Disney's Pirates Of The Caribbean Has An Official Prequel That You've Probably Never Seen

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Gore Verbinski's 2003 big-budget adventure film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," based on a series of rides at Disney theme parks, was probably a much bigger hit than anyone expected. It was an overpriced, bloated affair, costing $140 million and running 143 minutes, but the film's raucous tone, complex plot, and attractive cast drew in audiences in droves, and the film sailed off with over $654 million at the box office.

Of course, Disney did what it's best known for and immediately franchised the heck out of the movie. In 2006 and 2007, Verbinski made what was essentially a two-part mega-sequel in the form of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Assuming that audiences wanted the films to be even bigger and more complex, the sequels were massively expensive and achingly long, with "Chest" hitting the $225 million/150-minute mark, and "World's End" tipping over into $300 million/168 minutes. The formula worked, though, as the films made $1.06 billion and $962 million, respectively.

Disney has been chasing that high ever since. There have been two additional "Pirates" movies in 2011 and 2017, with the 2011 film also topping a billion. Disney also tried to replicate the "adventure novel" tropes of the movie with duds like "The Lone Ranger" and "Jungle Cruise," both of which lost fistfuls of money. None of the above films have matched the excitement of seeing that first movie back in 2003.

Few may know this, but in 2011, Disney also released an official 10-minute "Pirates" short film, included on a Blu-ray box set of the first four movies. It was called "Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code: Wedlocked," and it was directed by James Ward Byrkit, the filmmaker behind the brain-melting sci-fi film "Coherence."

It's pretty bad.

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"Wedlocked" covers the fates of two very minor characters from some of the "Pirates" feature films, and explains, in a prequel, how they got to where they are in the story.

One can watch the entire short online now, so it's not exclusive to that box set any longer. It's rich and colorful and clearly has a lot of money behind it. Sadly, I regret to report that it's not very funny. 

The main characters of the short are Giselle (Vanessa Branch) and Scarlett (Lauren Maher), who are revealed to be mutually jilted would-be brides of the foppish pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Branch and Maher are overacting to much of their own delight. The "Wedlocked" short begins with them both in bridal gowns awaiting the arrivals of their beloved grooms. Only a few sentences reveal that they are both engaged to Jack Sparrow. "That scoundrel!" one of them yells. 

There is then a sudden cut to the two women, alongside multiple other colorful wenches, standing on an auction block in front of a bunch of bug-eyed pirate varlets, being forcibly auctioned off to the highest bidder. The women are elated when they are sold for the hefty sum of 702 goats. The auctioneer is played by John Vickery, and he, too, overacts with aplomb. The women are quickly crestfallen when the auctioneer claims that he takes 100% commission and none of the money will be theirs. This is his right according to a massive book in his possession, the Pirate Code.

The book is clearly the centerpiece of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code: Wedlocked." When the auctioneer points it out, the filthy pirates that fill the room all quiet down, understanding that the Pirate Code deserves respect.

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Fans of the "Pirates" movies might recall the many scenes wherein Jack Sparrow or other characters cite the Pirate Code as a means of getting out of tight spots. The book, then, is the real eye-opening detail of the short film. 

Indeed, the title of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code: Wedlocked" indicates that there might have been a plan to make many "Tales of the Code" shorts to tie into the canonical universe of the "Pirates" movies. This was confirmed in a 2011 Washington Post article, when director James Ward Byrkit said he had the idea for many shorts, saying, "I envisioned something based on the Pirate Code Book, because that implied a device that could tie other stories in later." The short was shot over the course of only three days, using the sets for "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," which were slated for demolition. One cannot fault the short for its visuals or its ambition. 

And there is a moment of wit in the film. When the women realize that they are being treated like property, they instantly grok that their "owner" is responsible for their actions. One of the women smacks a particularly surly pirate, angering him. The surly pirate threatens to kill the auctioneer, and shenanigans ensue. The short ends with the Pirate Code being locked in a chest. 

So if over 12 hours of "Pirate" movie fun wasn't enough, now you have about 10 more minutes to enjoy. Time to crack open Davy Jones' locker.