Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, a next generation “thrill” ride that is a true “recipe for excitement,” inserts the rider into Remy’s world, the world of a rat in the underworld of Paris, and offers one of the most unique, high-tech attractions in Disney’s theme parks. Located in EPCOT in Walt Disney World in Florida, this 4D “culinary adventure” takes guests into the movie by shrinking them down to the size of a rat and racing through various scenes from the movie, experiencing sudden twists and turns, bursts of fire and water, and best of all, the delicious smell of freshly baked baguettes. Join me as I break down the story, technology behind the attraction, and so much more.
Background
Based on the Pixar animated film Ratatouille, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is a dark ride for all ages. The movie Ratatouille is about a rat, Remy, who has a love for food and cooking, a love that gets him into trouble when he accidentally causes the destruction of his colony, resulting in a tragic separation from his family and friends. Remy washes up in the sewers beneath the city of Paris.
As he climbs out of the sewers, searching for food, he encounters the ghost of Chef Gusteau, a famous chef who has recently died and owned the best restaurant in all of France. Chef Gusteau guides Remy to his old restaurant, now run by Chef Skinner, which has lost two stars since Chef Gusteau’s death. While spying on the kitchen, Remy notices a boy, Linguini, the son of Gusteau, who botches the ingredients in making a soup; and Remy, who dreams of becoming a chef, cannot resist sneaking in to fix the problem. However, little did Remy know, Linguini sees the little rat mess with the soup and tries to prevent the soup from being served, but he fails. A food critic tastes the soup and declares it to be the best soup she has ever had. The antagonist, Chef Skinner, then forces Linguini to remake the soup, but during this conversation, Skinner sees Remy trying to sneak out the window and commands the capture of Remy, which sets the scene for a boisterous escape as everyone in the kitchen chases a wily rat.
On Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, guests experience this crazy, harrowing yet hilarious chase scene from Remy’s point of view, starting with Remi’s fall through the window of the kitchen to save the day to a wild run through the restaurant as Chef Skinner and his cohorts give chase. Watch a full ride Point of View here.
Special Effects and Technology
Each vehicle on the ride holds six guests and is dispatched in a group of three vehicles. Sitting inside a large flat gear, each vehicle has a base that has a small circular attachment that controls a small pole and connects the base to the rider chassis (1); an actuator allows for riders to be tilted forward and back using a stable, hinging system. The vehicles are powered by a motorized two-caster setup (2), a setup that allows for smooth and tight direction changes, stabilized by four non-motorized caster wheels on the base. Because this is a trackless dark ride, seven high voltage batteries power each vehicle, giving each a power source (3). Charging stations are located on the floor in most showrooms where vehicles stop, at the entrance and exit stations, and in backstage warehouses. These stations connect to the cars throughout the ride without guests knowing, allowing vehicles to be charged actively all day long, maintaining a consistent charge (4) while connecting to the floor using retractable connections (5). The Ride Control System (RCS) allows vehicles to communicate, using WiFi to report on vehicle status throughout the entire experience. Using cameras and electronic markers located in the floor to scan and track movement, the Local Positioning System (LPS) allows vehicles to utilize unique tracking techniques enabling cars to not only follow the wired path on the floor, but also determine if it is drifting out of alignment, allowing it to make proper adjustments when detected (6).
Special effects are used throughout the entire ride to immerse riders into Remy’s world, but did you know that the magic does not start on the ride but actually in the queue?
In the scene in the queue where guests are on the rooftops of Paris, as guests look up, they will see the top of Gusteau’s restaurant with the image of Gusteau coming to life to set up the story, inviting guests into the attraction. This effect is achieved by a projector located just above the sign that projects the animation onto a highly dense mesh, which creates the illusion that he is freely moving like a ghost due to the transparency of the mesh.
Another effect used is the classic Disney Pepper’s ghost effect, used again to show the ghost of Gusteau who is inviting you to meet Remy, leading to the first scene of the ride. This effect is achieved by using a light source and shining it on a piece of glass placed at a 45-degree angle, making the image appear in mid-air. Riders will also experience sudden squirts of water and blasts of hot air throughout the journey, which are achieved by using a water emitter triggered when vehicles are in place. The same is true for the heat from the oven that is blasted overhead by a heater. The last effects, and the most unique to the ride, are the “smellitizers” used in the exit and party scene to make the smell of Baguettes overwhelm the rider’s senses. These effects not only add to the atmosphere of the scene but also tantalize guests’ senses, prompting them to buy a fresh baguette at Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie, a bakery with a large, diverse assortment of French treats just around the corner of Remy’s Adventure ride in the France Pavilion at EPCOT.
Personal Thoughts
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is one of my must-do attractions every time I visit the parks because of its uniquely next-generation 4D special effects. I also love the ride because it is a great ride for the entire family to enjoy together.
Although there are multiple screens in the ride, which can overwhelm and distract riders, Disney hit a home-run on how skillfully these screens immerse the rider into using all senses involved in the process of becoming Remy, seeing and feeling just as he sees and feels.
I highly recommend this ride for anyone who goes to the parks, and after the ride, drop by to try some of the amazing food in the Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie, which is another must-do stop on every one of my Disney World vacations. However, with the temporary closing of Test Track on June 16, 2024, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure’s recent transition from a virtual queue to a normal standby queue, the wait time may be lengthened until the new, updated version of Test Track opens in 2025.
On the other hand, EPCOT may soon become less crowded because, according to the Disney Company, the travel industry may be down-sliding from mass travel repercussions of COVID. Otherwise, no official news has been announced other than that 17 billion dollars will be spent on upgrading Disney World alone in the next decade of the 60 billion promised to be spent on all the parks worldwide. Be sure to stay tuned because we will be covering all the news announced at this year’s D23.
If you are interested in articles like this be sure to check out more on The Roundup or at my blog, Disney Parks and More Blog.
