Though Epcot as a whole is getting a pretty massive reboot (which will hopefully be done by 2022), looking more towards the short term, the France pavilion at this park is getting a fairly large infusion of new attractions over the next six months that will hopefully get guests excited about visiting this corner of the park again. And the good news is that new openings begin this weekend!
1. Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along opens this weekend
Image: Disney
When the Epcot International Festival of the Arts kicks off this week it will also mark the debut of the new new Beauty and the Beast sing-along attraction, which will play in the theater that was previously just home to Impressions de France. It has been confirmed that this new show will play daily from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, with Impressions de France playing only in the evenings from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM. Though it may be a little bittersweet to see this classic show relegated to only a few showings before closing, hopefully Disney will balance this schedule a little more in the future after the “newness” of the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along has worn off slightly.
2. Tales As Old As Time: French Storytelling on Stage and Screen Exhibit
Alongside the opening of the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, the Palais du Cinéma gallery will be debuting an all-new exhibit for guests to check out: Tales As Old As Time: French Storytelling on Stage and Screen. This new installation explores how iconic stories like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and The Three Musketeers became pop culture powerhouses. Guests checking out this exhibit can see some incredible costumes, props and other items from stage and film performances of these classic French-inspired works.
3 Crêperie hybrid restaurant
Image: Disney
Later this summer a brand new unamed hybrid quick/table service restaurant will open in the France pavilion that will feature the cuisine of celebrity chef Jérôme Bocuse, the mastermind behind the pavilion’s Chefs de France brasserie and its celebration of gourmet cuisine, Monsieur Paul. This new location will feature a menu inspired by the Brittany region of France, and will have savory crepes called galettes and sweet crepes. And though the France pavilion already has plenty of places to eat (this will be the fifth dining location in this pavilion), this new hybrid restaurant should be a nice addition to the lineup with a simple menu with familiar options.
4. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, the new name for the Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy ride which is being cloned for Epcot is now under construction and is set to open in just a few months in Summer 2020. This Ratatouille-themed 3-D dark ride will use trackless technology to “shrink” guests down to the size of a rat, and is being constructed in an expansion pad behind the France pavilion, and will of course be the centerpiece of Epcot’s new and expanded France pavilion!
