EN ROUTE TO THE CARIBBEAN · SINCE 1999
The saga / Monkey Island at the cinema

Monkey Island at the cinema

Suggestions and comparisons with the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Guybrush brings cinema to the dock, between black sails and Caribbean legends.
Guybrush brings cinema to the dock, between black sails and Caribbean legends.

Two routes in the same imagination

A young man who dreams of adventure, a crew of undead, a prison and a dog with keys: those who love Monkey Island recognize many familiar images in the Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a good starting point for watching cinema and video games together, without turning every similarity into proof of derivation.

Where does the atmosphere come from

Ron Gilbert has indicated the novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers as one of the inspirations for Monkey Island, distinguishing it from the mainly atmospheric influence of the Disney attraction Pirates of the Caribbean. Taverns, night lights, voodoo and humor make up a shared landscape, which the two sagas develop in different ways.

Characters to be juxtaposed, not superimposed

Guybrush and Will Turner can meet in the aspiring adventurer theme; LeChuck and Barbossa in the figure of the undead captain; the Voodoo Lady and Tia Dalma in the role of the expert of mysterious powers. However, Elaine has her own identity and role, just as Jack Sparrow does not coincide with Captain Dread.

The following combinations are a game of glances: they place images and narrative functions close together. They do not present the films as official adaptations of Monkey Island and do not demonstrate that one character was copied from the other.

Learn more: Ron Gilbert · On Stranger Tides, September 19, 2004.

The comparison gallery

Image from the monkey-cinema collection
Guybrush Threepwood
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
  Orlando Bloom / Will Turner
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
LeChuck (MI1)

Image from the monkey-cinema collection
Geoffrey Rush / Barbossa

Image from the monkey-cinema collection
LeChuck (MI2)
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
Bill Nighy / Davy Jones
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
Elaine Marley
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
  Keira Knightley / Elizabeth Swann
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
Captain Dread
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
  Johnny Depp / Captain Jack Sparrow
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
Voodoo Lady
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
Naomie Harris / Tia Dalma
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
The Voodoo Lady's swamp
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
Tia Dalma Swamp

Image from the monkey-cinema collection

Image from the monkey-cinema collection
LeChuck's Ghost Ship

Image from the monkey-cinema collection
Barbossa's Black Pearl
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
Guybrush Prison
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
  Prison of Johnny Depp / Jack Sparrow
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
Cannibals "Monkey Island"
Image from the monkey-cinema collection
 Cannibals "Pirates of the Caribbean"

The Pirates of the Caribbean films

From the first adventure in 2003 to the following chapters: the five films in order of release. The covers of the first three remain those of the collection; for the fourth and fifth the official posters in the original version have been added.

Pirates of the Caribbean · The Curse of the Black Pearl · Site collection cover
Cover of the site collection

Chapter 1 · 2003

The Curse of the Black Pearl

Director: Gore Verbinski

Jack Sparrow and Will Turner find themselves on the trail of the Black Pearl, between a kidnapped young woman and a curse that changes the face of its pirates.

Disney official sheet ↗
Pirates of the Caribbean · Dead Man's Chest · Site collection cover
Cover of the site collection

Chapter 2 · 2006

Dead Man's Chest

Director: Gore Verbinski

An old debt ties Jack to Davy Jones. The chest and the fate of the Flying Dutchman drag the protagonists into a new race on the sea.

Disney official sheet ↗
Pirates of the Caribbean · At World's End · Site collection cover
Cover of the site collection

Chapter 3 · 2007

At the edge of the world

Director: Gore Verbinski

An expedition beyond known borders and increasingly fragile alliances lead the pirates towards a clash with those who want to erase their freedom.

Disney official sheet ↗
Pirates of the Caribbean · On Stranger Tides · Official poster · original version
Official poster · original version

Chapter 4 · 2011

Beyond the borders of the sea

Director: Rob Marshall

Angelica reappears in Jack Sparrow's life and involves him in the search for the Fountain of Youth. On the way he meets Blackbeard, mermaids and new deceptions.

Disney official sheet ↗
Pirates of the Caribbean · Salazar's Revenge · Official poster · original version
Official poster · original version

Chapter 5 · 2017

Salazar's Revenge

Director: Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg

Salazar and his ghost sailors hunt Jack. With Henry and Carina, Sparrow sets out on the trail of Poseidon's legendary Trident.

Disney official sheet ↗

Covers and posters © Disney and respective owners. The new images come from the official Disney files and are stored locally to accompany the presentation of the films.