Disney News

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest prepares for premiere

It's only a few more weeks until Walt Disney Pictures releases its most-anticipated film of the year - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

The film is a sequel to 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which was based on the classic Disneyland attraction Pirates of the Caribbean.

The first film was a runaway summer hit and has now inspired two sequels. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 were filmed simultaneously and will bring back stars from the first film, including Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly, and Orlando Bloom.

Dead Man's Chest, the first Pirates sequel, will premiere at Disneyland this Saturday.

Directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 continues the adventures of pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), who now discovers he owes his soul to the famous Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), captain of the Flying Dutchman ship.

In Dead Man's Chest, Captain Sparrow must find a way to placate Davy Jones, but he has his new friends Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly) to help him, despite their upcoming marriage!

Post-production work on the sure-to-be summer blockbuster is wrapping up, and Disneyland has begun making preparations to invite an invasion of pirates into the park.

Disneyland is playing host to the world premiere of Dead Man's Chest and inviting a few pirates to stay on for the long term. Coinciding with the premiere of Dead Man's Chest, Disneyland will unveil its newly updated Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which will feature new elements inspired by the new films. Planned are new Audio-Animatronics figures of the Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa characters from the films, as well as updated scenery and special effects.

Disneyland is also debuting new entertainment inspired by the pirates craze. Captain Jack Sparrow himself will meet and greet guests around New Orleans Square and the Pirates of the Caribbean attracation this summer, and a new band of pirates will roam New Orleans Square with live improvisational entertainment. The venerable Sailing Ship Columbia on the Rivers of America may find itself hijacked by a pirate or two this summer as well.

Finally, various stores around New Orleans Square have had new pirate-themed decorations put up, and many of them will be offering pirate-related merchandise inspired by the attraction and the films.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is rated PG-13 and arrives in theaters nationwide on July 7. For more information, visit http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/pirates/

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