News Remy's Ratatouille Adventure coming to Epcot

[lazyboy97o]

Of course. Things that are not originally designed as part of an organic expansion pad or original layout can often be awkwardly placed. So they do not fit in the most logical fashion, as if France was redesigned from scratch in order to accommodate a random large dark ride.

I believe you are trying to obfuscate fit with belong - to that I disagree. The former is not an omission of guilt to latter. It simply means these are two different projects designed seperately from one another and combined down the line, that does not mean they cannot complement one another inevitably.

Unplanned additions being designed so as to appear as a natural part of what existed before is not something new or impossible. Themed entertainment is a medium of spatial experience and the Ratatouille attraction is disconnected from the France Pavilion.

 

[doctornick]

I would argue that the Ratatouille place is one of the few excellent examples of space utilization in recent memory at WDW. Typically, things seem to be built at WDW with minimal forethought and with no care to be efficient with space. But with Ratatouille...

1. It uses a significant part of an expansion pad, but leave a good chunk available and easily accessible for future expansion and use.
2. The show building will be well hidden and that and the queue were designed in an effective way to make a backstage area show ready for when the Skyliner becomes operational -- adding a new ride while also fixing sightlines
3. The positioning of the queue makes it unobtrusive while still large enough to handle the inevitable huge crowds when it is new, but being designed in a way to compliment the overall pavilion aesthetics once lines die down.

I'm actually pretty amazed they didn't just plop down the ride right next to the France pavilion and shrugged. I mean, that's basically what they did with the Frozen M&G.

 

[BrianLo]

Unplanned additions being designed so as to appear as a natural part of what existed before is not something new or impossible. Themed entertainment is a medium of spatial experience and the Ratatouille attraction is disconnected from the France Pavilion.

Disconnected from merely one preferential perspective. To keep World Showcase strictly a Pavilion based layout from the front gate perspective. The placement is however designed to appeal as a gate and gondola weanie. The core concept being to make the International Gateway less of a back door. Similar to with where they want to place Poppins. There were other early proposals like you desired, but this layout was picked for a different prioritization. The end goal to make more spatial substance to an increasingly utilized entrance.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Disconnected from merely one preferential perspective of keeping World Showcase strictly a Pavilion based layout from the front gate perspective. The placement is however designed to appeal as a gate and gondola weanie. The core concept being to make the International Gateway less of a back door. Similar to with where they want to place Poppins. There were other early proposals like you desired, but this layout was picked for that prioritization that there is more spatial substance to an increasingly utilized entrance.

Disconnected from being in the Pavilion, the place of the experience. International Gateway is not made stronger by weakening the experience of the park itself. They should be shaped as a whole, not extra stuff plopped down in the vicinity. There is more to see from a limited angle but there is no unified shaped space that connects International Gateway to the schlep around the side and back of the France Pavilion.

 

[BrianLo]

Disconnected from being in the Pavilion, the place of the experience. International Gateway is not made stronger by weakening the experience of the park itself. They should be shaped as a whole, not extra stuff plopped down in the vicinity. There is more to see from a limited angle but there is no unified shaped space that connects International Gateway to the schlep around the side and back of the France Pavilion.

I actually do appreciate what you are saying, it weakens the theme of Pavilions. I think this comes down to a case where the best "themed" design loses out to other elements that can be argued are better for the overall product. As others have mentioned above. Even if themed design ultimately suffers - very trivially.

 

[marni1971]

The overflow queue is shown in the promotional rendering. It is the covered area south of the walkway leading to the showbuilding. You’d walk past it before entering. The holes for stanchions are even visible in one of the released permit drawings.

That’s stroller parking. The structure is also disconnected to the show building.

 

[EPICOT]

That’s stroller parking. it is also disconnected to the show building.

Will the overflow queue hug the backside of the current France buildings?

 

[marni1971]

Will the overflow queue hug the backside of the current France buildings?

I imagine they’d want to keep entering and exiting guests separate.

 

[_caleb]

Disconnected from being in the Pavilion, the place of the experience. International Gateway is not made stronger by weakening the experience of the park itself. They should be shaped as a whole, not extra stuff plopped down in the vicinity. There is more to see from a limited angle but there is no unified shaped space that connects International Gateway to the schlep around the side and back of the France Pavilion.

It’s possible the Imagineers deliberately placed the “entrance” to Ratatouille (still not sure if by “entrance” you’re referring to the “start of the proper queue,” “loading area of the ride,” or something else) directly next to the pavilion but not in the pavilion. I’m not sure this “weakens the experience of the park.”

The theming seems to align and the settings seem to make sense. I’m glad crowds will be pulled to that side of WS and hidden out of the pavilion.

