News / Walt Disney Studios Park

Streuth, it only took seven years after the attraction opened, this month back in 2007, but Crush’s Coaster has finally seen some major queue and entrance improvements to alleviate its problematic over-popularity. As reported previously, the main improvement is the introduction of a permanent Single Rider line, but there’s a more fitting new entrance building, too.

The whole entrance marquee has now been set back slightly, allowing more room for guest circulation in front. Designed as a wooden harbour-side shack like that you might see for a boat tour, with terracotta roof, peeling paintwork and rusted nails, the new kiosk and its improved queue lines came into use just this morning, captured by InsideDLParis.

Thankfully, InsideDLParis also reminds us that most of this isn’t the final signage. Concept art leaked by DisneylandBerry, below, shows how the final marquee logo, electronic wait time indicators and other signs (hopefully window shutters too) will soon give this development more of the expected Disney quality.

It has no doubt been unveiled early due to the upcoming previews of Ratatouille: The Adventure beginning this week.

The original Crush’s Coaster signage, Crush figurine and spinning turtle shell all remain.

Perhaps it was planned, but it was always an oddity that the attraction had such a nondescript entrance, especially opposite the elaborate Radiator Springs façades of Cars Quatre Roues Rallye. At busy times, the narrow path was frequently blocked by guests bunching in front.

For the queue line itself, the “improvements” are modest, that is to say: disappointing.

A first phase was completed when the attraction re-opened from refurbishment in April, when the iconic blue rockwork was also repainted for the first time, basically squeezing more turnbacks and barriers into the existing space at the side of Studio 5.

The second phase, opened today, makes permanent the barriers next to Flying Carpets Over Agrabah with steel railings and a wooden fence around the perimeter. It’s certainly far less than ideal and does nothing to address how unattractive and, ultimately, boring the queue experience is; perhaps the worst in Toon Studio.

A saviour, then, could be the new Single Rider line. Leading from the left-hand kiosk entrance, this deposits you nicely on the left-hand side of the loading platform.

It remains to be seen what impact this will have on actual loading times, as Cast Members now have to both load groups and fill gaps with the turtle shells still moving. But it could suddenly put a ride through the East Australian Current back on the agenda for many fans, visitors and “dudes”, who have long not seen it worth enduring the crushing queues.

With Finding Nemo to be followed by Finding Dory in 2016, perhaps the next task should be to finally find a cameo for a missing Pacific regal blue tang…

PHOTOS BY @InsideDLParis, CONCEPT VIA DisneylandBerry

Like any great recipe, it needs a little refinement: A new, redesigned Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy entrance marquee has been installed at Walt Disney Studios Park this morning, pictured above by DisneylandBerry. The final signage design features just the blue ellipse of the movie’s logo with the subtitle included, far more subtly, inside.

This replaces the original design of the entrance marquee, which was installed some time ago only to disappear again shortly after, leaving an empty space. A giant copper cooking pot was designed to hold the lengthy subtitle, L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy, with the Ratatouille logo above.

But once this appeared on La Place de Rémy, many fans were immediately honest that it just wasn’t quite they expected. Wasn’t the pot going to be 3D? And isn’t it all a bit ostentatious and yet, dare it be said, “cheap-looking” for such a classy new mini-land? It seems between the Imagineers and management, someone agreed.

Tom Fitzgerald introduces the original marquee at the Shareholders preview presentation

Original entrance marquee (Photo: InsideDLParis)

The compromise on the new marquee is to drop the 2D cooking pot altogether, losing some of the city advertisement billboard aesthetic which jarred with the decoration around it. The subtitle is now placed somewhat awkwardly on the logo itself, but the general impression is better and seems more in-keeping with the surroundings.

Close-up, the marquee still has a glitzy, LED “popcorn” light display to light up the square at night, reminiscent of Meet Mickey Mouse. On the whole, it’s remarkably similar to the very first concept art we saw. Sometimes, the first ideas are the best.

• More photos — DLP Welcome: New sign on Ratatouille and more

PHOTOS @DisneylandBerry, @InsideDLParis, DLP Welcome

Over the years we’ve seen countless Disneyland Paris trailers cut from the vast archive of footage covering the resort’s attractions, but this one might just be the best.

