Disney CEO: Ratatouille ride opening in October

Chapek says Disneyland should reopen in late April

Epcot’s newest ride, based on Disney’s “Ratatouille” movie, is opening Oct. 1 in time for the kick-off of Disney World’s 50th anniversary, company CEO Bob Chapek said Tuesday.

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, under construction at the France pavilion, was originally set to open in the summer 2020 but was delayed during the pandemic. The family-friendly attraction takes riders on a trip through the kitchen from the perspective of a rat.

Debuting the same day at Epcot will be La Crêperie de Paris, a restaurant offering both table- and quick-service options.

The Epcot opening was one of several updates that Chapek made during the company’s annual shareholders meeting.

Now that California is loosening restrictions, Disneyland is expected to reopen by late April, Chapek said.

Disney will need time to recall more than 10,000 employees and train them on the new safety rules, he said.

Other cuts during the pandemic could potentially take a bit longer to return.

Disney Cruise Line might start sailing this fall. The Disney College Program, which employs college students at the parks and helps them make connections at Disney, could potentially return by the end of the year.

By mid-March 2020, Disney cruises stopped sailing, and the college students in the program were sent home when the theme parks closed. Disney has prioritized bring back its full-time and part-time employees back during Disney World’s reopening instead of reinstating the college program immediately.

Chapek said the theme parks are still evaluating how to restore all of its shows since concerns of crowds and social distancing still remain during the pandemic.

“We’re working on it. We’re trying to figure that out,” Chapek said.

Bob Iger, the former Disney CEO who stepped into a role as executive chairman last March, said this would be his last shareholders meeting. He plans to leave the company in December.

The meeting typically has entertaining moments since shareholders have the opportunity to ask questions or confront Chapek, who rarely gives interviews to the news media. One shareholder brought up the recent controversy for Disney’s “The Mandalorian.” Actress Gina Carano was fired from the Disney Plus show after she posted a social media post comparing being Republican today with being Jewish during the Holocaust.

“It’s clear that there’s a new blacklist punishing conservatives in the entertainment industry,” the shareholder said to Chapek and then quoted the show. “This is the way?”

“I don’t really see Disney as characterizing itself as left-leaning or right-leaning, yet, instead, standing for values, values that are universal, values of respect, values of decency, values of integrity and values of inclusion,” Chapek responded.