Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)
Pirates of the Caribbean is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides,
a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and
other media publications. The franchise originated with the theme park ride of the same name,
which opened at Disneyland in 1967 and was one of the last Disneyland rides overseen
by Walt Disney. Disney based the ride on pirate legends, folklore and novels, such
as those by Italian writer Emilio Salgari.
Pirates of the Caribbean became a media franchise in the 2000s with the release of
The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003; it was followed by four sequels. The films
created by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio have grossed over $4.5 billion worldwide
by 2019, putting the film franchise 14th in the list of all-time highest-grossing
franchises and film series. The rides can be found at five Disney theme park resorts.
The series is noted for its high quality of acting talent. The visual and practical effects
are considered some of the best ever done on film, so much so that audiences believed
certain CGI elements of the films were real and done practically. However, the plots
of the four sequels have received mixed reviews, with the general consensus that they
are too bloated and convoluted to follow. Pirates of the Caribbean is noted for
reinvigorating the pirate film genre after decades of either no pirate films or
failed pirate films.