Walt Disney World didn't only have to close out guests from the resorts when they shut down last year but the resort also had to cease construction on a number of major new attractions. While construction has restarted on many of the planned additions, exactly when we'll be seeing many of them is still a big question. One attraction, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, was expected to open in Epcot's France pavilion in 2020, but that date was pushed back to 2021 following the closure. Now we know when in 2021 the ride will arrive, as Disney CEO Bob Chapek has confirmed the ride will open October 1.
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure is a dark ride that will see guests shrunk down to the size of rats, who will then move through the kitchen with Remy and his friends. An identical version of the attraction currently exists at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, but this will be the first version of the ride to exist stateside.
Speaking as part of the 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Bob Chapek confirmed that the long anticipated ride, that was believed to be very close to being done, will open to celebrate Walt Disney's World's 50th anniversary, which opened on October 1, 1971. This new attraction will then launch an 18-month long celebration.
While most plans regarding the 50th anniversary celebration have yet to be announced, the fact that the event itself has been confirmed to begin October 1 certainly indicates a feeling that Walt Disney World will be able to handle such an event, that will certainly bring crowds. There have been reports that HarmoniUS, the delayed Epcot nighttime spectacular that was supposed to start last year, will also get underway in October.
Bob Chapek has gone on record to say that he, and by extension, Disney as a whole, does not believe that pandemic safety measures will be necessary by the beginning of 2022, but it seems by this decision and others, that the feeling is that things will be able to return to something like normal by as early as this fall. Even only filling Epcot with a fraction of the normal capacity, opening a major new attraction or having a fireworks show is going to bring a lot of those guests to a single place, so there must be a feeling that by October doing so will be safe.
A number of other attractions at Epcot are also expected to open in the coming months. The entire front of the park is currently undergoing renovation that will include a new Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster, a Moana attraction, a new space-themed restaurant, and more. All of those are likely a year away at the very least, but we probably won't hear much about them until after Remy's Ratatouille Adventure opens.
