EPCOT Remy's Ratatouille Adventure coming to Epcot

[Little Green Men]

If I was still a kid this ride would bore the crap out of me and would be mad my parents wasted our time taking me on it. It is sooo boring and visually uninteresting. Just....screens. I would only ever do this ride if it was a walk on. Not worth a boarding pass or a lighting lane.

It’s not all screens it’s full of sets, and has practical effects as well

 

[Little Green Men]

I'm glad you're happy with Epcot's attraction lineup. For me, I have some gripes with it:

• Test Track's update is aesthetically pleasing and fits Epcot perfectly, but they sapped it of personality. Disagree, I think it’s a great experience and more whole
• Soarin' Around The World is something I always wanted to see, but the awkward soundtrack, transitions, CGI, and distortion ruin it. The transitions are better than bad cuts, agree about the distortion and CGI
• Mission Space feels dated, even with the update. I disagree highly
• The aquarium feels dated, even if it's large. I don’t see how
• Fair enough on LwtL, SSE, and Guardians.
• I'll even throw Epcot some points for Gran Fiesta Tour (love me some Donald) and Frozen Ever After (concept might be forced, but Maelstrom was so campy).
• The American Adventure is impressive, but I don't feel like sitting through it every trip.
• Impressions de France is great. Good luck watching it right before the fireworks.
• Finally, Ratatouille. I'm excited to ride it again (it's been 7 years) but I remember it doing nothing for me. Fair enough

The best part of World Showcase has always been exploring it: finding a new place to dine, interacting with different CMs, feeling the culture, etc. A new pavilion would mean more content and territory to explore, potentially bringing a new part of the world with it (e.g. Brazil or Colombia). I'm so disappointed there hasn't been a pavilion addition during my lifetime, and I'd happily trade Ratatouille for that.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

@GrandCanyonConcourse, you're totally entitled to disagree with me!

That said, Epcot remains my least favorite park in WDW (possibly my least favorite domestically), when it was my favorite 20 years ago, and pre-COVID attendance trends showed it losing ground amongst the WDW parks.

World Showcase remains the highlight, IMO, but that was the case even before Ratatouille.

Animal Kingdom is my favorite Disney park (I'd actually take it over DisneySea, which I know most would disagree with), and Ratatouille + Guardians is unlikely to change anything. Fingers crossed there's more to Epcot's overhaul still coming.

 

[Little Green Men]

@GrandCanyonConcourse, you're totally entitled to disagree with me!

That said, Epcot remains my least favorite park in WDW (possibly my least favorite domestically), when it was my favorite 20 years ago, and pre-COVID attendance trends showed it losing ground amongst the WDW parks.

World Showcase remains the highlight, IMO, but that was the case even before Ratatouille.

Animal Kingdom is my favorite Disney park (I'd actually take it over DisneySea, which I know most would disagree with), and Ratatouille + Guardians is unlikely to change anything. Fingers crossed there's more to Epcot's overhaul still coming.

That’s fine. DCA takes the crown for me still despite a few nice additions like cars land. Pixar pier and avengers campus really brought it down

 

[disneygeek90]

I don't care about the classification of the ride, but this remains my gripe with it: you've got this innovative, nifty vehicle that can do almost anything on the ground, and you spend way too long parked in place watching prolonged clips.

How different is it from Spiderman? That’s my biggest issue with that ride because I feel it’s overhyped (best ride at universal??) and that’s my complaint about it.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

That’s fine. DCA takes the crown for me still despite a few nice additions like cars land. Pixar pier and avengers campus really brought it down

I'm so torn on DCA. I think the park thematically peaked in 2015 (when Soarin' still soared over California, and Grizzly Peak took over Condor Flats), but I do find Mission Breakout to be ridiculously fun. I'd never even seen a Marvel movie before riding, but it immediately won me over.

Avengers Campus is also pretty lame on the surface, but the character experiences and interactions are better than anywhere else. They're what Galaxy's Edge should have had.

Pixar Pier was completely unnecessary, but the coaster remains a great coaster, and I do get some joy out of the irreverent jokes in the queue (i.e. Violet speaking for all the fans regarding the overhaul, and Edna justifying the move as "synergy"). I also enjoy the soundtrack more, if only the characters weren't constantly chattering over it.

The core of the park is Buena Vista Street, Grizzly Peak, and Cars Land, which remains a really solid core.

Overall, I find DCA to be a solid compliment to Disneyland, and I'd take its headliner attractions over Epcot's. It's hard to place these two, with only World Showcase giving Epcot a fighting chance, IMO.

How different is it from Spiderman? That’s my biggest issue with that ride because I feel it’s overhyped (best ride at universal??) and that’s my complaint about it.

It's been a few years (5-6) since I rode Spider-Man, and frankly it wasn't my favorite either. That said, it's far more ambitious than Ratatouille and employs more motion with the ride vehicle, which makes a difference. With Ratatouille, the vehicle can do almost anything ground-based, and for whatever reason you spend way too long sitting motionless and staring at screens. Screens that don't convince you you're in that world, either. The oversized props look like oversized props, and overall it really fell flat for me.

