Disney has announced that there will soon be a significant change to the beloved “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction. Sometime in 2018, the most iconic scene “Auction, Take a Wench for a Bride” will be redesigned to a new one which depicts the Redhead as part of an auction crew where they want you to “surrender yer loot.”
“We wants the redhead” will soon no longer ring out across the river.
Even though Walt said Disneyland would never be complete as long as there is imagination, there are many who are upset with this change as it appears that it is being done for “politically correct” purposes. The auction scene as it currently stands has been in existence since the attraction’s inception, even surviving the changes that took place in the late ’90’s where some of the scenes depicting pirates chasing women were changed to imply the men are now chasing food.
Some changes have been good. We believe the addition of Captains Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbosa were a welcomed change. It gave more depth to the story of the ride.
So the Redhead is not really leaving the show, she is just being repurposed and will now become part of the pirate crew where she is helping to auction the loot that has been acquired.
Artist’s rendition of the change to the auction scene. (©Disney)
Disney has not announced when this change will take place, other than sometime in 2018 which will undoubtedly mean a shut down of the attraction while the change takes place. Since the modification hasn’t started yet, there are a couple of online petitions available for those who want to make their support known for the Redhead. In addition, we have created a Zazzle.com store where items can be purchased to show your support of this infamous wench.
It will be interesting to see how well this re-imagined scene is done and how much it adds or detracts from the storyline. Unfortunately, in our opinion, lately Disney has been lacking in the imagination department when it comes to updating attractions. We will hold our judgment of the change until it’s finished.