The famous auctioneer scene that takes place on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland and Disney World is set to be overhauled, according to a press release from the Disney Parks blog.
As of 2017, the attraction — which opened in 1967 in Disneyland and 1973 in the Magic Kingdom of Disney World — will no longer feature the famous auctioneer scene, in which a red-headed “wench” is auctioned off to a crowd of raucous and dirty pirates who wish to make her their bride.
An artist’s rendering of the new scenes reveals that the pirates will now be bidding on a grandfather clock, a picture frame, and goats. The red-headed woman will now carry a gun.
In the book, Pirates of the Caribbean: From The Magic Kingdom to the Movies, author and historian Jason Surrell noted that the Disney Imagineers who designed the ride are not happy about politically correct changes to the attraction, which is celebrating its 50th year in operation in 2017. After a change to a scene which originally depicted pirates chasing women, Imagineer Francis Xavier “X” Atencio, who participated in the creation of the ride in the 1960s, claimed that the change “softened” the attraction, and referred to the revised guest experience as “Boy Scouts of the Caribbean.”
Disney fans expressed their disappointment in the change in the comment section on the blog post.
“Not ok with this change! Its like Disney is saying that it’s ok rewrite history!! This is Walt’s ride no need to change such a silly iconic scene!! I’m all for moving forward with woman’s rights but this is a tad bit ridiculous! Let’s not be so sensitive about everything!” one user wrote.
“I didn’t realize Pirates were feminists. Is this really necessary? This is further degrading the story elements of the attraction. Pirates aren’t supposed to be nice guys,” another wrote.
Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about economics and higher education for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart.com