Simply titled “Disneyland Paris – Faire vivre la magie pour nos visiteurs”, the video appeared without fanfare on the resort’s YouTube channel on Tuesday 3rd June. Running at just 2 minutes 14 seconds, it probably does a better job of selling the destination than any single one of the account’s other 581 videos.

Much of, if not all, the footage is recycled and not filmed especially for the trailer, some of it dating back decades and some of it — such as the swooping fly-over of Disney Magic on Parade! — relatively new.

Footage of the resort’s Cast Members and artisans putting finishing touches to the “magic” begins the video, before it’s all shown in action. It ends, of course, with the official footage from Disney Dreams!, which never fails to impress.

Music is “Fly High (Trailer Music)” from The Amazing Hero: Caped Avengers Fanfares.

Place a Disneyland Paris logo and a call to action at the end and it’d make a perfect trailer for wider release — especially in cinemas, as @CafeFantasia suggested.

It’s certainly a world apart from the Disneyland Paris commercial currently gracing TV screens.

Named “Magical Answers”, this 30-second spot (below) follows three children discovering they can, amazingly, actually have fun at Disneyland; with an odd and almost disturbing tone of cynicism about the world around them, given their ages.

Normally, the narrative in commercials and newspaper articles is of a cynical adult realising they too can enjoy a Disney theme park; this advert however shows us a mournful young boy sitting alone in a plush mansion, looking skeptically into the eyes of a Buzz Lightyear action figure, before saluting the real thing — still bizarrely on his own.

Continuing the trend of advertising only to this specific bracket of families with very young children, it all feels oddly sombre and pessimistic, and features precisely three seconds of footage of an actual attraction. Filmed at Disneyland in California, the French Sleeping Beauty Castle was simply spliced into the shots.

It’s enough to put a vast swathe of the audience off wanting to visit Disneyland Paris altogether. Let’s hope those potential visitors at least make it as far as the resort’s YouTube, and watch the fantastic new trailer above instead.

VIA Disneyland Paris (YouTube)

It would be fair to say the last thing which needed changing to improve Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic from a guest’s point of view was the trams themselves. But here we are, with Disneyland Paris sharing photos of the new driving trucks which recently replaced the former twelve year old-plus vehicles.

Boasting more spacious cab areas, more fuel capacity and new sensors making them easier to manoeuvre, the four new trucks are now pulling the same original six-carriage trams through the attraction’s (almost literally) “backstage” route.

Along the way, guests can still discover action-packed sets including Catastrophe Canyon, Reign of Fire and, er, that’s about it. The (not particularly missed) Costuming workshop loop was removed during the construction of Toy Story Playland and is now occupied by La Place de Rémy, while the tour has had no genuine additions whatsoever since opening in 2002, despite several park masterplans in that time calling for improvement and expansion.

The Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida is similarly disappointing.

In fact, it might have been sensible to assume Disney would retire the attraction, ending the pretence that Walt Disney Studios Park is in any way a real working studio. The purchase of four new trucks would now seem to disprove that, at least for the foreseeable future.

Starting with the utterly pointless Dinotopia set and ending with Jeremy Irons’ ageing video commentary, come back next week for an article titled “100 Things Any Fan Would Change About Studio Tram Tour Before Replacing the Trucks”…

• Watch a complete on-ride video of Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic here

VIA @Disney_ParisEN (Twitter)

Disneyland Paris formally unveiled the new Cast Member costumes for Ratatouille: The Adventure last week, resplendent with a rich style to make them perhaps the most luxurious in the whole of Walt Disney Studios Park.

Naturally, considering the theme of Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy, the costumes of the Toon Studio attraction are closely matched to those of its adjoining restaurant, Bistrot Chez Rémy, with sumptuous gold and burgundy colours, bow ties and short-cut jackets for both ride operators and restaurant waiters alike.

Despite taking inspiration from swanky Parisian restaurant uniforms, the designs retain an important touch of whimsy with the cut of the jackets, the eccentric placement of buttons and those fun bow ties around everyone’s neck — a hint to the shape of Rémy’s whiskers, perhaps?

Disneyland Paris Ambassadors Antonella and Jonathan joined fellow Cast Members to model the new outfits.

One final fun detail, even here on the costumes: Ratatouille buttons!

