When it comes to sharing the spotlight with the rest of the animal kingdom, Disney mascot Mickey Mouse has been pretty generous. A rundown of characters in the entertainment conglomerate's roster like Goofy, Donald Duck, Dumbo and even Simba from The Lion King stand as proof of that benevolence.
Aside from profiling his main squeeze Minnie, Mickey hasn't been so charitable to his fellow rodents. That is, until now, with Disney's Thursday announcement that Ratatouille will be further immortalized in an EPCOT ride in 2020.
3 Upscale Restaurant
For those who need to jog their memories, Ratatouille was a 2007 animated film about a culinary-inclined rodent named Remy who teams up with a cook in an upscale restaurant for a shot at the big time in the hospitality industry.
But even though the outing grossed more than $600 million worldwide and won an Oscar for best animated feature film and a Grammy for best soundtrack, there wasn't much call for any merchandising offshoots or even a sequel. Unlike the Mouse that's so ubiquitous in the Disney empire, rats seem to be a tougher sell.
2 Atlantic Attraction
But encouraged by the character's reception in France, where a Ratatouille ride at Disneyland Paris has enjoyed lineups since 2014. EPCOT hopes to repeat that feat in Florida. Once construction is complete for its grand opening next summer and dubbed Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, the ride will be similar to the attraction across the Atlantic.
Patrons board rat-shaped vehicles, each capable of carrying six people, in a loading area resembling Parisian neighborhood rooftops. The trackless ride then whisks folks off into a giant pantry, that includes a gargantuan ham reportedly weighing in at more than two tons.
1 Giant Sausages
The ride then follows Remy on a curved screen as he leaps onto the floor of the kitchen set duplicated from the movie. All the major spots in the kitchen are covered, even the giant sausages and jars, creating the illusion that the passengers are the same size as the clever rat.
So far, that's all that EPCOT officials would reveal about the ride. Once it's done, here's hoping that the attraction will also do the Mouse proud.