Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
I'm still convinced that they blew most of the money on the animatronics, then ran out by the time they were going to do the "Giant Ursula" scene and had to settle for a cardboard cutout.
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EPCOT Remy's Ratatouille Adventure coming to Epcot
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
1HAPPYGHOSTHOST
Well-Known Member
Lol. Only for some screens not all. Those 'sets' are not the focus, the screens are.
TikibirdLand
Well-Known Member
Our family LOVES the Little Mermaid ride! it's a must for us any time we visit MK. I think the dark rides are what set TWDC parks apart from the rest. Even Mr. Toad's with its cut-outs is superior to offerings of any of the competitors.
From the videos I've seen of RAT in Paris, I like the ride (and the language). Is it the best dark ride out there? No. But, certainly will add something to do in WS besides DUI Around the World.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
Completely agreed - I hadn't thought much about the entertainment (seeing as this year it became more of a non-factor), but that's so true as well. Mariachi Cobre adds so much to Mexico, and I hope Matsuriza (the Taiko drummers of Japan) return at some point. Serveur Amusant in France would also catch my eye unexpectedly.
I like your attitude toward the rest of World Showcase - the base might be old, but it's still so good (it's not like ornate Moroccan architecture can get stale!), and there are aspects of it that are fresher. The food scene has also seen frequent updates, with many of the newer restaurants (from Via Napoli to Takumi-Tei) being well-received. I'd be shocked if we never receive a new pavilion, and hopefully post-COVID reopening there's more of an impetus for another country to establish a presence in WS (or an IP integration Disney can't resist building out, like Encanto).
Also agreed that AK is my favorite park! Unpopular opinion, clearly, but it's my favorite Disney park, edging out DisneySea and Disneyland, and that's more for the continent lands (Africa and Asia) than Pandora. When they tear out Primeval Whirl, somehow it'll be even better.
Wow, what a place to quarantine! Of course I imagine it wasn't so magical at the time, with the park and resort closed - will probably change her impression of the HKDL Resort forever.
That attitude about extended time abroad is fantastic, and it's something I really wish I did (never studied abroad for a semester, and haven't worked abroad yet). Hong Kong seemed like a great option for a while, but the volatility now is sad to see; I hope things stabilize soon.
Between you and me, neither of these attractions is that bad! It's easy to get into critic mode when we have certain expectations (for instance, I expect motion out of a trackless ride vehicle, which Ratatouille is fairly light on), but they're all pleasant enough. Frozen's blank walls look cheap, but the AAs are fluid and impressive, while Under the Sea wins me over with the joy of its signature scene, even if the figures are lame.
As for Ratatouille....it might be the score? Perfectly pleasant soundtrack for a few minutes, even if not much is happening with the vehicle.
So you’re not riding it again then?
SpoiledBlueMilk
Well-Known Member
I think that was it. Wasn't the attraction the first to use the new generation of material to allow for more "life-like" and playable characters? First generation is always the most expensive.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
I don't mind most of the static figures, but I wish Ariel and Eric had been retroactively upgraded to Mine Train or Frozen standards. Something about Ariel's face during "Part of Your World" and the goodbye scene is so creepy.
Still wish Ratatouille had at least one Remy figure (Disney's more consistently nailed the non-human AAs, such as in Cars Land), but perhaps no AA beats a poorly executed one.
Unless this became a thread about Maelstrom, let’s not feed the troll.
For me, Rat is a solid D ticket in WDSP, but that’s in part due to the overall area plus the look-in at Chez Remy at the end. I don’t know if this version will go above a C ticket, but we’ll see. I honestly don’t remember much about the queue because we did it on an early open day and basically walked on.
For me, Rat is a solid D ticket in WDSP, but that’s in part due to the overall area plus the look-in at Chez Remy at the end. I don’t know if this version will go above a C ticket, but we’ll see. I honestly don’t remember much about the queue because we did it on an early open day and basically walked on.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
The discussion right now is more about Under the Sea, as someone made an interesting parallel between it and Rat: they're both fairly large-scale attractions with purportedly high budgets and scope that (for many) fell flat from expectations.
