PHOTO - Latest look at the Ratatouille site from the air as first permits are filed for construction

Oct 10, 2017 in "Remy's Ratatouille Adventure"

Ratatouille construction site from the air
Posted: Tuesday October 10, 2017 1:10pm EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

Pictured above is the latest look at the backstage area of the France Pavilion at Epcot, which will be home to the upcoming Ratatouille ride.

Not too much has changed since our last aerial shot, but with the Food and Wine kiosks now out in the park, the area is cleared and looks ready to begin work.

Walt Disney Imagineering has also just filed a permit for the very early stages of construction, describing the first stage as "Project MI - Core and Shell - Underground MEPF, Structural Steel, Concrete, Metal."

It isn't clear what the Project MI name means, but it is likely an internal code name for the project.

Balfour Beatty Construction is the contractor, a company that frequently works with Disney on large construction projects.

No expiration date is listed, which typically means the work will be done within a year. However, it is important to note that this is just the first phase of construction, and is for the most basic parts of the building. 

We are likely to see more permits in the coming months as work progresses, but as of now, expect Ratatouille to open around the Spring of 2020.

Aerial photo for WDWMAGIC by Colin Chardavoyne @cchard.

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SplashJacket11 days ago

Initially, Rat had 3 individual seats with dividers in between, but shortly after opening they removed the dividers and made it a front bench and a back bench. I’m not sure if they ever get up to 4 people (1 adult and 4 children for example) in the back, but they no longer have the capacity for single rider given it’s a bench with undefined seating (like MMRR). Alternatively, (and likely the more likely driver) too many Americans couldn’t fit between the dividers, causing delays and decreased guest satisfaction that exceeded any potential benefits from single-rider.

SoFloMagic11 days ago

It was pictured in concept art. Single rider is pretty important for a 3-wide car

Gusey11 days ago

I was wondering if they had single rider as it still exists at DLP

Surferboy56711 days ago

Gotta sell those genies. They better not pull that with the new Test Track.

SplashJacket11 days ago

Interesting that it’s getting that high considering they axed single-rider at the 11th hour.

lentesta11 days ago

Not to bump an old thread, but we measured Remy's hourly capacity at rope-drop this morning at 2,151 guests per hour. That's pretty close to the estimated 2,200/hour we've heard elsewhere.

Chef idea Mickey`=Mar 12, 2024

Why is Disney always responding right after Universal and not vice versa. Mmm

fuentesalexMar 05, 2024

It was. Felt not as immersive and even more like you are just watching a movie during the big screen sections.

marni1971Mar 05, 2024

It’s usually due to projector or glass cleaning maintenance

BasiltheBatLordMar 05, 2024

Not alleged, they're running it as a test until March 9. It's a cost-cutting measure.

Sir_CliffMar 05, 2024

I know they've done this before in Paris due to technical issues, so I'm not sure I'd read too much into it.

aladdin2007Mar 05, 2024

saving expense from replacing and or cleaning the glasses all the time? wouldn't surprise me, cost cutting moves.

Sorcerer MickeyMar 05, 2024

Universal allegedly downgraded King Kong from 3D to 2D as well. What's the trend here?

LittleBufordMar 04, 2024

This seems a bad move to me.