Twenty years ago Disney took a chance on making a film based on one of their theme park attractions. While it seemed risky at first the concept paid off to become one of the most popular franchises in cinema with five films totaling over $4.5 Billion altogether. Let’s follow the map and see where this journey began. 



Disney was no stranger to films based around pirates. Their 1953 animated film Peter Pan featured pirates as the villains, the 1950 live-action adventure film Treasure Island revolved around lost pirate gold and the 1960 film Swiss Family Robinson follows a family who hide from pirates on a tropical island.

The idea for a film based on the popular 1967 Disneyland attraction had been in the works since the early 1990s. The overall story was eventually ironed out into what we saw on screen. Jerry Bruckheimer was brought on as a producer who helped bring the supernatural elements to the story with writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio.

Gore Verbinski (Known for directing Mouse Hunt and The Ring) signed on as director and wanted to use then modern technology to resurrect the genre of pirate films that had disappeared for some time. The last big-budget Pirate film was 1995’s Cutthroat Island from MGM which cost $98 Million to make but only made back $10 Million.



Originally actor Jim Carrey was chosen to play Jack Sparrow but was unable to as scheduling conflicts prevented him from setting sail. After many other choices, actor Johnny Depp was chosen as Verbinski believed Depp could bring a much-needed edge to the character.

At one point, the film was nearly canceled as the 2002 film The Country Bears, another theme park-based ride, was a box office flop. When then Disney CEO Michael Eisner attempted to shut down the project, Verbinski was able to change his mind when he visited the production and saw what they had made.

The film was released on July 9th, 2003 and became a massive success, bringing in $654.3 Million against a $140 Million budget. The intriguing plot with memorable characters and clever wit mixed with thrilling action and spectacular effects made it a must-watch of the year. The film arguably made Johnny Depp popular with younger audiences as he had previously been known for more mature and darker films.



The film spawned multiple toys, video games, books and comics. In 2006 a second film, Dead Man’s Chest, was released and was also critically acclaimed. In 2007 a third film, At World’s End, was released to moderate reviews. In 2011 a fourth film, On Stranger Tides, was released to a rather mixed reception, and in 2017 a fifth film, Dead Men Tell No Tales, also received a mixed reception. Regardless, all the sequels did rather well at the box office, especially overseas. 



Since then, the series has been on hiatus after the controversy surrounding the Depp v. Heard trials and how Depp was essentially fired from the series despite the accusations reportedly being false. Various rumors about a reboot or 6th film come up every now and then. Only time will tell if the series will raise its anchor again and set sail.

What was your favorite film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise? Who were some of your favorite characters? What do you want to see from the series next?