News Remy's Ratatouille Adventure coming to Epcot

[UNCgolf]

That scene drags down the whole ride for me. It goes on way too long and it's not that visually interesting.

The woods before hand are much better.

Completely agreed. Again, only seen ride videos, but the first part of the ride looks excellent and then that scene starts and it's just like, "why is it happening for so long?"

It's the equivalent of the aforementioned snow scene in BATB, although it's not as vacant as that.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think they just need to be more selective about which rooms they "warehouse". Beauty and the Beast generally works when you're supposed to be in rooms within the castle, but the winter scene is particularly egregious because you're spinning around an area that should have a fully organic, snow-covered floor for a full minute and 45 seconds. Yes, the dining room should be more intimate to be wholly believable, but I can suspend that disbelief when I'm in a rectangular room that, well, should be a rectangular room.

It really feels like they were supposed to have another scene either before or after the snow scene that got cut and so they just stretched it out to an absurd length.

The ride would be significantly improved if that whole scene started in the library (which would be a fun and visually appealing room to pass through) and then moved out into the snow for a much shorter period of time.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Completely agreed. Again, only seen ride videos, but the first part of the ride looks excellent and then that scene starts and it's just like, "why? and why is it happening for so long?"

I think they were interested in how the vehicles would interact with each other and thought that would make it amusing.

But IMO any ride where the ride vehicle itself becomes the focal point is never as good as one that focuses on the total experience. That's why Journey to the Center of the Earth and Radiator Springs Racers are better than Test Track, despite all 3 using the same technology.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think they were interested in how the vehicles would interact with each other and thought that would make it amusing.

Which another flaw with the trackless system -- it's not inherent to the technology, but it seems like in every version they want to have vehicles move around each other just to show that it can be done.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I think this has happened in every single trackless ride built thus far except for Rise -- and Rise just sidesteps the issue by being set in a location that's thematically supposed to have a bunch of gigantic rooms/corridors. Some rides are worse than others, but they all seem to have at least one room/scene that feels like a warehouse.

I think it's an inherent flaw in the trackless system, because it's almost required to make the system worth using. If you're not going to have ride vehicles spread out and go different places, there's no reason to be trackless at all. I'm sure there's a design out there that will really take advantage of the trackless system and showcase how it can be used to maximum effect, but I have yet to see one where the trackless system truly felt necessary to the ride (i.e. that they couldn't have achieved something similar overall with a regular tracked vehicle, even if it required some design changes).

The real potential of true trackless would be in either true autonomy where the ride paths are actually and clearly changing ride paths or in rider control. It’s a technology used for the sake of using the most expensive technology. All of Disney’s true trackless rides could have been accomplished for less using much less expensive wire guided trackless.

 

[James Alucobond]

It really feels like they were supposed to have another scene either before or after the snow scene that got cut and so they just stretched it out to an absurd length.

The ride would be significantly improved if that whole scene started in the library (which would be an fun and visually appealing room to move through) and then moved out into the snow for a much shorter period of time.

This was honestly my exact thought to salvage it. Just change it to Belle in her green dress in the library. I'd prefer it if, as you said, there was progression from library to snow with more of a drive-by for the second half of the song, but even just switching it for that room would give you so much more to look at since you're stuck in that area for ages with the current layout.

 

[UNCgolf]

This was honestly my exact thought to salvage it. Just change it to Belle in her green dress in the library. I'd prefer it if, as you said, there was progression from library to snow with more of a drive-by for the second half of the song, but even just switching it for that room would give you so much more to look at since you're stuck in that area for ages with the current layout.

I really like the rest of the ride; it's that one scene that just drags it down. Well, that and I think it would be better to have Belle and the Beast dancing in the ballroom with the non-human versions of the characters around them, but that's just personal preference.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I really like the rest of the ride; it's that one scene that just drags it down. Well, that and I think it would be better to have Belle and the Beast dancing in the ballroom with the non-human versions of the characters around them, but that's just personal preference.

Having only seen the ride on video, B&tB seems like one of Disney's biggest swings and misses in recent years. I can see where the idea of "dancing" to the songs in different scenes from the movie might sound like a fun concept, but in every video I've seen it just doesn't work because the scenes are just too long and the rooms are too large for it to feel immersive.

On the other hand, I actually find Ratatouille one of the better uses of trackless technology in that the fast and slightly unpredictable movement of the vehicles through sets that do wrap around the vehicles does suit the sensation of being a rat. Whether the screen segments work is more debatable, though I think that's more an issue of whether they could have had some motion in the vehicles or done a better job of hiding the floors. Overall, though, I think a stronger case can be made for the trackless technology being the most appropriate for a Ratatouille ride than for B&tB.

 

[UNCgolf]

Having only seen the ride on video, B&tB seems like one of Disney's biggest swings and misses in recent years. I can see where the idea of "dancing" to the songs in different scenes from the movie might sound like a fun concept, but in every video I've seen it just doesn't work because the scenes are just too long and the rooms are too large for it to feel immersive.

