When & Where Does the Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise Take Place?
The Pirates of the Caribbean movies are films that explore the story of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow and his many different adventures as a pirate. Played by Johnny Depp, Jack Sparrow meets a lot of different characters in a franchise that explores the supernatural side of the many different pirate stories that we have heard and read throughout history. But when and where does The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise take place?
All of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies take place sometime between 1728 to 1751. As the title of the entire movie franchise suggests, The Pirates of the Caribbean movies take place around the islands of the Caribbean Sea or the West Indies, but there are some scenes that take place far from the Caribbean.
The entire Pirates of the Caribbean franchise includes a lot of movies that have some time gaps between them. As such, it is difficult to pinpoint when the movies happen. But we do know that the movies take place mainly in the Caribbean Islands, as the title of the franchise suggests. So, let’s look at what we know about the time and location of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies
When Does The Pirates Of The Caribbean Franchise Take Place?
One of the most lucrative movie franchises of all time is Pirates of the Caribbean. Led by Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow from the first film all the way to the fifth, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has amassed billions of dollars at the box office for Disney as this is one of the most lucrative movie franchises in the industry.
Of course, aside from Johnny Depp’s star power, one of the other things that make this movie franchise so successful is its amazing and unique approach. There aren’t a lot of pirate movies because of how expensive it is to film a movie that mostly takes place on the sea. Of course, there’s also the fact that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise takes place hundreds of years in the past.
While Pirates of the Caribbean isn’t a historical movie, it does take place long ago during the time when pirates were ruling the seas. So, with that said, when does the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise take place?
The entire Pirates of the Caribbean franchise takes place from 1728 to 1751 over the course of five movies. Take note that some of these movies have a significant gap between them, especially when you consider that there is a 21-year gap between the end of At World’s End and On Stranger Tides.
The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie takes place in 1728, as the original trilogy actually has a pretty short gap between each movie. All three of the movies of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy happened from 1728 to 1729, as At World’s End concluded in 1729.
Meanwhile, there is a 21-year gap between the third and fourth movies, as On Stranger Tides happened in 1750. But there is only a one-year gap between On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales. The 21-year gap between the third and fourth movies allowed Jack Sparrow to enjoy more off-screen adventures as the children of Will Turner and Hector Barbossa matured during that two-decade gap, considering that they were already adults in the fifth movie.
Where Does The Pirates Of The Caribbean Franchise Take Place?
As the title of the franchise suggests, the entire Pirates of the Caribbean takes place mainly in the Caribbean and in the islands around the Caribbean Sea. However, there are different places that the characters visit throughout the entire movie franchise. Still, a good part of the franchise takes place in the Caribbean.
Port Royal
Port Royal is where most of the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy took place because this was the center of shipping and commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. However, historically speaking, this place was destroyed at the end of the 17th century because of an earthquake, and that means that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise isn’t exactly very accurate.
In the movies, Port Royal is the home of Elizabeth because her father was the governor of this place. This is also where Will Turner worked as a blacksmith. During the first movie, the crew of the Black Pearl, led by Barbossa, attacked the port city. Eventually, Lord Beckett moved his base of operations to Port Royal as he was hunting Jack Sparrow and the other pirates. Port Royal is featured in all of the movies except in On Stranger Tides, which takes place mostly on the sea.
Isla de Muerta
Isla de Muerta is featured during the events of Curse of the Black Pearl, which is the first movie of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. This is an island where the crew of the Black Pearl hides their looted treasure. Isla de Muerta, which means the Island of Death, is also where the Aztec treasure is being kept.
According to Jack Sparrow, the Island of Death cannot be found except for those who already know where it is hidden. That sounds kind of confusing, but that is part of the entire lore of Pirates of the Caribbean. And, of course, Isla de Muerta is entirely fictional and does not exist in real life.
Tortuga
Tortuga is another one of the most common places in the entire Pirates of the Caribbean, as this is where most of the pirates and scum of the seas hide. This is an island that can be found north of Haiti and is out of the jurisdiction of the Royal Navy. The fact that the Royal Navy could not legally arrest the people of Tortuga allowed it to be a free port where different people could conduct illegal transactions. Tortuga is also where most pirates go if they want to hire a crew.
Considering that most of the characters of Pirates of the Caribbean are the scum of the seas, Jack Sparrow and the rest of the characters often go here to have a good time. There are plenty of criminals, pirates, and other scum that like hanging out in Tortuga for some drinks. And this is why it is a favorable place for pirates to stay at.
Pelegosto
Pelegosto is a fictional island that was filmed on a tropical island called Dominica. This is a place that was heavily featured during the events of Dead Man’s Chest because it is where Jack Sparrow and the rest of the crew of the Black Pearl landed in an attempt to escape the Kraken. The island seems safe and is quite a paradise if you only look at it from the outside, but it is actually pretty dangerous.
In the movie, Pelegosto is home to mysterious native cannibals. The cannibals captured Jack Sparrow and some of the other characters, but they eventually released Jack because they thought that he was their god. But when they found out that the natives were all going to eat them, they ended up running from them throughout the entire island until they found a way to escape on the Black Pearl.
Singapore
Yes, the port city of Singapore is one of the locations shown in Pirates of the Caribbean as it appeared during the events of At World’s End when Barbossa and Elizabeth visited a pirate named Sao Feng so that they could get their hands on a navigational chart that could help them rescue Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones’ Locker. However, this is not the same kind of Singapore that we know today.
The Singapore shown in Pirates of the Caribbean was not shot anywhere near Singapore, which isn’t even remotely close to the Caribbean. Instead, the Singapore in this movie franchise is a fort city that serves as a home to Sao Feng’s pirates. Of course, it also isn’t historically accurate because the modern version of Singapore was founded at the beginning of the 19th century. As such, the one in Pirates of the Caribbean is far from the city port that has turned into a tourist destination.
Davy Jones’s Locker
Davy Jones’ Locker is some sort of purgatory for those who are lost at sea in the Pirates of the Caribbean lore. It was featured during the events of At World’s End when Barbossa and Elizabeth had to go there to rescue Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl because they needed the services of the pirate and his compass.
In Davy Jones’ Locker, Jack Sparrow was seen on a sandy area where he only had imaginary versions of himself as he is doomed to captain the Black Pearl for eternity. However, he was rescued by Barbossa and the others. It was also in Davy Jones’ Locker that Elizabeth realized that her father had died because she saw his soul wandering in the sea of lost souls.
Shipwreck Cove
Finally, Shipwreck Cove served as the island fortress for the different pirates found all over the world, as this was where the Brethren Court was held to discuss whether or not the pirates would unleash Calypso against the Royal armada headed by Beckett and Davy Jones. This was also where Elizabeth was named king of the Brethren Court.
Of course, Shipwreck Cove is a fictional location that doesn’t have a real-world counterpart. But we can presume that it is also found somewhere close to the Caribbean Sea so that it would be accessible to most pirates traveling all over the world.