Inside Look at Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and EPCOT's Expanded France Pavilion

Just in time for Walt Disney World's 50th-anniversary celebration kicking off Oct. 1, the highly anticipated expansion of EPCOT's France pavilion is complete and has begun guests previews ahead of the official Oct. 1 opening. The expansion area, a playful snapshot of Paris inspired by Disney Pixar's "Ratatouille," introduces a new family-friendly ride, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, and new table-service and quick-service restaurants, La Crêperie de Paris and Crêpes À Emporter at La Crêperie de Paris. Seamlessly weaving together World Showcase's commitment to cultural authenticity with the film's playful take on Paris, the expansion area is a crowd-pleaser that will delight families, foodies, and Francophiles alike.

The expansion area creates a seamless, believable transition from real Paris to Pixar Paris. The first half of the expanded pavilion is more "real" than "rat," but the stage is set at the entrance with "Ratatouille" as the "stop" on a traditional art nouveau-inspired Parisian Metro sign.

After passing beneath the Metro sign, eagle-eyed guests will begin to see rat motifs seemingly everywhere, from waterfront railings to park benches.

The Alleé des Marchands, translated "Alley of the Merchants," is the area's main drag, lined with signs, sidewalks and storefronts so realistic, you'd swear you're in Paris.

The transition from real Paris to Pixar Paris takes place after guests pass beneath a cast iron arcade inspired by Les Halles, the famous Parisian market.

Walt Disney Imagineers and Pixar artists employed "crookedology," a design approach coined and used by Pixar artists both in the film and on the ride, to give the pavilion an "animated" appearance. The technique uses exaggerated details, lines that aren't straight, and more vibrant colors to give a playful, animated look to real spaces.

"The colors of the buildings will be much more saturated like you will find in the film and like you don't find in Paris itself," Walt Disney Imagineer Gary Landrum told D23 members during a preview presentation on Sept. 4.

A hand-gold-leafed marquee illuminated with nearly 200 lights announces the attraction, which is housed behind a Parisian cinema façade.

In front of the ride's entrance, Chef Remy tops an impressive three-basin fountain featuring jubilant rats popping the bubbly. The water spouting from the Champagne bottles has been aerated to look just like Champagne that's been popped.

The ride's initial premise is that guests are attending a film starring "Ratatouille" characters. Guests pass traditional movie theater ticket windows and enter one of three queues - single rider, standby, or soon-to-be Lightning Lane.

On the way in, guests pass promotional posters celebrating the film's stars, Linguine, Remy, and Chef Skinner.

Inside the queue, guests find themselves on the rooftop above the theater and Gusteau's kitchen. An animated Gusteau's sign talks just like it does in the film.

Blink and you'll miss it in the movie, but during the scene in "Ratatouille" when Remy is running through the walls of a Paris building, he zips past an artist's loft. This moment inspired a scene in the queue. Weave through the loft and be sure to look out for an animated painting plus some Easter eggs and hidden Mickeys.

Pick up a pair of 3D glasses and as soon as you do, start looking closely at where you're at and where you're headed. You'll cross a threshold just before the ride load area that marks a sudden transition where you'll "shrink" down from human to rat size.

"When you cross that threshold, you immediately experience that scale change," said Walt Disney Imagineer Matt Beiler. "There's a light above you that's human scale and the very next scene, the light has grown to be gigantic, making you feel you're rat scale."

A trackless ride system makes the ride's motion feel haphazard. Rat vehicles seem to scurry around and a combination of supersized physical sets and 3D media on large screens gives riders the sensation of frantically running underfoot, evading threats and obstacles both physical and onscreen.

Inside one of the ride's most impressive sets, massive foods hang overhead and the walls are lined with cheeses, meats and fragrant produce (look out for lots of rat eyes peering out from the darkness).

From Pixar Easter eggs (look out for a "Toy Story" vehicle during the rooftop scene) and hidden Mickeys to some surprise effects we won't spoil, the ride is action-packed and guaranteed to delight kids. See if you can spot this hidden Mickey at the end of the ride.

As you exit the attraction, keep your eyes on the floor, which will transition from massive tiles to normal-sized tiles, tipping you off to the moment you've returned to human scale.

Right outside the exit to the ride, don't miss Colette's motorbike and Chef Skinner's scooter. Hop on them for a fun photo spot.

Walt Disney World guests are used to spotting hidden Mickeys, but in Remy's Paris it's all about the rats. Look closely and you'll find subtle details like tiny rat tracks on the ground and wedges of cheese carved into stonework.

Aside from the attraction, the expansion area's other main draw is new restaurant La Crêperie de Paris. The table-service restaurant serves classic dishes from France's Brittany region. Savory galettes and sweet dessert crêpes are the main event, served either a la carte or prix fixe.

Known not only for its crepes and galettes, France's Brittany region is also famous for its use of shades of blue in its architecture. La Crêperie's exterior incorporates "Brittany blues" in shades of cobalt and navy.

Savory galettes and sweet dessert crêpes are prepared "à la minute," from scratch and served immediately. A $33 three-course prix fixe meal comes with a choice of soup or salad, one galette, and one dessert crêpe plus a glass of hard cider, soda or juice. All dishes are also available a la carte.

Traditional savory galettes from Brittany are made with buckwheat flour, making them gluten-friendly. Hearty selections like the Classique, filled with ham, egg and Swiss cheese and the Saumon, filled with smoked salmon, crème fraiche, chives and lemon make for a satisfying meal.

Remy's signature dish gets a nod as one of two fillings for vegetarians. The Ratatouille galette is filled with tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant and the Chèvre is filled with goat cheese, spinach, and walnuts.

Dessert Crêpes are made with wheat flour and filled with sweet fillings like peach, red berries sauce and almonds in the Melba and banana, caramel beurre sale in the Banane.

Brittany is also known for its hard ciders, made from the region's prolific supply of apples. Cider selections range from dry to sweet and perfectly complement the local cuisine.

Though the restaurant's exterior channels Brittany and its iconic blues, the interior is more reminiscent of a modern Parisian restaurant interior.

"Originally the interior design was going to be more provincial, but we decided to take the interior a little bit more modern," Walt Disney Imagineer Gary Landrum told D23 members during a preview presentation on Sept. 4. "We aren't pretending to be in the Belle Epoque or even the past. You see the age of the building and the stonework, but then there's clearly a contemporary, modern day interior design to it."

For a quicker meal, guests can order galettes, crêpes, cider and soft serve to go from the outdoor windows at Crêpes À Emporter. Highlights include the Cream of Brie Cheese Galette and the Hazelnut & Chocolate Spread Crêpe.

Cheerful Cast Members channel Brittany fisherman in their traditional uniform of striped blue-and-white shirts and red hats.

A broad new line of culinary- and rat-themed merchandise celebrates the new attraction.

One item that has people talking is this chef's hat ($39.99) that lights up to show Remy concealed inside, then opens up, letting him reveal himself.

Social media can't get enough of this remote-controlled rat. A cheese-shaped remote controls Remy or Emile as they crawl all over the wearer. Watch how it works.