are no spoilers here, let's just say if you are the parent of a young daughter who loves Disney's Little Mermaid Ariel, well, you may just want her to skip the film.

(Photo copyright The Walt Disney Company.)