Perhaps right now is not the best time for Disney to promote Pirates of the Caribbean, as the company has just found out. On Twitter, Walt Disney World posted a 50th anniversary celebration promo featuring Pirates of the Caribbean. The tweet also encouraged others to respond with their “pirate name,” which can be found by adding “Captain + see + yer fave animal.” The tweet certainly got a lot of responses, but not in the way the House of Mouse had been hoping for.
“Johnny Depp/ Captain Jack Sparrow is Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s nothing without Johnny/Jack. If only you had supported the survivor of DV,” responded one Depp fan, who didn’t participate in the pirate name game.
Aye, matey! Climb aboard this classic during the 50th Anniversary celebration. Yer pirate name = Captain + sea + yer fave animal. Drop yers below!☠️ #DisneyWorld50 pic.twitter.com/jvDAEHQedw
— Walt Disney World (@WaltDisneyWorld) May 12, 2022
“Not a good time to be drawing attention to POTC,” laments another fan. “Jack Sparrow was what made those movies, the merchandise, and the ride something special and you as good as killed him off! Noone cared before Depp’s Sparrow and noone wants a reminder of what you did to him now!”
Aye, matey! Climb aboard this classic during the 50th Anniversary celebration. Yer pirate name = Captain + sea + yer fave animal. Drop yers below!☠️ #DisneyWorld50 pic.twitter.com/jvDAEHQedw
— Walt Disney World (@WaltDisneyWorld) May 12, 2022
Echoing many, many others, another tweet reads, “How can you even have such an advertisement when you aren’t supporting the main actor? You disappointed me and many others especially not waiting till the trial was over.”
Aye, matey! Climb aboard this classic during the 50th Anniversary celebration. Yer pirate name = Captain + sea + yer fave animal. Drop yers below!☠️ #DisneyWorld50 pic.twitter.com/jvDAEHQedw
— Walt Disney World (@WaltDisneyWorld) May 12, 2022
“Really, trying to cash in while you dropped Johnny like a hot potato,” says someone else. “You should be ashamed, he made that character, not the director, not the script writers, Johnny himself. I bet you didn’t mind taking the money he was pulling in???”
Johnny Depp Says Disney Fired Him for False Allegations
The reason so many Johnny Depp fans are insulted by Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean promo is that the subject of his firing from the franchise has gotten a lot of renewed attention in recent weeks. The actor is currently suing ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation, arguing that false allegations she’d made about him had cost him his role as Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp fans feel that the firing was unjust, especially with evidence brought to light in the trial that they say helps Depp prove his case.
During his testimony, Depp said he felt “betrayed” by Disney firing him after he’d spent so many years making his character, and therefore the franchise, the moneymaking success that it was. He was hoping to return for at least one more film, as he believed the fans deserved to see the fictional pirate get a proper goodbye. As Depp said on the stand:
The trial continues. For now, Disney may want to hold back on the Pirates of the Caribbean promos.
Aye, matey! Climb aboard this classic during the 50th Anniversary celebration. Yer pirate name = Captain + sea + yer fave animal. Drop yers below!☠️ #DisneyWorld50 pic.twitter.com/jvDAEHQedw
— Walt Disney World (@WaltDisneyWorld) May 12, 2022