jaxonp
Well-Known Member
I thought most people considered Harry Potter to be the best dark ride
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News Remy's Ratatouille Adventure coming to Epcot
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Sharon&Susan
Well-Known Member
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
Well-Known Member
Yeah, but they are charging for it like a super-E so… that’s a failure.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
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
Well-Known Member
They're making a habit of spending huge sums on mediocre (or worse) attractions. See Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
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
Well-Known Member
No, but which Harry Potter?
1HAPPYGHOSTHOST
Well-Known Member
What practical effects? Its 80% screens
Little Green Men
Well-Known Member
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
Well-Known Member
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.