Would love to ride it again and see if 7 years of resigned disappointment make it better, but I have my doubts.

 

[Little Green Men]

I'm so torn on DCA. I think the park thematically peaked in 2015 (when Soarin' still soared over California, and Grizzly Peak took over Condor Flats), but I do find Mission Breakout to be ridiculously fun. I'd never even seen a Marvel movie before riding, but it immediately won me over.

Avengers Campus is also pretty lame on the surface, but the character experiences and interactions are better than anywhere else. They're what Galaxy's Edge should have had.

Pixar Pier was completely unnecessary, but the coaster remains a great coaster, and I do get some joy out of the irreverent jokes in the queue (i.e. Violet speaking for all the fans regarding the overhaul, and Edna justifying the move as "synergy"). I also enjoy the soundtrack more, if only the characters weren't constantly chattering over it.

The core of the park is Buena Vista Street, Grizzly Peak, and Cars Land, which remains a really solid core.

Overall, I find DCA to be a solid compliment to Disneyland, and I'd take its headliner attractions over Epcot's. It's hard to place these two, with only World Showcase giving Epcot a fighting chance, IMO.


It's been a few years (5-6) since I rode Spider-Man, and frankly it wasn't my favorite either. That said, it's far more ambitious than Ratatouille and employs more motion with the ride vehicle, which makes a difference. With Ratatouille, the vehicle can do almost anything ground-based, and for whatever reason you spend way too long sitting motionless and staring at screens. Screens that don't convince you you're in that world, either. The oversized props look like oversized props, and overall it really fell flat for me.

Would love to ride it again and see if 7 years of resigned disappointment make it better, but I have my doubts.

DCA still doesn’t have anything that compares to POTC, SSE, LWTL, American Adventure, etc length and scope wise.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

DCA still doesn’t have anything that compares to POTC, SSE, LWTL, American Adventure, etc length and scope wise.

Correct. I really felt that on Saturday morning after hitting the park for rope drop; by 10am had done pretty much everything I wanted to do. Left DLR, got some food in Venice, drove home, and headed back to DL around 5pm.

That said, Epcot hasn't even been open at 10am the last few months, so the situation's a little different, but my most recent Epcot visits have also lasted approximately 1-2 hours. Arrive during park hopping hours, circle World Showcase Lagoon, leave.

(For additional context, I don't really drink, so I'm circling the lagoon for its atmosphere and maybe 1-2 attractions, not booze.)

In theory, Ratatouille could lengthen my Epcot visits by offering a standby queue, but Epcot's unlikely to be my first park of the day and there's no way I'm paying to ride it. If that means waiting a few years, so be it.

 

[disneygeek90]

I'm so torn on DCA. I think the park thematically peaked in 2015 (when Soarin' still soared over California, and Grizzly Peak took over Condor Flats), but I do find Mission Breakout to be ridiculously fun. I'd never even seen a Marvel movie before riding, but it immediately won me over.

Avengers Campus is also pretty lame on the surface, but the character experiences and interactions are better than anywhere else. They're what Galaxy's Edge should have had.

Pixar Pier was completely unnecessary, but the coaster remains a great coaster, and I do get some joy out of the irreverent jokes in the queue (i.e. Violet speaking for all the fans regarding the overhaul, and Edna justifying the move as "synergy"). I also enjoy the soundtrack more, if only the characters weren't constantly chattering over it.

The core of the park is Buena Vista Street, Grizzly Peak, and Cars Land, which remains a really solid core.

Overall, I find DCA to be a solid compliment to Disneyland, and I'd take its headliner attractions over Epcot's. It's hard to place these two, with only World Showcase giving Epcot a fighting chance, IMO.


It's been a few years (5-6) since I rode Spider-Man, and frankly it wasn't my favorite either. That said, it's far more ambitious than Ratatouille and employs more motion with the ride vehicle, which makes a difference. With Ratatouille, the vehicle can do almost anything ground-based, and for whatever reason you spend way too long sitting motionless and staring at screens. Screens that don't convince you you're in that world, either. The oversized props look like oversized props, and overall it really fell flat for me.

Would love to ride it again and see if 7 years of resigned disappointment make it better, but I have my doubts.

I get that. I think my problem with spiderman is that some think it’s the best attraction in Orlando and I think it’s anything but. Spider-Man is fun but less so when people put those labels on it. I think Rat will also be fun, but it shouldn’t be viewed in E-ticket glasses.

 

[J4546]

Rat is a high end mid tier attraction. A solid B, and a great addition to epcot imo

 

[jaxonp]

How different is it from Spiderman? That’s my biggest issue with that ride because I feel it’s overhyped (best ride at universal??) and that’s my complaint about it.

I thought most people considered Harry Potter to be the best dark ride

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Rat is a high end mid tier attraction. A solid B, and a great addition to epcot imo

Do you mean a B Ticket or a B grade attraction? Because Ratatouille under the old ticket classification system would have to be a C Ticket unless if it was unpopular (like apparently Alice at DL was sometime in the 70's)

 

[Casper Gutman]

Rat is a high end mid tier attraction. A solid B, and a great addition to epcot imo

Yeah, but they are charging for it like a super-E so… that’s a failure.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Do you mean a B Ticket or a B grade attraction? Because Ratatouille under the old ticket classification system would have to be a C Ticket unless if it was unpopular (like apparently Alice at DL was sometime in the 70's)

C sounds spot-on for Rat. Considering the size of the building and purported scale + budget, I personally consider that to be disappointing.

