Pirates debuted in 1967, the first major attraction to open after Walt Disney's death in 1966. Over the years, Disney's tweaked the ride here and there, most notably to add characters from the Pirates of the Caribbean films, in 2006 and again in 2011. Based on the ride's overwhelming popularity, Disney killed plans for a Western River Expedition attraction at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, in favor of building an abbreviated version of Pirates for that park in 1973.
Mansion opened in 1969, following a six-year delay after its facade was completed in 1963. But it's the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom version of the Haunted Mansion, which opened with that park in 1971, that wins Theme Park Insiders' votes as the best of the Haunted Mansions. While I love walking into the front door of Disneyland's antebellum mansion (as well as the descending stretch rooms), I've got to concede that the additional scenes in the Magic Kingdom's version give it an edge. Perhaps that's why when it was time to bring the Haunted Mansion to Tokyo Disneyland, Disney chose the Orlando version.
Of course, Disney also chose the Anaheim version of Pirates for Tokyo, although Disney did choose to have riders exit before the lift, as in Orlando. Perhaps this is the heuristic we should use for answering whether the Disney World or Disneyland version of a ride is the better one: Which one did Disney install in Tokyo? In other words, when we debate Anaheim vs. Orlando, the answer pretty much always should be… Tokyo. But I digress. ;^)
Along with It's a Small World, another 1960s Disney product, Pirates and Mansion defined for generations of theme park fans what a dark ride could be -- immersive setting, richly detailed scenes, strong characters and engaging music tying everything together. Fans often also throw strong narrative onto that list, but I believe that it was the initial absence of a strong narrative on Pirates and Mansion that helped make both attractions so compelling. These are impressionistic attractions -- a collection of active scenes that invites, even demands, that you impose a narrative upon them. And that is what draws us so deeply into these rides -- they inspire our imaginations. Just why the heck are they dunking Carlos, anyway?
Over the years, Disney hasn't been able to resist the lure of imposing narrative on these rides, and we've seen the official backstory for each ride grow over time (not to mention the addition of film characters). But that's not kept these rides from continuing to inspire new generations of riders.
Disneyland's Pirates:
Magic Kingdom's Mansion:
Despite Pirates consistently placing above Mansion in the Theme Park Insider reader ratings, Mansion holds a two-to-one lead in head-to-head match-ups in previous Theme Park Insider tournaments. Who will win this year's contest? It's up to you to decide:
Let's get the debate going in the comments.
Tomorrow: Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man vs. Revenge of the Mummy
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However, in my humble but pompously and nasally blathered opinion, Disneyland's PotC is the greatest theme park attraction ever built (and the last one overseen by Walt himself). Longer than WDW's version, a little more thrilling, and traversing the Blue Bayou with its not-so-healthy Monte Cristo sandwich, DL's PotC is a true whole-family experience - a veritable masterpiece of animatronics, story, and song. It is an attraction that transcends age, gender, nationality, theme park bias, and time. Of all the attractions in this tournament, PotC is the only one that I am sure will still be standing in 2067 (its 100th anniversary). If you look up the word "classic" in the dictionary, DL’s PotC is used as an example.
This contest is easy. I'll take Disneyland's Pirates and a Monte Cristo without a second of regret (and just a tiny bit of indigestion).
I long for the day that I can experience Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland.
I actually prefer the nightmare overlay for mansion over the original.
With all that said.....I'm going with pirates!!
I would counter that after almost 50 years of continuous operation, if another, non-Disney theme park company could capture the timeless wonder of DL's PotC and build their own version, they would have. The phrase, "like trying to catch lightning in a bottle" comes to mind.
(Incidentally, SDC does have an attraction called the Flooded Mine that is a budget variation on the PotC theme - and while I LOVE SDC, the Flooded Mine pales in comparison. It is hard to capture that Disney Magic without that Disney bank account).
1) PotC at DL may well have been a better ride before they forced the movie narrative on it, but it isn't now.
2) The best thing that ever happened to HM was that the movie based on it flopped. Adding Eddie Murphy animatronics to the ride would have destroyed it.
3) Whoever called PotC the greatest theme park attraction ever built has obviously never been on Stitch's Great Escape.
1. I was just at WDW two weeks ago and came off HM thinking it is simply the most perfect dark ride ever.
2. HM is the ONLY ride at Disney I could ever hope to hold a job 'cause you don't have to smile all the dang time.
3. I've always LOVED pirates, but it's lost a little something for me now with the movie over-lay. It cheapens it a bit. I'll echo the other poster who said the best thing to happen to HM was the fact the movie flopped!
4. I'll give James R. the point that Disneyland's pirates is probably, originally, the best of the bunch, and I'd love to ride it someday. But since it also suffers from movie over-lay, that kills its edge.
Haunted Mansion deserves to win this round.
Are Theme Park Insiders really that out of touch with the mainstream world? Are we really that much of a niche crowd that we hate everything that is popular?
I, for one, love the overlays and changes that have been incorporated into PotC - they keep the ride relevant even as it embraces the classic stature that it so richly deserves.
Keep up the great work, WDI, and ignore the niche crowd of museum lovers on this site! ;p
And Jack, that comment about Stitch was HILARIOUS. Kudos, bro.
PS I voted AGAINST the Jungle Snooze in this tournament and FOR its removal from all Disney parks that still feature that relic.
I think my main problem with POTC goes back even a few years before the movie over-lay, when they tried to down-play the whole "rape and pillage" thing. Yeah, I get it, but they're pirates for god's-sake, what do people expect?? And I can't help it that I was raised on the lyrics of "Pirate's Life for Me" that didn't involve Jack Sparrow. I don't think I'd mind it so much if the ride hadn't been so great without it....
Really the only wrong answer in this tournament is the Bungle Cruise, but MOST of you already know that. ;)
Pirates of the Caribbean, on the other hand, is just as high quality as Haunted Mansion, if not more so. I've been on two very different versions of the attraction (California and Paris), and it is one of my favorites at both parks (favorite in Paris and second to Indy in California). So I have to go with Pirates of the Caribbean.
For anyone who has only been on the Florida version of the attraction, I strongly recommend watching a video of California's Pirates of the Caribbean before casting your vote (assuming it isn't too late, of course). While I haven't been on Florida's Pirates, I have seen videos and it appears to be one case where WDW got the short end of the stick.
Alliteration RULZZZZ!!!
@Brian B I have a feeling most of these match ups will be like picking a favorite kid! Very appropriate comment!
@Mike That's why Robert pays me the big buck$!!!
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