On the other hand, I actually find Ratatouille one of the better uses of trackless technology in that the fast and slightly unpredictable movement of the vehicles through sets that do wrap around the vehicles does suit the sensation of being a rat. Whether the screen segments work is more debatable, though I think that's more an issue of whether they could have had some motion in the vehicles or done a better job of hiding the floors. Overall, though, I think a stronger case can be made for the trackless technology being the most appropriate for a Ratatouille ride than for B&tB.

Oh they absolutely could have made B&tB without the trackless technology and it probably would have made for a better ride, but I still like the majority of what's there (albeit also only on video). I think every scene but the snow scene works pretty well, even if the dancing is overdone.

If I was picking between it and Ratatouille based off videos, I'd much rather ride B&tB, but that's entirely because of AAs and physical sets over screens. I agree that the parts of Rat where you're scurrying around physical sets looks like a better use of the trackless system than anything in B&tB, but then you stop and watch a movie on a screen and I totally lose interest. It's a personal thing, but I have not been on a single ride where you watch stuff happen on a screen that I've really loved; I always feel like I could just be doing that at home on the couch.

 

[doctornick]

As an aside in the whole trackless debate, perhaps the best use of the mechanics is Luigi’s. There the tech is used in a way that couldn’t be done without anything else and being outside it doesn’t suffer from the “warehouse” issue.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Oh they absolutely could have made B&tB without the trackless technology and it probably would have made for a better ride, but I still like the majority of what's there (albeit also only on video). I think every scene but the snow scene works pretty well, even if the dancing is overdone.

If I was picking between it and Ratatouille based off videos, I'd much rather ride B&tB, but that's entirely because of AAs and physical sets over screens. I agree that the parts of Rat where you're scurrying around physical sets looks like a better use of the trackless system than anything in B&tB, but then you stop and watch a movie on a screen and I totally lose interest. It's a personal thing, but I have not been on a single ride where you watch stuff happen on a screen that I've really loved; I always feel like I could just be doing that at home on the couch.

I've only been on Ratatouille, but based on that and the video of B&tB I would really rather go on Ratatouille as it's at least fun. I understand that if screens almost automatically kill an attraction for you that wouldn't be the case, but my feeling about B&tB is that it shows that it doesn't matter how impressive the audioanimatronics or sets are if pacing and staging aren't done correctly. For example, if Pirates of the Caribbean was just three of the existing scenes arranged around the edge of a room in which you spun around with a bunch of other hulking vehicles listing to pirate songs, I think it would be a pretty terrible ride that probably would have closed long ago.

 

[UNCgolf]

I've only been on Ratatouille, but based on that and the video of B&tB I would really rather go on Ratatouille as it's at least fun. I understand that if screens almost automatically kill an attraction for you that wouldn't be the case, but my feeling about B&tB is that it shows that it doesn't matter how impressive the audioanimatronics or sets are if pacing and staging aren't done correctly. For example, if Pirates of the Caribbean was just three of the existing scenes arranged around the edge of a room in which you spun around with a bunch of other hulking vehicles listing to pirate songs, I think it would be a pretty terrible ride that probably would have closed long ago.

I agree, but I think the scenes in B&tB are better than that. I think the only really poorly done scene is the snow one, and that's mainly because it lasts far too long.

It's not that screens automatically kill a ride for me (I enjoy FoP and Soarin', although I don't think either is special), but I suppose detailed place setting matters more to me than anything else on most rides. That probably explains why I like NRJ more than most seem to (I think NRJ looks like a significantly better attraction than Rat and I'm sure I'm in a tiny minority there). It doesn't have great pacing either but I enjoy being in that space, and I would like to experience those spaces in B&tB. I don't really get that feeling from Rat.

That doesn't mean I think B&tB is a great ride, because I don't. Even the scenes I like could be improved in numerous ways, and it's definitely not on the level of truly great, classic Disney attractions like Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth, Horizons, World of Motion, Tower of Terror, Great Movie Ride, and so on. But I would prefer riding it over a lot of recent WDW builds like Smuggler's Run, Slinky Dog Dash, Alien S.S., Journey of the Little Mermaid, Frozen Ever After, or the coming soon TRON.

I also admit that B&tB is propped up by its IP to an extent, which is something I've mentioned before -- IP can help elevate a mediocre ride just through familiarity. I still think it's a better ride than Frozen Ever After (i.e. if they both had no connection to any existing IP B&tB would be a more impressive ride), but it definitely benefits in a similar way. Pirates, as used in your example, wouldn't have that.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Sorry for being a bit rude about it. But here’s the thing. 10 years ago we would have laughed at the suggestion of putting Ratatouille in France. When it debuted in Paris, we decided it was underwhelming and said “ugh, I bet they’re gonna put it in Epcot ”. Now, that very thing happened And some posters are asserting that it’s a great ride, a perfect fit for Epcot, etc., and I can’t help but feel like we’ve lowered our bar of what a quality experience for a WDW park should be just because Disney was “nice” enough to grace us with anything new at all for Epcot.