VIA @Disney_ParisEN (Twitter)

Rémy is almost ready for his Walt Disney Studios Park debut. Today, Disneyland Paris continues to tease the most anticipated new Disney Park attraction of 2014 with a new press information pack, tantalisingly filled with more information and confirmations about the ride, restaurant and La Place de Rémy as 10th July approaches.

About the ride itself, Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy, the release at last announces in official print the trackless ride vehicles and “enormous 3D projection system”. Newly revealed is that there will be five colours of ride vehicle, or “ratmobile” as they’re known. As expected, the six-seater vehicles will travel in groups of three through the ride, with each vehicle able to travel on its own, separate, unpredictable route.

Much of the experience’s storyline can now be pieced together, beginning on the Paris rooftops and following Rémy in a chase through the kitchens as he creates a special meal for us, the guests, or — in this story — fellow rats.

This leads nicely, of course, into Bistrot Chez Rémy next door, which will indeed serve a menu mostly consisting of steak entrecote, french fries and a side of ratatouille in a very fun dining room built entirely to rat-size from huge props.

Finally, even more fantastic details and nods for La Place de Rémy are revealed, with final props including Linguini’s bicycle, Colette’s motorbike and Chef Skinner’s stolen Vespa. The area will also include two named thoroughfares: Allée des Marchands and Rue Auguste Gusteau.

Meanwhile, several new images (below) have surfaced online showing the practically finished interiors of the Paris rooftops loading area, cold storage scene and Bistrot Chez Rémy dining room, featuring Imagineers and Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

The development is almost ready to be handed over, and the first previews will begin in just a few weeks’ time including an official press opening event on 21st-22nd June.

The complete Ratatouille: The Adventure press release:

Official opening date:
Experience the magic of Ratatouille on 10 July 2014 at Walt Disney Studios Park

It’s officially on the menu: on 10 July 2014, Disneyland Paris unveils a new world dedicated to the Disney•Pixar film Ratatouille. Named La Place de Rémy in tribute to the “little chef,” this all-new mini-land will open in Walt Disney Studios Park and will feature a completely original attraction, inspired by Rémy’s adventures in the film.

The all-new attraction, the 60th to open at Disneyland Paris, is called Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy. Guests are shrunk down to the size of a rat and board “ratmobiles” for a zany culinary adventure through Gusteau’s famous restaurant. From a Paris rooftop to the restaurant’s bustling kitchen, cavernous food locker and busy dining room under the careful watch of Chef Skinner… this tasty adventure is full of twists and turns.

Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy anchors La Place de Rémy, a corner of the park’s Toon Studios that has been transformed into a Ratatouille-inspired version of The City of Light. This brand new mini-land, exclusive to Walt Disney Studios Park, also features Bistrot Chez Rémy, a table service restaurant serving, among other delicious dishes, the little chef’s famous ratatouille in a larger-than-life setting. A special boutique*, “Chez Marianne – Souvenirs de Paris”, will also open its doors.

Released in 2007, Ratatouille , which won the Oscar for best animated feature film, tells the story of Rémy, a rat who dreams of becoming a renowned French chef. Filmgoers got to know him in an adventure that took him to the top Paris restaurants. With the arrival of Rémy at Walt Disney Studios Park, guests will find themselves in the middle of his exciting culinary adventure.

Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy is a first of its kind Disney attraction that features trackless ride vehicles matched to enormous 3D projections of original animation by Pixar Animation Studios. The attraction takes creative imagination and technical know-how, the hallmarks of Walt Disney Imagineering, to create a state-of-the-art storytelling experience. The crazy culinary adventure begins 10 July 2014 , exclusively at Walt Disney Studios Park, Disneyland Paris.

The 60th ride at Disneyland Paris

The culinary world of the Disney•Pixar film Ratatouille comes to life in Ratatouille L’Aventure Totalement Toquée De Rémy, a first of its kind Disney attraction that uses trackless ride vehicles matched to an enormous 3D projection system featuring original animation from Pixar Animation Studios.

Guests shrink down to the size of a rat and join Rémy, the “little chef” from the film for a crazy culinary adventure that sends them scurrying through the kitchen, dining room, and walls of Gusteau’s famous Paris restaurant.