Even the small-scale Fantasyland dark rides at least have motion on their side, but it’s fine as a screen-based C.

 

[UNCgolf]

C sounds spot-on for Rat. Considering the size of the building and purported scale + budget, I personally consider that to be disappointing.

Even the small-scale Fantasyland dark rides at least have motion on their side, but it’s fine as a screen-based C.

They're making a habit of spending huge sums on mediocre (or worse) attractions. See Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

They're making a habit of spending huge sums on mediocre (or worse) attractions. See Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid.

For sure. That said, I’d even take Under the Sea over Rat, which has nothing to top the Ursula AA or namesake scene, IMO.

 

[disneygeek90]

I thought most people considered Harry Potter to be the best dark ride

No, but which Harry Potter?

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

It’s not all screens it’s full of sets, and has practical effects as well

What practical effects? Its 80% screens

 

[Little Green Men]

What practical effects? Its 80% screens

It has sets in around the screens. The loading rooftops, the kitchen scene, the fire overhead effect, the vents, the flowers at the end.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Modern Disney is so lucky the World Showcase of 1982 resonates today, considering how stale most of it is. That resonance is largely due to the food, music, architecture, language, and (hopefully soon) cast. It truly succeeds at its mission in a way most theme parks can't, with only Animal Kingdom providing a superior immersive effort (in the US parks), IMO.

Definitely agree! WS has really helped carry Epcot through a long period of decline, mostly on the strength of the original concept. I also would compare it to AK (my favourite WDW park) in that it's one of the few parts of WDW that still allows some spontaneity and discovery. One of the strengths that helped cover for the lack of additions over the years has been the live entertainment, which I think most people stumble across as they walk around but which is often quite impressive in its quality. Mariachi Cobre, for example, is actually a fairly important group in the development of mariachi music in the United States. I also like the little museum displays in some of the pavilions; Japan particularly seems to have good ones.

For nearly 20 years, I've been dreaming of new countries being added to it, and that was my biggest hope out of Epcot 3.0. Watching concepts like Brazil and India rise and fall has been painful.

That said, there really is hope, and surprisingly Harmonious is fueling it as more details come out. While Ratatouille dashed some of those hopes, I'll continue to dream about a new pavilion by the end of the decade.

I have always been a little surprised they couldn't make the finances work out for a new pavilion considering how much money these pavilions seem to generate and their use of outside vendors. For example, could they really not stitch together a deal with a Brazilian steakhouse and brands like Havianas and Brahma beer to sell and promote their products in a new pavilion dedicated to a country that sends so many visitors to WDW?

It's always a bit of a double-edged swords because you never know if they'll screw it up, but I am cautiously optimistic that Disney seems to have at least rediscovered World Showcase and are thinking about its potential after just leaving it sitting there for decades. Unfortunately, though, it seems so far the drive has been to stick IPs into existing pavilions where possible. If they can do things like use Soul to structure an exhibit about jazz music or Frozen to have a display of traditional Norwegian clothes, I appreciate them freshening up these exhibits rather than just letting them sit there or closing them.

One cool thing before my last visit to Australia (early 2019) is I'd visited Hong Kong a few months prior, and I was amazed by how many Australian accents I heard in HK. It quickly made sense, as it's one of the easiest cosmopolitan trips you can make from there! The language learning might not be top-notch (I'd say it isn't in the US either; Europe has a major leg up), but that motivation to make the most of your holiday time is huge.

I would love to live in Australia one day (was blown away by my stay in the Tweed Heads / Northern NSW region), but that's contingent on AU opening up to Americans again!

I have a cousin who lives in HK; we do tend to fan out across the world for work, too! She was actually sent to a quarantine facility constructed next to HKDL for a few weeks last year after being deemed a close contact of someone who tested positive to Covid. Considering the look of the place, the location on "Fantasy Road" was rather incongruous. I still use Fantasy Road as shorthand for covid quarantine facilities!

Big, long international holidays are very much something everybody does at some point and most people spend a lot of time wanting to do! It really starts when people leave high school when the big thing is to go overseas to work for a year. Traditionally the UK and then travelling through Europe has been the big thing, though I knew others who did things like work at ski resorts in Canada or teach at an English school in Japan.

For sure. That said, I’d even take Under the Sea over Rat, which has nothing to top the Ursula AA or namesake scene, IMO.

Uff, this is where we part ways! How they spent so much money on Under the Sea I'll never know. People love to hate FEA, but I seem to be alone on finding it reasonably immersive with the water, lighting, sets, etc. even if there are some blank sections. With a little suspension of disbelief, you can imagine yourself in the world of that film and I do think that's also possible with Rat as the sets are at least fully realised. Particularly that main Under the Sea scene, though, is just travelling slowly through a warehouse looking at figures at the level of Disney Store window displays from the 1990s.