Like I don’t see how anyone could deny that the ride would have at least been a better fit if they made some attempt to change the story. But anyway.

Re: trackless rides. I think Rise works well because there’s only two vehicles and the large rooms seem thematically appropriate. MMRR’s first two scenes after the track switch suffer a bit from being “warehousey” because it is shuffling four vehicles around. The rest of the ride had the vehicles in a line which allows the scenes to be closer to the vehicle and more intimate.

Rat has the same issue for much of it. To accommodate three vehicles and have them shuffle and spin around, it feels like a series of big warehouse rooms with large screens that do not blend well. I would like very much for these trackless rides to not have the need to try and “wow” the riders with the ride system. Our attention should be on the environment, not “wow we are criss-crossing the other vehicles!” or whatever. A single, continuous track will always present the set pieces in a more engaging way that pulling into a large room, seeing everything, and then spinning around to see it a second time.

If you’ve ever watched videos of some of the Dubai attractions like MotionGate Dubai, most of them have this weird, half-baked, overly big feel to them with screens and whatnot that do not blend well. It’s like they rode some Disney and Universal rides and only took away the elements on a surface level of understanding and not how to implement them well. THAT, is what Ratatouille feels like to me. Very strange to see it called “great for Epcot.”

 

[LittleBuford]

Sorry for being a bit rude about it. But here’s the thing. 10 years ago we would have laughed at the suggestion of putting Ratatouille in France. When it debuted in Paris, we decided it was underwhelming and said “ugh, I bet they’re gonna put it in Epcot ”.

Who is "we" exactly? I wouldn't have laughed, and I certainly didn't decide it was underwhelming.

 

[LittleBuford]

Thanks to the search feature, I found a thread discussing Ratatouille in Epcot back when it was a rumour in 2014 (not quite ten years ago, but a fair while nonetheless):

Ratatouille in Epcot

Since its now a rumor, lets make a thread! (See HateToFly's tweet)

forums.wdwmagic.com

Some in the thread (including @Tom Morrow and @lazyboy97o) were against the idea, but many people welcomed it. It certainly isn't the case that the idea was rubbished.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Thanks to the search feature, I found a thread discussing Ratatouille in Epcot back when it was a rumour in 2014 (not quite ten years ago, but a fair while nonetheless):

Ratatouille in Epcot

Since its now a rumor, lets make a thread! (See HateToFly's tweet)

forums.wdwmagic.com

Some in the thread (including @Tom Morrow and @lazyboy97o) were against the idea, but many people welcomed it. It certainly isn't the case that the idea was rubbished.

So I've been on the forum for 20 years so a lot of things run together and I've seen a lot of what we approve of evolve (or devolve).... and I'm not reading all 51 pages of that, but I'm seeing a lot of "we'll take what we can get" which isn't exactly praise.

Also note that that thread was started before the Paris version was opened or soft opened. No one knew it would be a budget-friendly ride or what the content would be. Regarding opinions changing, in that thread I said I didn't want any cartoons in WS, and while I wish that were still possible, I know it isn't, so I'd be willing to accept IP but morphed to be appropriate for Epcot. AKA, use Ratatouille but change the story to something besides being chased around the restaurant.

 

[LittleBuford]

So I've been on the forum for 20 years so a lot of things run together and I've seen a lot of what we approve of evolve (or devolve).... and I'm not reading all 51 pages of that, but I'm seeing a lot of "we'll take what we can get" which isn't exactly praise.

My point is that there is no monolithic “we”. Your opinions are shared by many but not all. I like Rat a great deal and am thrilled it’s now at Epcot; I’m not alone in that viewpoint. Disney fandom is capacious enough to accommodate both perspectives.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

My point is that there is no monolithic “we”. Your opinions are shared by many but not all. I like Rat a great deal and am thrilled it’s now at Epcot; I’m not alone in that viewpoint. Disney fandom is capacious enough to accommodate both perspectives.

If only Disney's management was creative which to accommodate both perspectives (as they used to). As others have said, there was a version of Rat that could have made a significantly larger portion of all sides of the fandom happy. It's that lack of creativity that I lament most.

 

[LittleBuford]

If only Disney's management was creative which to accommodate both perspectives (as they used to). As others have said, there was a version of Rat that could have made a significantly larger portion of all sides of the fandom happy. It's that lack of creativity that I lament most.

I don’t understand why importing the ride unchanged should be seen as uncreative. Isn’t the much-vaunted Tokyo Disneyland full of like-for-like transplants? What exactly do you think needed to be modified or adapted for the ride’s Epcot manifestation?

 

[Touchdown]

I don’t know why half the audio is still in French. It’s jarring especially since it’s different voice actors. Also this ride makes no canonical sense. There is not a moment in the movie where Remy has patched up things with his family, Skinner is still head chef and Remy had his own resturant.