Synopsis

The adventure begins when guests become rat-sized and board a « ratmobile », a vehicle that looks like a cute version of the furry rodents from the film. Soon the ratmobiles are on a Paris rooftop where they encounter Rémy and the ghost of Gusteau as they discuss the special meal Rémy wants to prepare in guests’ honor. Moments later, Rémy’s excitement leads to him and the ratmobiles plummeting down to the kitchen floor of Gusteau’s restaurant. Being rats in a human world is fraught with danger, so Rémy and his new friends in the ratmobiles have to quickly move out of sight before Chef Skinner spots them. Rémy leads the way as all of the rats move from one tight hiding place to another. Luckily, Rémy’s human pal Linguini is there to help.

Ride in the “ratmobile”

Guests will discover a vehicle that is, shall we say, a little unusual, letting them enjoy the experience as though they were the size of our lovable little rodents. Welcome to the ratmobile! Specially designed by our Imagineers, this strange and amazing car, which will make all real rodents green with envy, comes in five colours. It is great for families since it holds six passengers. The ratmobile travels in groups of three, but like real rats, none of them follows the same route. They move using a technology that requires no rails.

Now guests can really experience what it’s like to be a furry little rodent in a human-sized world as they dart quickly from hiding place to hiding place during this zany culinary adventure.

La Place de Rémy:
Disneyland tribute to Paris

The new attraction, Ratatouille L’Aventure Totalement Toquée De Rémy, will be located in a new area of Walt Disney Studios Park called La Place de Rémy in honour of the energetic “little chef” from the film and the city he loves, Paris. This new mini-land pays tribute to the real City of Light while at the same time evoking the whimsical Paris seen in the film.

Also on the Ratatouille-inspired menu is a restaurant, and not just any restaurant, but Bistrot Chez Rémy, with a similar atmosphere and proportions to the restaurant experienced at the end of the attraction. Completing the mini-land, and arriving in the autumn, is a new boutique, once again paying tribute to France: “Chez Marianne – Souvenirs de Paris”.

The Paris of Ratatouille draws inspiration from several iconic neighbourhoods of the City of Light. Place Dauphine and Boulevard Haussmann particularly influence its architectural design. The colours of building façades and the entire neighbourhood are purposefully more intense than in real-life Paris. The Imagineers chose the Paris of the Ratatouille film world which is a valentine to the City of Light. The vitality of the film is completely preserved.

One of the most important elements of La Place de Rémy is its fountain. Filmgoers saw a typically Parisian example in front of Gusteau’s restaurant in the film. To recreate it in the Park, the Imagineers studied many Parisian fountains. The inspiration for our fountain was found in Place des Vosges, with its circular basins and lion heads spouting water. Once the shape and dimensions were decided, the designer Harley Jessup, who worked on the film

Ratatouille, personally added the finishing touches that make reference to Rémy, his rat friends and the kitchen. Gourmet rats, of course, hold up sculpted bottles of freely flowing champagne.

La Place de Rémy will include two main streets: Allée des Marchands and Rue Auguste Gusteau. A tribute to the world’s greatest chef, Paul Bocuse, who provided plenty of inspiration for the creators of Ratatouille, will be unveiled on the central square near Bistrot Chez Rémy. The lampposts and benches will also be typically Parisian. Thanks to all these elements created by Disney’s Imagineers, guests will be able to stroll through Paris as it appears in Ratatouille. Fans will also be able to spot references to the film, such as Linguini’s bicycle, Colette’s motorbike or the Vespa stolen by the dreaded Chef Skinner.

Ratatouille on the menu
at Bistrot Chez Rémy

Delicious French cuisine, like that presented in the Disney•Pixar film Ratatouille, can now be enjoyed by all in Bistrot Chez Rémy, a themed table service restaurant inspired by the world and recipes of the film. The upscale, but light-hearted 370-person restaurant is the creation of Rémy, the rat who loves to cook, and is located in a new corner of Walt Disney Studios Park that’s been transformed into a Ratatouille-themed version of The City of Light. Join us for lunch or dinner at Bistrot Chez Rémy from 10 July 2014.

Bistrot Chez Rémy will welcome guests into a world where they are shrunk to the size of rats immersing them in an oversized world where jam jar lids serve as table tops and champagne corks are turned into chairs. Designed by Rémy and his friends, the restaurant also features everyday human items made large like paper cocktail umbrellas turned into parasols, giant cookbooks standing on end, and plates used to separate seating areas.

