Does Shanghai's Pirates Of The Caribbean Ride Blow The Others Out Of The Water?

For the past twenty five years, Disneyland Paris has enjoyed the mantle of boasting the absolute best Pirates of the Caribbean rides in all of the Disney parks and we've been wondering for years if the attraction could actually get any better.

Avast ye hearties, a tidal wave of awesomeness is coming from China where the newly installed Pirates Of The Caribbean at Shanghai Disneyland is about to set sail and the early word is that its incredible. Everything from what we've seen of the ride footage looks like it's an awesome thrill-ride into the world of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Titled Pirates Of The Caribbean: Battle For The Sunken Treasure, the new ride begins very much like the other Pirate attractions in that there's many scenes with dead pirates sat in treasure rooms. The famous jail scene shows that the pirates have waited too long for the dog to bring them the keys to release them from their cell.

But this is where the ride takes a turn into new territory. Suddenly Captain Jack Sparrow appears as he miraculously transforms from a skeleton. It is then that we embark on an adventure into Davy Jones' Locker and a battle for treasure. Batten down the hatches this is going to be a hell of a ride.

The screen technology looks impressive and mixes this with animatronics and physical effects. Before our eyes Jack Sparrow changes from a skeleton into a fully moving animatronic and when Davy Jones makes his appearance, the character is creepily real right down to his moving tentacles.

The screens seem to blend easily with the set pieces around them and really aren't that distracting. The closest possible example of this type of ride is probably Harry Potter at the Forbidden Journey at Universal's parks - only instead of flying, you are on a boat.

It feels almost unfair to compare this new attraction to the other Pirates of the Caribbean rides. This one is based on the films rather than a stand alone attraction and uses the kind of technology that Walt Disney could have only dreamt of.

The reason why the Paris version works so well is the cursed story arch that really isn't as present in Orlando. This version is certainly not devoid of story, you are well and truly in the action.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Sunken Treasure really does look amazing. Once the park's doors open on 16th June it is likely that the queues for this attraction are going to be long.

What are we all waiting for? Let's go! Savvy?