Walt always had a fascination with the mechanical. From the early days of automatons to his world-famous audio animatronics that have changed the face of entertainment. Unveiled at Walt Disney World’s Epcot is the newest and smallest animatronic Disney has every created.
Photo by Gene Duncan
The Release
There is the story told by Walt’s daughter, Diane Disney Miller, about their family trip to France one year. Walt returned to the hotel with bags filled with windup toys, much to the delight of his daughters. He proceeded to wind them all up and watch them, commenting on them in amazement. That interest returned imagination ten-fold to his endeavors with audio animatronics and now the Walt Disney Imagineers have created their smallest ever animatronic in celebration of Disney/Pixar’s hit, Ratatouille.
Ratatouille is the marvelous story of a rat, Remy, who becomes one of the most celebrated chefs in Paris. Ratatouille is available on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Famed French Chef Paul Bocuse greets a new Audio-Animatronics figure named “Remy” April 3, 2009 at Les Chefs de France restaurant at Epcot in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Remy, made famous in Disney’s Academy Award-winning animated film Ratatouille” is featured at the restaurant in a new guest experience called Bon Appetit from Chef Remy. The Audio-Animatronics figure — the smallest ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering — interacts with diners inside the restaurant. Through Sept. 5, Remy will make appearances in the dining room during specific times. Epcot is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
Les Chefs de France
Chefs de France is a gourmet restaurant nestled under the Eiffel Tower in the France Pavilion in Epcot theme park. Open for lunch and dinner, this highly rated and elegant restaurant features nouvelle French cuisine.
The menu at Chefs de France reflects a combination of the culinary talents of France’s 3 top chefs: Paul Bocuse, Roger Vergé and Gaston Lenõtre.
This trio of chefs is also responsible for the creations at the other (more formal) gourmet French restaurant, Bistro de Paris, which is located on the second floor above Chefs de France. The nearby pastry shop, Boulangerie Patisserie, where you can find you can find sweet treats of tarts, croissants, éclairs and more to go, is also run by this same team.
Selections and specialties at Chefs de France are created with ingredients fresh from Florida and imported from France. Appetizers may consist of escargot, or an Alsace specialty: flat bread baked with cream fraîche, onion and bacon.
Wrapping it up
I have yet to see Remy in person, but you can be assured I will be making a beeline to the Chefs de France as soon as I am at Epcot next time.
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