Thursday, June 18, 2009

Tell-No-Tales Thursdays: Entrance Queue Murals



Each Thursday will be devoted to the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in New Orleans Square; rarely do I go to the park without riding POTC and The Haunted Mansion.

Those who take their time entering the attraction will notice the murals on the walls showcasing famous pirates and maidens. This painting of Capt. Jack Sparrow that matches the style of the older paintings inside the entrance and queue area was added 3 years ago.



These two real-life pirate maidens, Anne Bonny & Mary Read, also grace the entrance queue, although they most likely are not noticed until the boat comes around the corner at the end of the ride where the pirate map is located.



Captain Edward "Ned" Low was a real pirate from the 18th Century. Two years after his wife died in childbirth, he became a pirate off the coasts of New England and the Azores, as well as the Caribbean.



Here’s a two shot featuring Captain Charles Gibbs & Sir Henry Mainwaring.



Captain Charles Gibbs’ real name was James D. Jeffers. Like the others, his area of piracy was the Caribbean in the 19th Century. Although most likely exaggerated, he publicly admitted to killing over 400 people during his life as a pirate.



Sir Henry Mainwaring was a 17th Century English pirate, naval officer with the Royal Navy, and an author. His nickname was “The Dread Pirate.”



Sir Francis Verney.



Captain Barbossa was eventually added after Jack Sparrow joined the group.

In January 2008, a new painting was added to the queue.



The Disney Publicity Machine released this info:

ANAHEIM, Calif. – January 29, 2008 – A new name and face are joining the ranks of the pirates whose images appear inside the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland. Alongside such legends of the high seas as Captain Jack Sparrow and Barbossa, a specially created portrait of Jenifer Greenwell of St. Petersburg, Florida, now appears along the wall where queuing guests approach the dock to board the attraction. Jenifer was selected at random as the grand prize winner from hundreds of thousands of entries in the “Become a Disney Pirate” sweepstakes conducted in connection with the DVD release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Her likeness as “Mademoiselle Greenwell” in pirate costume will stand alongside the others and be viewed by millions of Disneyland guests. Jenifer’s pirate journey, following the news of her big win, took her to the headquarters of Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, California. There, in May 2007, she she was sketched as a pirate in full costume by Imagineer artist Jim Crouch. She also was given a tour of Imagineering, which few non-Imagineers ever get to experience. She returned to California in July when, in the Pirate Suite of the Disneyland Hotel, Crouch and other Imagineers showed her the original artwork that Crouch would paint as a four-foot-tall mural on the wall of the attraction. (The other notable pirates in this Pirates of the Caribbean rogues gallery were also painted by Jim Crouch.) The art was unveiled the morning of Tuesday, January 29, in a special presentation featuring Jenifer, Jim Crouch and some of the pirate denizens of New Orleans Square in Disneyland. “Mademoiselle Greenwell” will remain on view in “Pirates of the Caribbean” through June 2009. In addition, Jenifer was given a VIP tour of Disneyland Resort during her January 29 visit. She got to meet and pose for photos with Disneyland pirates. And she took home the original “Mademoiselle Greenwell” artwork developed for the attraction.















For the thousands of readers out there who think you missed your opportunity to win the URock promotion, there’s still one prize floating out there waiting for you! Send me an email (at dvdpicasso@aol.com) stating that you want to claim the prize! If you’ve already won a prize on Daveland, then please give the other folks a chance—thanks!

See more Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean photos at my website.

7 comments:

Becky said...

RAD post! The paintings are one of my favorite parts of the POTC ride. When we were little, my sister and I would always just make up stories about the pirates if we were stuck there for a long time, so it's fun to know some actual history behind the pirates.

Major Pepperidge said...

Arg, I guess I'm a purist or something, but I really am not crazy about ideas like the guy who bid to be the 1000th ghost in the Haunted Mansion, or this lady being added to the pirate murals. Nothing against the people who won, I'm sure they love the attractions and are nice folks.

Kevin Kidney said...

Gee, I have to admit I'm not a fan of these either.

And speaking of the Haunted Mansion, I think the Hatbox Ghost should return and be named official 1000th ghost.

Matterhorn1959 said...

I also have to agree with the Major and Kevin. But, as we all know, Disney is a company and they must keep the money and guests coming in. At least this one was a random contest, not like the Haunted Mansion tombstone which although did not make money for Disneyland, they did get to write it off on their taxes.

Anonymous said...

Captain Edward "Ned" Low reminds me of Mr. Toad

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/2508095848_719c2104e6.jpg

Anonymous said...

Any idea why there are actual pirates and fictional pirates portrayed together? I discovered one of my ancestors was Sir Henry Mainwaring, and eventually found my way to your blog after searching his name. What a neat tidbit of information! I'll look for him on the wall if I ever make it to Disneyland (haven't been there since 1995). Thanks for the info. Enjoyed it.

Daveland said...

Anonymous - The historic pirates were on the walls first; Sparrow and Barbossa were added after the movie came out.