News Remy's Ratatouille Adventure coming to Epcot

[MrPromey]

I could see them doing what they did with Galaxy’s Edge in WDW and doing a solid month of previews for CMs and APs. Everything was ready early and they bled off so much of the local demand by doing those previews with set time windows. I could see them doing similar for August and September and having APs and CMs schedule times to come and preview the ride so everyone is spaced out time-wise. Would make October 1 a lot smoother and still allow the ride to “open” well beforehand while it’s already ready to go.

This isn't Galaxy's Edge, though, and everything wasn't ready when they did that. The main attraction was still months away from an opening date and the ride they did have open, was still having issues. They absolutely needed experience in that instance.

Plus, that Millennium Falcon was just sitting there collecting dust when it could have been showing up on Twitter and Instagram all over the place still collecting dust like it does today, but with smiling people in front of it.

This isn't a whole new "land" and it's not a groundbreaking combination of new tech. It's a clone of an attraction that has successfully operated for over half a decade. Sure, there could be a loose wire somewhere or something but it's not like they can't cycle the ride for months empty with the occasional staff on board.

This isn't like most "new" attractions. They're not rushing to meet a deadline or making changes or working things out. All signs point to them being able to let you in to ride it right this very moment if they really wanted to.

Usually, there is a projected opening window and usually, they blow that original window and they're scrambling to get it open for the next one. This ain't that. They're intentionally sitting on a completed project.

At the moment, this is Walt Disney World's Black Widow.*

I know there's a lot of wishful thinking going on around here that people will have access before the date that Disney just announced and I guess they could offer previews or soft openings if they want to be nice or they believe there is a marketing up-side to doing it but this isn't a case where they have any real need to.

I wouldn't be shocked if it soft-opened a week or two early just to give the cast guest experience but I would not count on much more than that and instead be thoroughly delighted and surprised** if they did otherwise, at this point.



*for those who somehow aren't in the know, that would be the movie that was supposed to come out last year and has been in the can for almost 12 months until they can release it for optimum profit.

**okay, maybe I'm slightly overstating the feeling's I'd have...

 

[Sue_Vongello]

I suspect this will have a v e r y l o n g soft opening schedule. Like months.

Classic Modern Disney thinking in the Bob era! Months of build up, celebration around a single C ticket attraction!!

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Amazed this is taking so long to open. I remember having hopes it would be ready by this past Thanksgiving!

 

[Touchdown]

I suspect this will have a v e r y l o n g soft opening schedule. Like months.

Not if the goal is to spread locals out away from MK and its new 50th offerings, particularly with MNSSHP/MVMCP limiting the nights HEA plays...

 

[Sir_Cliff]

In my opinion, this is really only important in the minds of fans.

I'm pretty sure if they could promote it as the biggest celebration in the park's history with a marketing blitz where they're able to slip in things that have opened over the last 5 years as part of it, toss up some flashy banners everywhere, maybe do a temporary castle show and offer some special up-charge events (and of course a new cupcake), oh, and Ebay-ready event merch, they'd be perfectly happy with that and I'm not convinced that COVID really has much to do with it, honestly other than providing an excuse.*

I know that sounds incredibly cynical of current management (and it is) but it's also not a new thing. Most of these celebrations are really just marketing excuses, anyway - anyone remember the 100th anniversary of Walt's birthday? That was right off the back of the millennial celebration.

*I mean, budgets really are tighter as a result but I think this is their thinking, regardless of pandemics.

I think the point about these celebrations being marketing exercises is very much worth keeping in mind in the case of WDW's 50th.

They'll promote it, but would it really make more sense to be unveiling hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new attractions to drive attendance to a major international tourist attraction that still has attendance restrictions in 2021 or to hold off and see how 2022 and 2023 shape up? The campaign will all happen and they will roll at least Ratatouille into it, but they're not going to throw new offerings at guests in service of nostalgia if they think they could make more money holding off a little longer.

 

[bcoachable]

Along these lines ... yes, doesn’t seem like they are trying to make a big splash or the biggest celebration ever. The truth is probably that this announcement just cements that they don’t plan on having anything else ready to go for the 50th and they moved this to that date so they don’t look foolish for only having new castle lights and Mickey costumes to celebrate. It’s more of an ominous sign that we have a long wait in front of us for anything else.

Meanwhile, up I-4 a few exits....

 

[ppete1975]

Got a strong feeling that park hopping will be turned off on Oct1 so those that are in the official 50th park(mk), will not be allowed to double dose and head to epcot for the ride. Giving those who wanted to do MK that day but got bumped away a treat for choosing Epcot. At this point if I were going Id honestly choose EPCOT over MK on Oct 1.

id choose hollywood studios and hope with all the commotion id have star wars to myself

 

[ppete1975]

All the camera work in the world can’t cover up management ineptitude, though. Or maybe it can?

well there is stagecraft and cgi... they own lucasfilm pixar and marvel.... so anything is possible

 

[ToTBellHop]

This isn't Galaxy's Edge, though, and everything wasn't ready when they did that. The main attraction was still months away from an opening date and the ride they did have open, was still having issues. They absolutely needed experience in that instance.

Plus, that Millennium Falcon was just sitting there collecting dust when it could have been showing up on Twitter and Instagram all over the place still collecting dust like it does today, but with smiling people in front of it.

This isn't a whole new "land" and it's not a groundbreaking combination of new tech. It's a clone of an attraction that has successfully operated for over half a decade. Sure, there could be a loose wire somewhere or something but it's not like they can't cycle the ride for months empty with the occasional staff on board.

This isn't like most "new" attractions. They're not rushing to meet a deadline or making changes or working things out. All signs point to them being able to let you in to ride it right this very moment if they really wanted to.

