Featured Attractions

Monday, March 2, 2015

Who's That Voice?- Pirates of the Caribbean


Widely regarded as the greatest attraction ever built, Pirates of the Caribbean has been entertaining DISNEYLAND guests since 1967. The original attraction, whose construction was overseen by Walt Disney, is still considered to be the best of all the versions built around the world. One of the first pirates encountered by guests is this guy, who warns riders of the "dangers" ahead:



It might surprise many to learn that the pirate is not voiced by a professional actor or voice talent. The voice guests hear was provided by one of the Imagineers who worked on the project- Xavier Atencio. Mr. Atencio was assigned to this project by Walt Disney himself. Mr. Disney was having problems figuring out how to accomplish this ambitious project and he knew that Mr. Atencio would be the best person to get things back on track. Mr. Atencio not only designed the overall look of the attraction alongside fellow Imagineer Marc Davis, he also wrote the attraction's theme song- Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me).