It's an interesting debate as to which is better: I'd personally choose Under the Sea but can understand why Rat wins for others.
Ultimately, though, neither attraction warrants long-term waits above an hour, a virtual queue only, or having to pay to ride. That's one thing that irritates me with the Epcot Ratatouille opening.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
I don't know if I would -- normally it would be a no brainer because physical sets and AAs are so much better than stuff happening on a screen for me, but the ones in Little Mermaid are very poorly designed. The Under the Sea scene in that ride is cheap and bare bones compared to what it should be.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
You're not wrong, but there are still a few moments of Under the Sea that redeem it for me. Scuttle is charming. The transition underwater is neat. Finally, the "Under the Sea" scene itself is lively and vibrant, and that's primarily from the colors, the music, and the volume of figures–even if most of them are weak.
Ratatouille also has a lovely score, but that's about it, as fas as I'm concerned. Also, if you want static, unconvincing props (and very few of them), can't think of much else that compares.
The screen-based segments didn't convey true motion to me (then again, Flight of Passage doesn't either), but clearly some feel differently.
It’s the new shiny thing that gives the twaddle department something to market. Give it a year.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
Yep, and I also recognize that Ratatouille was never supposed to be the shiny new thing for the 50th. In another universe, it would have been open for 12-15 months by now, with Tron and Guardians taking the spotlight they deserve.
(I know Tron has its critics but I really enjoyed it, and I expect Guardians to be a highlight all-around, even if the fit is questionable.)
They’ll certainly be given a spotlight for 4-5 years after opening.
Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
Wasn't the original purpose of a paper E-ticket to be used for an attraction with high demand, as opposed to a measure of quality?
That's why Disney will charge for access to this attraction. It's new and demand will be high.
Over time, A through E-Tickets have become an informal way of ranking attractions, but charging for Rat would be consistent with their original purpose.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
I still argue Rat is an E. There’s nothing on Jungle Cruise, in particular, that makes it more immersive, and it is an E.
E tickets are a rather diverse group because they are the highest.
E tickets are a rather diverse group because they are the highest.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't consider either an E, but it's definitely subjective.
James Alucobond
Well-Known Member
Regardless of highly subjective classification, I agree with @Wendy Pleakley that, in this instance, VQ is about mitigating demand rather than a declaration of quality. I would expect Ratatouille to convert to standby by the time Cosmic Rewind launches at the latest. They'd have to make some significant modifications to the system to have two VQs function well in the same park, which I don't see them doing.
The ticket levels were meant to be a way to pay for the ride you were going on. Rides like Space Mountain cost the company more to make, and so they charged more to ride. E-Tickets were the highest value ticket.
Rides that cost significantly more were also usually the most astounding rides, and thus, the most popular.
However, over time, with the selling of Tickets in a book, they were used as crowd control by throwing a bunch of the lower tiered tickets in the book to encourage people to ride the cheaper and less popular ride. Over time some rides moved up the tiers as a form of discouraging long lines, and some rides moved down in tiers to encourage people to go on the rides that were waning in popularity.
Once the tickets were removed, Imagineering continued to use the E-Ticket designation internally for projects that were very expensive and cutting edge and deeply immersive. We don't have their list of what they consider to be "Es". And even if we did, Imagineering is held in such low regard that people would immediately be dismissive of the list: "Are they crazy thinking that piece of garbage is an E-Ticket?!!"
For guests, an E-Ticket is any ride that is popular and has long lines regardless of its immersiveness or cost to build or how cutting edge the tech is.
IOW, the "E-Ticket" designation is now pretty useless without a trusted source to make the declaration of what is or isn't "E."
The theme park connoisseurs of this forum can't even agree on it.