What we think of the new Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT

The new Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT’s France pavilion is a fast-paced, high action, family friendly ride that shrinks you down to the size of rat and sends you on a chase through the kitchen and dining room of Gusteau’s restaurant.

We had the opportunity this weekend to explore the pavilion’s expansion and ride the new attraction, which was originally scheduled to open about a year ago. It was worth the wait. 

The ride uses a trackless system similar to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway with the cars styled to look like rats of varying colors. This allows the cars to behave differently, so you may find yourself in a car that spins, or one that goes faster or slower. 

Kids will find the ride exciting and adults will find it charming, or maybe a bit alarming (sorry, that’s for the sing-along on the other side of the France pavilion). 

You can find a POV video on YouTube that will spoil all the twists and turns for you. But the real fun of the ride isn’t so much the storyline as it is searching out all the small details throughout the attraction. 

Large props and high-definition video walls put you in the middle of the action. This is truly a 4-D experience. While the 3-D glasses help provide depth to the scenes, there are some hot, wet and aromatic surprises along the way which round out the experiences. The attraction is based on the 2007 film “Ratatouille” so the characters should be familiar.  

As you walk through the queue you start off on the rooftops of Paris, Gusteau comes to life from the top of his restaurant’s sign, giving you a preview of what’s to come. Here, you are human size. You walk past an artist’s studio on your way to the ride vehicles.

As soon as you pass from the queue into the loading area, look around. Believe it or not, you have now shrunk down to the size of a rat. Look at the walls and notice the large screws in the wall. The globe lights are no longer small; they are enormous. The orange grates are now large enough that you could have slipped through them.

There you catch a ride on a “mischief.” A group of rats  are called a mischief and that’s what Disney called the ride vehicle.

Each mischief (or ride) vehicle is a different color, representing a different character from the film. And each has its own personality. For example, one likes to spin a lot and another likes to accelerate. Depending on which vehicle you’re on, they may take a slightly different path through the attraction giving you the chance to notice different details.

From falling through a skylight to scurrying through Gusteau’s kitchen to hiding out in the restaurant’s pantry, guests feel as if they’re right alongside Chef Remy.

At times you may dodge a mop, avoid being trampled by giant feet or marvel at massive pieces of food all around you.

Characters speak in a blend of English and French, adding to the overall authenticity of being in France.

In the end you find yourself at party where Remy has cooked a feast for all.

When you leave your ride to head back into the human world, look at the floor closely, there will be a point where you cross over and the floor tiles change from large tiles to small ones. You have now returned to human size.

All of these details are not only inside the attraction, but all around the expansion, which doubled the size of the  existing France pavilion.

In this Paris, Remy is a celebrity chef and you can see it in the details of the land. Whether it is the fountain, or his face etched on top of the merchandise kiosk. He and the characters in the movie are highlighted everywhere. (Here are 12 fun details to see in the France pavilion).

This new ride, a version of which opened in 2014 at Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris is a perfect addition to the World Showcase. It brings another family-friendly attraction to the theme park and gives us a fantastical view of Paris. 

WHAT TO KNOW

Attraction: Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Opens: Oct 1, 2021
Location: France Pavilion in EPCOT
Height: Any height, no restrictions
Virtual Queue Required: When Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure initially opens, in order to experience the attraction, Guests will be required to join the virtual queue. A standby queue will not be available at opening. The virtual queue will be limited and subject to availability. Each Guest can enter the virtual queue no more than once per day.
What to watch before you visit: “Ratatouille,” the Pixar film that was released in 2007.