Here’s Why Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Is Better in Epcot than at Disneyland Paris
Photo courtesy of Disney
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, the ride based on the Pixar movie Ratatouille, opened at Epcot in October, as part of Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration. I wasn’t too impressed by the original version of the ride at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, and so wasn’t in a rush to try out the virtually identical Epcot version. I finally rode it in December, though, and a weird thing happened: I really liked it?
I didn’t hate Paris’s Remy ride, but I was disappointed. It felt like another example of Disney losing sight of the audio-animatronics and practical effects its name is built on, and focusing on the cheaper and buzzier screens and 3-D visuals instead. More importantly, though, the Paris version simply had way more pressure to please. The fact that I enjoyed the Epcot version more says less about the ride itself, I think, and more about how its surrounding park and environment can directly impact our appreciation of an attraction. A theme park ride doesn’t exist in isolation; it’s part of a carefully designed package, and every element of that package needs to work together for optimal enjoyment. And with Epcot, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure has found a much more cohesive and better designed home than the one at Walt Disney Studios Park.
The Epcot version of the attraction is tucked away within the France pavilion at World Showcase, in a new plaza behind France’s traditional footprint. When I visited on a chillier-than-usual December night, lit by Parisian lamps and with those familiar street signs on the sides of buildings, I really felt like I was strolling down some small side road inside Paris. A short walk leads to the plaza, with the ride entrance at the far end; a beautiful fountain and the large, beautifully illuminated attraction sign make this a fantastic photo opportunity.
Once I made it into the ride’s interior queue, I thought I was still outside. It’s designed to look like a Parisian rooftop at night, with that distinctive Haussmann architecture, and the sign for Gusteau’s restaurant shining down on all of us in line. The artificial nighttime sky feels natural and seamless when entering at night, which only helps add to the illusion of the ride.
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