Usually, there is a projected opening window and usually, they blow that original window and they're scrambling to get it open for the next one. This ain't that. They're intentionally sitting on a completed project.

At the moment, this is Walt Disney World's Black Widow.*

I know there's a lot of wishful thinking going on around here that people will have access before the date that Disney just announced and I guess they could offer previews or soft openings if they want to be nice or they believe there is a marketing up-side to doing it but this isn't a case where they have any real need to.

I wouldn't be shocked if it soft-opened a week or two early just to give the cast guest experience but I would not count on much more than that and instead be thoroughly delighted and surprised** if they did otherwise, at this point.



*for those who somehow aren't in the know, that would be the movie that was supposed to come out last year and has been in the can for almost 12 months until they can release it for optimum profit.

**okay, maybe I'm slightly overstating the feeling's I'd have...

I see Scarlett Johansson in my dreams every night and it won’t end until her film is released and she finally wins an Oscar.

 

[ppete1975]

This isn't Galaxy's Edge, though, and everything wasn't ready when they did that. The main attraction was still months away from an opening date and the ride they did have open, was still having issues. They absolutely needed experience in that instance.

Plus, that Millennium Falcon was just sitting there collecting dust when it could have been showing up on Twitter and Instagram all over the place still collecting dust like it does today, but with smiling people in front of it.

This isn't a whole new "land" and it's not a groundbreaking combination of new tech. It's a clone of an attraction that has successfully operated for over half a decade. Sure, there could be a loose wire somewhere or something but it's not like they can't cycle the ride for months empty with the occasional staff on board.

This isn't like most "new" attractions. They're not rushing to meet a deadline or making changes or working things out. All signs point to them being able to let you in to ride it right this very moment if they really wanted to.

Usually, there is a projected opening window and usually, they blow that original window and they're scrambling to get it open for the next one. This ain't that. They're intentionally sitting on a completed project.

At the moment, this is Walt Disney World's Black Widow.*

I know there's a lot of wishful thinking going on around here that people will have access before the date that Disney just announced and I guess they could offer previews or soft openings if they want to be nice or they believe there is a marketing up-side to doing it but this isn't a case where they have any real need to.

I wouldn't be shocked if it soft-opened a week or two early just to give the cast guest experience but I would not count on much more than that and instead be thoroughly delighted and surprised** if they did otherwise, at this point.



*for those who somehow aren't in the know, that would be the movie that was supposed to come out last year and has been in the can for almost 12 months until they can release it for optimum profit.

**okay, maybe I'm slightly overstating the feeling's I'd have...

i hate to break it to you........

Spoiler

its prob going to be delayed again

 

[Giss Neric]

Even Universal threw shade at Disney by posting this.

 

[SplashJacket]

Even Universal threw shade at Disney by posting this.

It's been clear pretty that Universal has been taking Covid safety measures less seriously than Disney, so the drawbacks of opening a major attraction during the pandemic are significantly less for Universal.

 

[rle4lunch]

lame. this is a lazy excuse to not open it up next month.

 

[CastAStone]

It's been clear pretty that Universal has been taking Covid safety measures less seriously than Disney, so the drawbacks of opening a major attraction during the pandemic are significantly less for Universal.

Or maybe Velocicoaster has room for a socially distanced queue without blocking the secondary park entrance

 

[disneygeek90]

Or maybe Velocicoaster has room for a socially distanced queue without blocking the secondary park entrance

Or maybe Universal won’t be afraid to just use their virtual queue system already in place on an as needed basis, a la Hagrids.

 

[CastAStone]

Or maybe Universal won’t be afraid to just use their virtual queue system already in place on an as needed basis, a la Hagrids.

Fair!

 

[MisterPenguin]

They can use the virtual queue system of F&F... they have no need of it.

 

[Giss Neric]

It's been clear pretty that Universal has been taking Covid safety measures less seriously than Disney, so the drawbacks of opening a major attraction during the pandemic are significantly less for Universal.

I don't know about "less serious" as Florida in general has been open since last year. Is there really going to be consequences for one park being less serious than the other? Before, I would agree to this but now I feel like it's all for show and that Disney is just trying to avoid negative press from all the negative press they have been getting non-stop. On the other hand, Universal is just being unproblematic and being under the radar so.

 

[techgeek]

To me, an October 1st date falls right in with the strategy of shelving Tron's construction schedule, slow walking GotG, being non-committal about Harmonious, and completely silent on a schedule for the PatF redo of Splash.

I think this is less about current Covid mitigations, or recovery, or even the 50th... and more about stretching out that new attraction pipeline as far as they can so there's some magic left to promote in 2022-23 and beyond. They can spend the entire summer hyping 'returning classics' as they slowly bring existing shows back on-line, there is no need for anything new to push summer "crowds". There is every need to sandbag for the drought in new attractions that's going to stretch out for at least the next 5 years.

 

[Lil Copter Cap]

I don’t know the long term plan (does anyone), but with the major shake up of 2020 and 2021 both being “lost cause” years—pushing things to late 2021 and encouraging bookings into 2022+ sets the company up for maximum profits.

Yes, people book last minute getaways—but major international market guests are cut off right now. Generally speaking, people plan their vacations a year ahead of time. Right now, announcing an opening date sooner than the Fall isn’t beneficial. AP holders/locals and those able to book a last minute vacation would be the main consumer if they did.

Announce the opening in fall, see how the summer plays out with COVID-19 vaccinations and border restrictions, and profit knowing the maximum amount of guests will be coming down late 2021 into 2022. Disney makes more money with less financial commitments—Magical Express being one of them.