2 major changes made to Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Walt Disney World has re-opened with a new auction scene and the removal of another disturbing scene which was prominently placed in the attraction but received less attention.

The big change that has been talked about for some time is the alteration of the Bride Auction scene. In this iconic moment of the ride, women were being auctioned off to pirates. The auctioneer makes lewd comments about a woman’s weight and goads the “Redhead” character to act in a more lustful manner.

Last year, Disney said the time was right to turn the page to a new story in this scene, consistent with the humorous, adventurous spirit of the attraction.

This new version keeps the idea of the auction but removes the human trafficking and fat shaming aspects of the scene. And it transforms the “Redhead” into a pirate. The change, according to a statement made last year by Kathy Mangum, senior vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering, “Our team thought long and hard about how to best update this scene. Given the redhead has long been a fan favorite, we wanted to keep her as a pivotal part of the story, so we made her a plundering pirate!

Now, the “Redhead” has traded in her wide brim Victorian hat for a tri-fold pirate hat and pistol who just pillaged the town’s rum supply.

Gone are the brides and in its place are the townspeople, lined up with their belongings to be auctioned to the pirates. Also gone are the calls for “We wants the Redhead” to “We wants the rum.”

The second scene that has changed, the one that was a bit disturbing, is the first full scene on the ride. It involves the stranded skeleton pirates on a beach.

In the original scene, two pirate skeletons are on a beach with a rotted out boat and the skeleton of a mermaid with her hands shackled over her head to the boat. This was considered a bit disturbing by some who thought it was again another depiction of harm against women.

This scene was added in 2012 based on the Mermaids of Whitecap Bay from “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” But let’s remember these mermaids were being hunted for their tears by the pirates.

Those who support the change say it illustrates progress in the portrayal of women and how they should not be viewed as property. Detractors believe the ride should depict pirates as they actually behaved.

But the ride, in whatever park it is located, has evolved. “Just as Walt Disney embraced and encouraged Disney Parks to ‘keep moving forward’ since the opening of Disneyland Park in 1955, Walt Disney Imagineering has introduced many new characters at Pirates of the Caribbean attraction over the years,” Mangum said in a recent Disney Parks blog post.

Other changes to the Magic Kingdom ride include on in 1997 which altered the scene in which pirates were chasing women. The scene was changed to have pirates making off with various treasure as the formerly “chased” women attempt to thwart them or to show pirates chasing women for food.

The change to Disneyland’s version will take place in late April.