Disney based the ride on pirate legends, folklore and novels, such as those by Italian writer Emilio Salgari.

Opening on March 18, 1967, the Disneyland version of Pirates of the Caribbean was the last ride that Walt Disney himself participated in designing, debuting three months after his death.

It contains structures and caves with references to Mark Twain characters from the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and provides interactive, climbing, and scenic opportunities.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure is a magnetic powered dark ride at Shanghai Disneyland.

Walt Disney Imagineering designed the ride and Industrial Light & Magic created the computer-generated visual effects.