Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure has been transformed from a 3D attraction into a 2D attraction following a short closure last week at EPCOT. We made it out to EPCOT recently to take a few spins on the reconfigured attraction to see what has changed, what is better, and what might be worse following the 2D conversion. Let’s scurry on over to the France Pavilion to check it out.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Review: 2D Hurts the Ride, Helps the Guest
Well, with a title like that, I think you know where this review is headed. Nonetheless, let’s check out the reconfigured ride in both photos and a full ride-through POV video. We’ll start with the video. As you can see, all of the video portions of the ride that were previously 3D have been converted to 2D. Disney also says that there are “enhanced visuals and clearer imagery”, now projected in 2D. It’s unknown whether or not Disney actually swapped out the projectors during the four days of downtime or not.
REMY’S RATATOUILLE ADVENTURE 2D FULL VIDEO
REMY’S RATATOUILLE ADVENTURE 2D PHOTOS
We’ll include a few photos here, too, before we offer some commentary and our updated review of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Of course, our photos will focus on the scenes where there was a 3D to 2D conversion, but Disney also says that there will be updated props coming to the queue over the next few months. We only utilized the Single Rider line during our visit, but we’ll head back in a few weeks to check on any new props.
REMY’S RATATOUILLE ADVENTURE 2D REVIEW
Ok, with a full ride-through POV video and some on-ride photos out of the way, we wanted to offer an updated review of the attraction. Our review will skip the queue, which has not changed in any substantial way (yet), and instead, focus on the attraction itself.
Our 2021 review called Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure “A Perfect Execution of New EPCOT“. The headline may teeter on being too glowing, but it revolves around the idea of “new EPCOT”. At the time, Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald said this about the way that Imagineers think about EPCOT:
In addition to the real world, we can acknowledge that stories have also provided inspiration to artists and Disney in particular.
So we said, ‘look, World Showcase will always be about the real countries, but why can’t it also be about the fantastic stories those countries have inspired?’.
Our artists at Pixar and Walt Disney Feature Animation are all inspired by…cultures of the world. It’s what they look for as they look for inspirations for new stories. We have such a wealth of incredible stories that bring a diverse and inclusionary perspective – we really felt that was important to bring to World Showcase.
So that’s the shift for World Showcase – the real countries and the fantastic stories they inspire. That means Norway can talk about Frozen…and, obviously, Ratatouille was inspired by France and Paris.
While the remainder of this review will focus on the changes to the ride, our original review remains worth a read – not only for some insight from Imagineers, but for more photos of the expansion area in France, as well as photos from the queue that we skipped when checking out the recent 2D conversion.
Climbing into our own personal rat, we’re whisked away through the rooftops of France, where we quickly encounter the first 2D conversion. A small video scrim now features a 2D version of Remy’s imagination of Auguste Gusteau.
After a bit of encouragement from Gusteau to continue through the rooftops, we enter the first cavernous projection room. I’ll recall what I said in my first review to sum up what I think about these projection rooms:
Our biggest complaint with the ride is the execution of the screens. In some instances, guests are in a bare warehouse, and in others, you have some theming elements around you to try and blend the screens.
One great upgrade that we would’ve liked to have seen applied to this ride would’ve been projection on the floor…extending the action into the vast space of concrete between the guest and the screen would’ve allowed for a more immersive experience. Perhaps the best-dressed screen is in the finale scene seen below, but other than that, we generally find the multiple theater rooms to be a bit jarring.
My biggest complaint for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure remains the execution of the screens, and now, without the 3D glasses, the problem is amplified. With the 3D glasses, at least you had a sort of tunnel vision at times that put those vast spaces of concrete into your peripheral vision a bit more. Without the glasses, those spaces that already weren’t very immersive become even less immersive.
Other parts of the ride remain good to excellent – especially the physical sets, which saw no changes during the brief downtime. Well, one physical effect is now working after a long period of not working, but there were no substantial additions or subtractions from the physical sets.
While those massive screen projection rooms have certainly become worse in terms of immersion, I will say that the projected image appears to be crisper and vibrant. I’m not a huge fan of 3D. It seems all too easy for images to get muddy or misaligned over time in theme park attractions, creating some really unpleasant scenes. Avatar Flight of Passage is one of those attractions that has really seen a degradation in its 3D over time, for whatever reason. As wonderful as the Flight of Passage experience is, I always struggle to enjoy the bioluminescent cave scene due to worsening 3D effects.
There’s also the issue of 3D glasses, which can be uncomfortable or burdensome when it comes to trying to enjoy an attraction. I’ll take physical sets over screens any day, and I’ll take 2D video over 3D in most scenarios. Unfortunately, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is not one of those scenarios.
That said, I’m aware that there were a number of guests who struggled with Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure precisely because of the disorientating nature of the 3D. With no more 3D, the ride has become more accessible to a greater number of guests. While I’m not sure exactly why Disney made the decision to switch from 3D to 2D, I’d imagine that guest comfort was a factor – especially when deciding to make an attraction less immersive.
Summed up, I would say that the switch from 3D to 2D at Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure hurts the ride from an immersion standpoint, but helps the guest by making a potentially nauseating ride more accessible. And that can be a win.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
I have no problem with 3D, so for me this is a big downgrade.
3d to 2d losses the immersive experience!
It’s a shame they downgraded. I am very sensitive to motion sickness but never got motion sick on this ride, so I am surprised it was enough of a guest complaint to make the change. Islands of Adventure still has the best 3D dark ride to this day and it’s over 25 years old.
I could tolerate the 3D version, but it made me slightly nauseous, so I didn’t bother with it unless I was with someone new to Disney.
I will be there in 2 weeks, so I’m looking forward to trying the new 2D version.