On August 10, 2002, a fire started on the soundstage where the movie was shot. Nobody was hurt and the damage was estimated to be $350,000.
The movie is inspired by, and takes its theme from, the popular Walt Disney theme park ride of the same name.
Stick around after the credits for an additional scene.
References to the Disneyland attractions include (but are not limited to):
3 uses of the song "(Yo Ho, Yo Ho) A Pirate's Life for Me" by X. Atencio and George Bruns in the opening scene (sung by young Elizabeth), when Jack and Elizabeth are marooned on the island, and in the end by Jack.
The jail scenes, in which the prisoners try to tempt the dog who holds the key to their cell. Jack says, "That dog is never going to move" - although the movie dog eventually does, the one in the ride doesn't. Jack later tries to tempt it with a bone, as does one of the audio-animatronic pirates in the ride.
The "burning town" sequence, and within it, the redheaded prostitute (who slaps Jack), and the "stuffed pirate" drinking the rum spurting out of a barrel
Jack's initial discovery of Gibbs sleeping with the pigs
The line "Dead men tell no tales", said by the macaw, which is repeated throughout the ride's narration
A quick shot of a skeleton sprawled on the beach of the Isla de Muerta, with a crab nearby
During the raid on the town, seen is a man being dunked into a well.
A skeletal Barbossa drinks wine, which trickles through his exposed ribcage, as one of the skeletal pirates do.
The title was originally just "Pirates of the Caribbean" but the name was changed in the hope that it would do well at the box office and a sequel could be made.
The first movie under the official Walt Disney Pictures banner to receive a rating higher than PG in the USA (this one being rated PG-13).
The movie's world premiere was located at Disneyland Park at the Disneyland Resort in California, home to the original Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, on June 28, 2003. This was the first ever movie premiere at Disneyland.
Johnny Depp's character, Captain Jack, is portrayed as having gold teeth in the film. These are real and Depp had his dentist implant those and others into his mouth for the production. Jerry Bruckheimer thought there were too many and asked him to remove all but a few.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski wanted to use the massive water tank in Baja, Mexico used for Titanic (1997) and Pearl Harbor (2001), but Peter Weir's film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) had the tank booked during the time Pirates was scheduled to shoot.
The "walking under the row boat" scene is a direct homage to Crimson Pirate, The (1952).
The scene where Orlando Bloom impersonates Johnny Depp's performance was devised by Bloom who asked producer Jerry Bruckheimer if he could put it into the movie.
The tattoo that Orlando Bloom got on his right wrist during "The Lord of the Rings" is covered throughout most of the film. It's visible during the swordfight in the blacksmith shop when Will raises his sword to parry after Jack's "You're not a eunuch, are you?" and again below decks on the Black Pearl where Elizabeth reveals she took the medallion and Will realizes it was his blood the pirates need to lift the curse - you can see it just as he reaches to touch the medallion on her chest.
Many of the crew got seasick while filming.
The final cannon shot during the Black Pearl's siege of the town, billows into a Mickey Mouse head shape against the night sky
The Jolly Roger that the Black Pearl flies is a skull and crossed swords, which had originally been flown by historical pirate John "Calico Jack" Rackham who is most famous for having the two most famous female pirates of the Caribbean in his crew, Mary Read and Anne Bonney.
The name of one of Jack's crew members, Ana Maria, is a reference to the two most famous female pirates of the Caribbean, Anne Bonney and Mary Read.
In an attempt to ward off the seasickness that struck the rest of the cast and crew, Keira Knightley took a travel sickness pill... and fell asleep instead.
Jack Sparrow's line "...and then they made me their chief," is a tribute to British comedy series "Fast Show, The" (1994), of which Johnny Depp is an ardent fan, so much so that he guest starred in one episode. The line was originally uttered by the incoherent barrister Rowley Birkin QC, Johnny Depp's favorite character from the show. The Fast Show was shown in the US under the title "Brilliant". (Depp uses another Fast Show catchphrase in an unused version of the "parley" scene in the cave when he says, "I'll get me coat..." - this can be seen on the DVD.)
Clothing and smears of charcoal were used to conceal Johnny Depp's numerous tattoos. The "Jack Sparrow" tattoo on his arm in the movie is a fake, but he got a real replica after finishing the film, in honor of his son Jack.
Having decided that pirates were the 18th century equivalent of rock stars, Depp's characterization of Sparrow was inspired by close observation of his friend Keith Richards, though he emphasized in interviews that it was not an impersonation.
The "Fort" in Port Royal is actually not on St. Vincent's, but at a closed down amusement park in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
In the cave at Isla de Muerte, one of Barboassas pirates can be seen with what appears to be a smoking beard. According to the legends of Blackbeard (a famous pirate) he used to attach slow burning fuses to his beard before a raid.
When Will wakes up after being knocked out he looks out into the port and you can see the same girl who played the young Elizabeth sweeping at a doorway (Lucinda Dryzek).
When Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, the screenwriters, originally pitched the movie to the Disney executives in the early '90s, it was rejected.
Alan Silvestri was first suggested to provide the score but has been replaced by Klaus Badelt. However, some movie posters still show the credit "Music by Alan Silvestri". These posters also show a different story credit, omitting the fourth story writer Jay Wolpert: "Screen Story by Stuart Beattie and Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio".
Commodore Norrington's first name is James, according to a deleted scene.
HMS Interceptor is actually the tall ship Lady Washington. The ship was slightly modified for the film.
The substance sprayed on William Turner after the sword fight between him and Captain Jack Sparrow is actually powdered chocolate
The East Indian Trading Company really did brand pirates with a "P" but it was put on their foreheads instead of their arms.