Disney replaces ‘bride auction’ scene on Pirates of the Caribbean ride
Pirates wishing to purchase a wife had better move their peg legs right along. The Walt Disney Company has updated the “bride auction” scene of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
It now features a gun-wielding female pirate called Redd, who’s managing the peddling of prized possessions previously owned by the townsfolk.
Whereas she used to stand under a banner that read: “Take a wench for a bride”, the redhead is now shown holding a revolver in one hand and a bottle of rum in the other. A group of wealthy people are lined up behind her holding expensive artefacts such as a painting and a chandelier.
Last June Walt Disney Imagineering announced that a number of new animatronic figures would be added to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in the near future. Captain Barbossa and his skeletal pirate crew appear
exclusively in Disneyland Paris, inspired by the blockbuster film series.
People visiting the Magic Kingdom in Orlando can now spot Redd taking charge and showing off her prowess as an impressive buccaneer. However, those making their way to Disney California Adventure will have to wait another month before the swashbuckler is featured on the ride.
Walt Disney once said: “We keep moving forward.” This is the policy Walt Disney Imagineering says it wanted to instil with these updates, demonstrating how the company is constantly evolving to keep up with the times.
The Pirates of the Caribbean ride has come under fire in the past for sexism. It used to feature a scene in which several pirates would continually chase a group of women. However, this was altered later on so that the pirates were in pursuit of the food that the women were carrying. At one point one of the female figures was given a rolling pin which she held while chasing off a pirate.