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Just a few ideas I have to create a win-win situation for fans of the movie additions and non-fans of the movie additions. Let me know what you think. It took me quite a while. 
Aside from a new coat of paint on the attraction's facade and outdoor queue, the real changes don't begin until guests enter the manor house and receive their first glimpse of the bateaux (the boats). On the back of each bateaux is a tiny pile of cargo roped to the back bow, the front bow baring a hand-sized branded-anchor printed beneath the title of "Lafitte Plantation Co.," implying that perhaps Lafitte's Landing was once a shipping outpost used by the famous pirate Jean Lafitte...or someone with a coincidental name. All of the pirate caricatures in the queue remain, including those of Barbossa and Jack, this being Barbossa's ONLY appearance in the attraction. In place of the temporary contest winner caricature (which is gone already), is another Marc Davis original, perhaps one removed in the 2006 remodel or never released from the drawing board.
After boarding their bateaux, guests depart into the Blue Bayou which now features darker lighting to more-so hide the ceiling, hide the often visible bottom of the bayou, and hide the strings suspending the fireflies which in turn have been given more motion. The mural making the surrounding woods seem deeper is darkened a bit and made partially 3D and partially 2D, 3D set pieces strung along the mural here and there to make it "pop" more (for instance, 3D trees would be cut in half and placed over a painted tree). "Camptown Races," a song cut from the original attraction now joins the banjo tunes plunked near the Old Man, the Old Man in which is joined by a tired, old bloodhound. The sleepy dog slumps his head over the side of the porch, occasionally perking up and wagging his tail before quickly slumping back down. As expected, the bateaux proceeds down the two waterfalls and into a refurbished grotto sequence.
For starters, Dead Man's Cove receives darkened lighting as well (to hide unnecessary things) whilst the sides of the often visible flume are remade to look like jagged rocks (actually convincing rubber "rocks"). Dead Man's Cove and Hurricane Lagoon remain exactly the same, although they are accompanied by a digitally-remastered soundtrack, something installed throughout the entire attraction to crisp things up a bit. Special effect-born droplets of water (complete with dripping sound effects) drip from the ceiling of Crew's Quarters, implying it to be a companion to Hurricane Lagoon. Over in the Captain's Quarters are where the notable changes begin, starting with the addition of an old prop. Long ago, the Captain wore a black wig a la Captain Hook. This wig respectively returns along with a character cut during planning phases. The current dead parrot is replaced by a new dead parrot, an actual animatronic reciting a monologue which was also cut during the attraction's planning. The monologue goes as such, most likely performed by Dee Bradley Baker: "Morgan says the streets are paved with gold! Storm the fort and steal a fortune! Squawk! Drink up, me cutthroats, time to sail! Avast there, mates - wait for dark! Squawk! Our fortune's made, lads. Quick now - we're keeping the ladies waiting! Squawk! Aye, Captain, your heart's as black as your beard. We'll have a hot time in the old town tonight. Squawk!" In between the transition from Captain's Quarters to the Treasure Room (all the way until the end of the Treasure Room) is an HD restoration of an old favorite: the ghost monologues, respectively narrated by Paul Frees and J. Pat O'Malley as they had from 1967-2006. "No fear have ye" and "Perhaps ye knows too much" make their triumphant return, setting the stage for the curses to come. The skeleton in the Treasure Room is re-costumed to resemble his 1967-self, complete with his smiling mouth wide-open. Although the movie additions have been toned down a bit in this rehab, the chest full of Aztec gold remains in place. Davey Jones still haunts the projection screen, minus his alternation with Blackbeard.
I'm going to school shortly, so I'll have to continue the rest later. Questions, comments, concerns?
You can also hear the ghostly monologues in this video and see the Treasure Room's original skeleton as I plan to have him appear.
Aside from a new coat of paint on the attraction's facade and outdoor queue, the real changes don't begin until guests enter the manor house and receive their first glimpse of the bateaux (the boats). On the back of each bateaux is a tiny pile of cargo roped to the back bow, the front bow baring a hand-sized branded-anchor printed beneath the title of "Lafitte Plantation Co.," implying that perhaps Lafitte's Landing was once a shipping outpost used by the famous pirate Jean Lafitte...or someone with a coincidental name. All of the pirate caricatures in the queue remain, including those of Barbossa and Jack, this being Barbossa's ONLY appearance in the attraction. In place of the temporary contest winner caricature (which is gone already), is another Marc Davis original, perhaps one removed in the 2006 remodel or never released from the drawing board.
After boarding their bateaux, guests depart into the Blue Bayou which now features darker lighting to more-so hide the ceiling, hide the often visible bottom of the bayou, and hide the strings suspending the fireflies which in turn have been given more motion. The mural making the surrounding woods seem deeper is darkened a bit and made partially 3D and partially 2D, 3D set pieces strung along the mural here and there to make it "pop" more (for instance, 3D trees would be cut in half and placed over a painted tree). "Camptown Races," a song cut from the original attraction now joins the banjo tunes plunked near the Old Man, the Old Man in which is joined by a tired, old bloodhound. The sleepy dog slumps his head over the side of the porch, occasionally perking up and wagging his tail before quickly slumping back down. As expected, the bateaux proceeds down the two waterfalls and into a refurbished grotto sequence.
For starters, Dead Man's Cove receives darkened lighting as well (to hide unnecessary things) whilst the sides of the often visible flume are remade to look like jagged rocks (actually convincing rubber "rocks"). Dead Man's Cove and Hurricane Lagoon remain exactly the same, although they are accompanied by a digitally-remastered soundtrack, something installed throughout the entire attraction to crisp things up a bit. Special effect-born droplets of water (complete with dripping sound effects) drip from the ceiling of Crew's Quarters, implying it to be a companion to Hurricane Lagoon. Over in the Captain's Quarters are where the notable changes begin, starting with the addition of an old prop. Long ago, the Captain wore a black wig a la Captain Hook. This wig respectively returns along with a character cut during planning phases. The current dead parrot is replaced by a new dead parrot, an actual animatronic reciting a monologue which was also cut during the attraction's planning. The monologue goes as such, most likely performed by Dee Bradley Baker: "Morgan says the streets are paved with gold! Storm the fort and steal a fortune! Squawk! Drink up, me cutthroats, time to sail! Avast there, mates - wait for dark! Squawk! Our fortune's made, lads. Quick now - we're keeping the ladies waiting! Squawk! Aye, Captain, your heart's as black as your beard. We'll have a hot time in the old town tonight. Squawk!" In between the transition from Captain's Quarters to the Treasure Room (all the way until the end of the Treasure Room) is an HD restoration of an old favorite: the ghost monologues, respectively narrated by Paul Frees and J. Pat O'Malley as they had from 1967-2006. "No fear have ye" and "Perhaps ye knows too much" make their triumphant return, setting the stage for the curses to come. The skeleton in the Treasure Room is re-costumed to resemble his 1967-self, complete with his smiling mouth wide-open. Although the movie additions have been toned down a bit in this rehab, the chest full of Aztec gold remains in place. Davey Jones still haunts the projection screen, minus his alternation with Blackbeard.
I'm going to school shortly, so I'll have to continue the rest later. Questions, comments, concerns?
You can also hear the ghostly monologues in this video and see the Treasure Room's original skeleton as I plan to have him appear.
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