Disney is ditching the 3D projection on one of its rides.
Disneyland Paris announced today that its Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy attraction will be switching to 2D projection when it reopens next year. This is the original installation of the ride known as Remy's Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT, opening at Walt Disney Studios Park in 2014. You can read our opening-day review here: Ride Review: Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy at Walt Disney Studios Paris.
The trackless dark ride had been presented in 3D, but following testing and guest surveys, Disneyland Paris has decided to switch, which means that special 3D glasses will no longer be part of the ride experience. As part of the ride's renovation, Disneyland Paris also will be installing video projectors, as well as making other technical upgrades and scenic enhancements.
Among those changes will be the addition of a new practical scene in the ride's queue.
"When the attraction reopens in 2026, guests will discover an enhanced queue with a new scene depicting a Parisian artist’s studio teeming with details and accessories such as canvases on the walls, paint splatters, and a fruit basket that may well whet the appetite of all the adorable rats in the neighbourhood," the resort said in its press release today. Here is the concept art.
For more information about the park and our advice for visiting and a link to discounted tickets, please see our Visitors Guide to Walt Disney Studios Park.
IDK fattyackin - I think 3-D can work well on motion base attractions if used smartly. The issue is that too often, designers insist on making every single screen 3-D instead of sprinkling in those 3-D effects in situations where vehicles are square to the screen when those 3-D effects really make an impact. What ends up happening is that vehicles come to a screen at an angle, and the images look blurry, causing guests to question whether there's something wrong and taking them out of the immersive environment. The other error that's made is that parks fail to maintain projectors and overall lighting on 3-D dark rides that cause images to appear dull and practical effects/props to go virtually unnoticed in the cover of darkness. If you're going to put 3-D glasses on riders, you have to understand that all of the interior lighting needs to be punched up to compensate for the glasses that naturally reduce the amount of light people can see.
I actually think EPCOT's Ratatouille is done pretty well, and the interior lighting is actually pretty bright to help cut through what the glasses filter out. However, there are still a few screens where riders approached from a slight angle that can make a few images blurry, though not as bad as some. The stove scene is actually one of the best 3-D motion base scenes I've experienced save for the very first screen on Spiderman when he jumps on the SCOOP.
@Russell: I totally agree with everything you just said. I think the hard lessons have been learned by the creatives and newer experiences have been tailored for maximum impact. My main problem is with the attractions where “everything has to line up just right” to get a good ride. It’s why I stopped seeing movies in 3D in the theater. Not because I don’t like 3D movies but because theater owners would dim the bulbs to save money and that created a less then stellar viewing experience. I also kind of find the wearing of glasses to be cumbersome on a ride. My opinion. But yeah, when the 3D is complimented by actual sets, AA’s or effects then I’m all for it.
I literally rode it today in Paris and it was in 2D
Sad to see the brain-drain from Imagineering unable to address the needs of media-attraction 3D processing - a feet achieved back some twenty years with the Amazing Spiderman media-attraction. We understand that Imagineering has been cut back on talent over the years, and we have seen an increased reliance on make-do R&D - I wonder if they will now have to remove this effect from the problematic Disney Studio originator?
stingerreport - exactly. Just like they did with Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
No wait, sorry, that was universal. Stupid comment
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I wish they’d remove the 3d here at Epcot as well. 3d is great for a sit-down, stationary presentation but in my opinion it’s whole point is defeated when it’s used to augment an actual moving ride presentation.
There are certainly obvious exceptions where the 3d is done quite well. Spider-Man at IoA being one of those