On the menu during this Ratatouille-inspired experience, Rémy has prepared a unique menu that includes entrecote, chips, and of course, ratatouille! The “little chef” recommends a seasonal salad to start and a choice of dessert: a selection of French cheeses, including Brie de Meaux, and a fruit salad. Bon appétit!

From fantasy to reality with the creators
of Disney’s attractions, the Imagineers

Guiding Disneyland Paris guests from the dream of animated films to the reality of the Parks with their illusions intact takes more than the wave of a magic wand. It’s all in a day’s work for the Imagineers. This unique group of Creative and Technical people transforms the biggest animated films into immersive experiences you’ll find nowhere else.

The birth of the Imagineers

Walt Disney Imagineering was formed by Walt Disney in 1952 to plan, design and build Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Today, Imagineers are responsible for the creation, from concept initiation through installation, of all Disney resorts, parks, attractions, cruise ships and new entertainment venues all over the world. The Imagineering team includes planners, artists, designers, project managers, engineers, architects, art directors, audiovisual specialists, animators, production groups, programmers, site planners, financial analysts and researchers – more than 140 unique disciplines in total. But their work doesn’t stop there: they also design and create restaurants, boutiques and hotels, in short, everything that contributes to “immersing” guests in the magic of Disney.

The unique strength of Walt Disney Imagineering lies in its fusion of creative and technical talents, building new types of shows and entertainment inspired by Disney’s dreams and stories. Thanks to their expertise, Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy puts state-of-the-art technology to work, to bring the story to life. John Lasseter who not only directs the Disney and Pixar animation studios but also holds the position of Principal Creative Advisor with Walt Disney Imagineering, himself said, “I promise you that we will not only continue to make the best films, but also the best attractions.”

Beyond the all-important date (10th July if you haven’t managed to catch it yet), Disneyland Paris more than exceeded anticipation for yesterday’s rumoured Ratatouille: The Adventure announcement by including a little video teaser alongside. Well, perhaps “little” isn’t the word.

Because despite running to just 1 minute 3 seconds, for the first time ever the video reveals a number of glimpses inside the huge new Ratatouille showbuilding, allowing a look at the attraction’s physical scenery, giant props and even trackless ride vehicles. The emphasis being on giant: everything is giant.

Tom Fitzgerald, Creative Executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Roger Gould, Creative Director Theme Parks at Pixar Animation Studios, lead the commentary to enthuse about Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy, as Tom names it, with a smile.

After seeing the huge Gusteau’s restaurant sign being lifted into place atop the building, we get a series of blink-and-you’ll-miss-em peeks inside the ride’s actual show scenes. There’s the rooftops of Paris load unload area with giant chimney pots, the cold storage with a giant fish, and the dining room with giant trolly wheels.

Towards the end, we even see a real, finished “Ratmobile” ride vehicle for the first time ever. And just to add extra intrigue, perhaps, it’s brown, not grey/blue.

There’s spoilers aplenty, of course — but don’t forget that the physical scenery and props we see here are just the “base layer” of this trackless, 3D projection-filled dark ride. It won’t look like this when you’re riding through it, with 3D glasses plus finished lighting and animation, so there’s a lot left unseen and a lot that will only ever be possible to see in person.

Watch the video now, then scroll down for 23 screencaps and extra commentary… Read More…

Disneyland Paris has just announced the long-awaited opening date of Ratatouille: The Adventure – L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy: Thursday, 10th July 2014.

Sensibly, the resort has chosen a date just slightly in advance of the official French national day — Bastille Day on Monday 14th July — to officially inaugurate the huge new dark ride and restaurant in Walt Disney Studios Park.

From 10th July, guests will officially be able to enjoy the attraction and its adjoining restaurant, Le Bistrot Chez Rémy, in Toon Studio at the second park.

However, this will likely follow a traditional period of “soft opening” lasting as long as a few weeks, during which time Disney’s newest E-Ticket attraction will be opened to guests for limited trials to test and adjust any operational or technical bugs.

The date of 10th July has only recently been associated with the development, which up until now has steadfastly been promoted only as opening vaguely in “Summer 2014”.

Most rumours pointed to 14th July being the most appropriate date, but it’s likely Disneyland Paris decided the Thursday before what will be an incredibly busy Monday, with the parks already at saturation, is a more sensible operational choice.

The announcement was made with a brand new teaser video, below… Read More…