Five Things to Know About Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure shrinks you down to Remy’s size for a fast-paced ride through scenes from the animated feature. Along the way, you’ll see 3-D settings and experience special effects that put you right in the middle of the action. To learn more, read on. But if you’re wanting to head straight to the pièce de resistance, here’s your shortcut.
1. You get Remy-sized to enter Remy’s world.
The queue for Remy’s Ratatouille is incredibly rich with details. In fact, you could argue that the queue begins before you enter the building. The Allée des Marchands (Alley of the Merchants) leading to the ride is packed with Remy-inspired touches. The French-inspired architecture nods to the film’s depiction of Paris (note the crooked rain gutters, for instance).
Tucked into a corner, you can hop on Chef Skinner’s scooter and Chef Colette’s motorbike from the movie. Everyone in my family took turns sitting on them for photos. The sewer covers in the “street” portray Remy paddling his little boat with a spatula, reminiscent (or should I say, “Remy-niscent”?) of the way he arrived in Paris. Embedded in the pavement, you’ll discover Remy’s footprints.
Most striking to me is the champagne fountain in the middle of the street. The champagne-bottle spouts are designed so that the water looks like champagne exploding out of a just-opened bottle. And at the very top of the fountain is Remy himself.
The attention to detail continues when you enter the building. You enter a hall where the wallpaper design includes mice, spatulas, cheese, and more. Turn the corner and you’re on a Parisian rooftop, staring straight at the sign for Gusteau’s restaurant. Next, you enter an artist’s studio loft for boarding information and the safety spiel from Remy’s bro Emile. Look down at the walkway, and you’ll see the size of the tiles change from small to large – indicating that you’ve been shrunk down to Remy’s size for the ride.
2. Then you ride a rat.
Board a ratmobile t and head off on your journey as a rat sharing Remy’s dream. As you ride, Remy’s story is re-told using massive room-sized 3-D screens, detailed sets, and sensory effects like heat underneath the stove and a splash of water.
You’ll scurry through the busy kitchen, narrow walls, and dining room of Gusteau’s restaurant, all from the perspective of your friend Remy. And in the end, you and Remy will be running your own kitchen as some of Paris’s most celebrated chefs. As you disembark, the floor tiles go from large to small again; you’re back to human size!
One outstanding feature of the ride is your trackless vehicle. Each is on a platform that allows them to tilt you into the 3D scenes. Some may spin more than others; some vibrate more. Without the limitations of being locked into a set route on a track, your ratmobile can take you to any number of places – in any order. This means that every time you ride, your experience will be a little bit different. In fact, when our family compared notes, even though we all boarded at the same time, we experienced different rides!
For those with littles, there are a couple of fast-moving scenes that may frighten small children. For example, in one scene Remy is chased with a cleaver. But our seven-year-old grandkids loved it from start to finish! And some riders find that the screen effects can induce motion sickness, but even though I am prone to this, I have no problem with the ride.
3. The recipe for making Ratatouille.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure was the first all-new major attraction at EPCOT in more than a decade and the first in World Showcase since 1988. But fittingly, the first iteration of this attraction was in Disneyland Paris. Called Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy (translation: “Ratatouille: Remy’s Totally Crazy Adventure”) it was built at a cost of $270 million. Construction ended in June 2014 and the ride opened to the public on July 10, 2014.
At D23 in 2017, Disney announced that the ride would find another home in the France Pavilion in EPCOT. To make room for the attraction, the pavilion had to be expanded. As you would expect, the new section was done with the care and attention to detail Imagineers are known for. The ride opened on October 1, 2021, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Disney World.
4. There are Easter Eggs in this rat’s kitchen.
I can’t say enough about the attention to detail that went into creating this ride and the surrounding area. If you rush to the ride and don’t look around, you miss half the fun.
⭐ In the Allée des Marchands, there’s a storefront for La Cave D’Ego. This is a nod to Anton Ego, the critic in the film. In the window are wine bottles with these dates: 2007 – the year Ratatouille was released; 2014 – the year the ride opened at Disneyland Paris; and 2021, the year it opened in EPCOT.
⭐ Keep your eyes peeled as your ride begins. In the first scene, the Pizza Planet truck is tucked into a window on your right. The truck has appeared in almost every PIXAR film.
⭐ The odometer on Skinner’s scooter registers 52. Speculation is that it refers to the year Walt Disney created the group that came to be known as Imagineering.
⭐ The marquee for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is 10 feet tall and 14 feet wide. It holds almost two hundred lights (awesome at night!) and contains several hidden Mickeys in the scrollwork.
5. The Nuts and Bolts.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is located in the France Pavilion in EPCOT’s World Showcase. Head down the path under the archway sign that says “Ratatouille.” The outdoor portion of the queue is partially covered but can get hot. As an indoor attraction, bad weather does not affect the operation of the ride.
Once you reach the boarding area, you’ll board a trackless “ratmobile,” which holds 6 rides in two rows on hard bench seats. There’s a single lap bar across each row.
Guests using ECVs need to transfer to a wheelchair. There is no minimum height (so no Rider Switch) and no health or safety advisories, although those prone to motion sickness may have difficulty with this ride. In order for everyone to enjoy Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, assistive listening, handheld captioning, and audio description are available from Guests Services.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is one of the most popular rides in EPCOT. Your best strategies for riding without a long line are to ride very early or late in the day, or use Lightning Lane Multi-Pass. Remy is one of the most popular advance reservations, so don’t count on same-day availability. If you’re willing to ride separately from your party Remy also has a Single-Rider Line that’s very efficient. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is available during Early Entry and is a good choice if you’re entering from the International Gateway. Remy is also open during Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.
The Bottom Line.
We think Remy’s Ratatouille is not to be missed. We’ve ridden it again and again, enjoying it more and more each time. And the vast majority of our readers agree. Of course, we’re partial to the entire France Pavilion, especially at night. There’s something magical about an evening in Paris. So go ahead, call me a romantic…
Have you been through Paris with Remy? What was your favorite part of the ride? Let us know what you think in the comments below.