Report: Pirates of the Caribbean Special Event
Page 17 of 20

O'Day: We have some film footage here of some of the enchantments and changes that perhaps you could talk us through. I believe there were some changes to the battle scene

Baranick: As a matter of fact in the last rehab in 1999 we were able to add two soldiers to the fort. We’d always heard them over the years now they actually peek up. (brief applause)

Interesting story about the auction scene. During the course of the 1997 rehab, because of the media event - in fact I believe it was actually the opening joke on Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect premiere show, we actually got scared. There was some management that thought well maybe we should change the Pirates and make them politically correct this time. And we had to do some design development work and fortunately Paul Pressler came through at one point and said we’re not going to do this, put that away. I was very grateful for that.

This is one of the fun gags at the chase scene. This is another one like the pirate with the hats on the boat that’ll never succeed and they’re not supposed to. My personal favorite is at the end of the ride, the two guys trying to get too much treasure out and never will.

O'Day: You guys added a little gag there, too. I mean the painting in that stash.

Baranick: Yeah, that’s Captain Blackbeard himself, Peter Ustinov from Blackbeard’s Ghost. It seemed to me if pirates are going to take things of value it would be the portrait of their hero.

O'Day: You've worked on many attractions. In your opinion what is this attraction's most impressive aspect?

(l-r) Kim Irvine-Alison, Bob Baranick and Harriet Burns

Irvine-Alison: I think of all the attractions this has the most amazing staging. You can tell the story immediately upon coming to it. I think Marc was a real master at that and between the mood of the lighting and the figures' expressions, the way they’re painted, you can read exactly what he is trying to say before you hear any of the script.

O'Day: Now whenever there is a rehab done or an attraction opens there is a lot of pressure as I mentioned earlier, and at the time it seems like hard work and everything but through the years as it becomes Disney lore. Are there any funny stories that occurred in the rehab and the reopening of the attraction or even with the opening of the attraction itself?

Baranick: A personal favorite of mine was during the 97 rehab was…I had a tendency to do covert things when I was here at Disneyland, trying to get a little extra something in…

O'Day: (interrupts) on to the next question

Baranick: And so, I was attempting to get the soldiers into the fort during that rehab and I was having them brought backstage to be delivered to the attraction and sure enough up walks our project manager wanting to know what the hell I’m doing. So the soldiers had to wait a couple of years but they made it.