Walt Kelly had a genius for lines like that - masterful understatement was part of his writing style. And yeah, that line in particular is a good one.
I haven't seen him in the Disney ride, but you're probably right - he's been toned down a lot in recent years. Still, his full name was for many years 'Panchito Pistoles' (which is bad Spanish; I'm pretty sure it should be PistolAS, but whatever), so you can hardly blame the guy. You should see him in the movie - he's one trigger-happy fellow.