One of the greatest curiosities in Disney history is the 1995 refurb of Pirates Of The Caribbean at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Although many things were added, just as many were changed or deleted. Of these changes the most famous of which is the "chase" sequence, which is more violently referred to by some as the "rape" scene. This scene originally had pirates chasing maidens in the background while, near the boats, a drunken pirate sits, a women's shoe and a scrap of dress in one hand, as he babbles about how "she was a feisty one, she was" as the maiden peeks out of a barrel behind him.

Marc Davis in the Fall 1999 issue of The E Ticket:

"There are some things that I think we did wrong on the attraction, and I would go back and change them if I could. I don't like the 'bicycle action' of the runners running up there. I did like the way the 'girl in the barrel' scene came out - that was completeley mine."

Claude Coates in the same issue:

"We added the Auctioneer scene kind of late. He came in one time and even said, 'This will be all right, won't it?' He was just a little doubtful of auctioning off the girls. Was that quite 'Disney' or not? We added some other signs around, buy a bride or something like that, that augmented the auction scene like it was a special big event. Marc had done some drawings of the other girls who were tied up and shivering. The way the girls were done it's not an offensive scene at all, but probably it could have been if it hadn't been handled in a very interesting way."

In the current scene, the pirates chase maidens still... but the terrorized women hold plates of food in their hands. In one case at WDW the maiden was replaced with another pirate and they both appear to be escaping with a treasure chest. Near the waterfront the pirate now holds a map, with his dialogue carefully re-recorded to erase any mention of women (" be willing to share, I be..."). The girl in the barrel now holds a small treasure chest. At Disneyland, the barrel scene was changed in a similar way... the pirate is surrounded by plates of food. Nearby, an overweight pirate is terrorized by farm animals trying to eat from a basket piled high with food that he holds.

Other changes include:


These changes are perhaps what put POTC back on the map again and sealed a still-standing reputation about the Walt Disney Company about their apparent willingness to back down to pressure and disregard for "classic" attractions. It is in this webmaster's view that these feelings are incorrect, but understandable.

The refurbs did, for one reason or another, get a lot of media coverage, particularly due to rumors about various groups and organizations being offended by the ride's simple and true showing of pirate shenanigans during the 18th century. Many have argued that the organizations are the ones at fault due to their inability to understand that the depictions are historically accurate.

This controversy eventually died a slow death, but repercussions of it are still evident today. A commonly heard remark goes something along these lines:

“Disneyland... where you can burn down the village, torture the civilians, steal the treasure, sell the brides, and sing in a drunken stupor... as long as you don't rape the women."