Plot: Step inside the pitch meeting that led to The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl! Before Disney turned it into a massive franchise of blockbuster movies, Pirates of the Caribbean was just a slow-moving boat ride attraction at their Disney parks involving looking around at pirates and ships and whatnot. Somehow, that served as the inspiration for a massive series of adventure movies starring Johnny Depp and the rise of one of the most recognizable movie characters of all time: Captain Jack Sparrow