 

[Kman101]

If they were 'worried' about something not fitting (LMAO, I can't believe that was even uttered) Frozen wouldn't have been slapped into the Norway pavilion and it would have been put off to the side or behind. What a silly argument.

 

[larryz]

The biggest issue with that being the fact that Disney now seems to feel that designing for the average guest is acceptable.

But Disney has always designed for the "average guest" -- mom, dad, and 2.5 kids having fun together in a safe, clean, enjoyable environment.

 

[larryz]

Yes. No national country sponsors, except later for the additions of Morocco and Norway. There were individual corporate sponsorship deals of sorts, notably involving WS shops and F&B.

Maybe the article you refer to is from Werver Weiss? http://www.yesterland.com/worldshowcase.html

Funny -- China is the one pavilion where I feel an "official" tone, and yet no Chinese government money went into it...

 

[ToTBellHop]

If they were 'worried' about something not fitting (LMAO, I can't believe that was even uttered) Frozen wouldn't have been slapped into the Norway pavilion and it would have been put off to the side or behind. What a silly argument.

So frat boys run the company, then? I thought they fired John. Although one hears whispers of others like him...

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

But Disney has always designed for the "average guest" -- mom, dad, and 2.5 kids having fun together in a safe, clean, enjoyable environment.

Six Flags has always designed for the average guest. Disney took pride in being a step above.

 

[RobbinsDad]

If they were 'worried' about something not fitting (LMAO, I can't believe that was even uttered) Frozen wouldn't have been slapped into the Norway pavilion and it would have been put off to the side or behind. What a silly argument.

I know. It's ridiculous to think they're ashamed of this going into the France pavilion. This ride will be promoted to the high-heavens. Just wait to see what they add to the front of the France pavilion to attract guests around the side; I'm sure it will be quite noticeable.

 

[Coaster Lover]

That’s stroller parking. The structure is also disconnected to the show building.

Wait... aren't these two (see image) circled areas the same thing? If so, unless these plans have changed, it seems pretty clear that the building there is queue (it may also have some stroller parking, but it appears that there is a fair amount of queue there).

With regards to queue area, is it correct to stare that the Epcot version will have more indoor queue space than the Paris version? In the Paris version, I know the queue space inside the main show building (where you are on the rooftops of Paris with the Gusteao sign) is very minimal. Most of the queue space is in the outdoor covered area with some additional indoor queue space snaking through an adjacent building. In the EPCOT version, it looks like the show building is slightly "longer" permitting more indoor queue space at the front of the building. Or, will that area all be retail?

 

[Kman101]

I know. It's ridiculous to think they're ashamed of this going into the France pavilion. This ride will be promoted to the high-heavens. Just wait to see what they add to the front of the France pavilion to attract guests around the side; I'm sure it will be quite noticeable.

And even though YMMV on the actual ride, for WDW guests it will be VERY popular.

I doubt they're ashamed. It's wishful thinking on someone's part.

(Using your post as a jumping off point now, so not really geared towards you) No one's really trying to deny some of the reasons for it coming. It's a clone - we get it. The back of France needed something because of the Gondolas, etc. We know. Some of us don't care about some of these things.

 

[smile]

Not sure what alternate world you're living in but last I checked Disney was still creating things that rival Six Flags.

so, maybe if disney tries real hard, they can one day match six flags?!

what are you talking about?

 

[marni1971]

Wait... aren't these two (see image) circled areas the same thing? If so, unless these plans have changed, it seems pretty clear that the building there is queue (it may also have some stroller parking, but it appears that there is a fair amount of queue there).

With regards to queue area, is it correct to stare that the Epcot version will have more indoor queue space than the Paris version? In the Paris version, I know the queue space inside the main show building (where you are on the rooftops of Paris with the Gusteao sign) is very minimal. Most of the queue space is in the outdoor covered area with some additional indoor queue space snaking through an adjacent building. In the EPCOT version, it looks like the show building is slightly "longer" permitting more indoor queue space at the front of the building. Or, will that area all be retail?

As far as I’m aware the area circled is for stroller parking. Regarding the main show building it should be the same as Paris minus the restaurant space, hence the need for exterior queuing.

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

Not sure what alternate world you're living in but last I checked Disney was still creating things that rival Six Flags.

Bare steel coasters with minimal themeing, oversized character statues and decorations in lieu of placemaking, slapping franchise names onto lightly redecorated attractions. This is the Six Flags design philosophy and is slowly becoming Disney's as well with things like Toy Story Land and Pixar Pier.

It's not a crime to point out flaws in something that you're a fan of. Disney set their own standard, we just want them to continue to uphold it instead of building things that are "good enough."