Pirates of the Caribbean

{ 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 Walt Disney's theme park ride of the same name, which opened at Disneyland in 1967 and was one of the last Disneyland attractions 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. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and originally written by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, the films have grossed over $4.5 billion worldwide by 2019, putting the film franchise 16th in the list of all-time highest-grossing franchises and film series. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is also one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The rides can be found at five Disney theme park resorts. {