Guests aboard their “ratmobile” take off for an exciting trip into the world of Ratatouille on Remy’s Totally Zany Adventure. [Disneyland Paris]

As you walk through the entrance of the Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris, there’s a feeling of deja vu … you know, it seems as if you’ve been here before.

The Walt Disney Studios, which opened in 2002, makes no secret of the fact that it takes much of its inspiration from Hollywood Studios in Florida.

First, you pass under an arch and walk into the Front Lot, a formidable courtyard with palm trees and a water fountain, where the Earffel Tower looms large to the left.

Then you walk into the massive Studio 1, where, at first blush, it appears as if you’ve just stepped in to a carbon copy of Hollywood Studios’ entrance area at Walt Disney World … with one big difference.

In Paris, Studio 1 has a roof.

Walt Disney Studios’ massive “opening scene” is actually a pleasant indoor arcade, with many familiar-looking store fronts: There’s a red-and-white service station called Sunset Gasoline [similar to Oscar’s Super Service in Florida] and shops with names like The Gossip Column, Hollywood & Vine Five and Dime, Shutter Bugs and Schwab’s. Like the shops along the main thoroughfares in every Disney theme park, the names on the storefronts belie their true nature: They are either quick service restaurants or souvenir shops.

The Earffel Tower greets guests as they enter The Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris. [Disneyland Paris]

When you exit Studio 1 and into the park proper, you can’t miss the welcoming Partners statue, with Walt Disney waving his right hand and his buddy Mickey Mouse at his side. Similar Partners statues grace the Hub areas in the Magic Kingdoms at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

From here, the Walt Disney Studios fan out into three other themed lands: Production Courtyard, Backlot and Toon Studio.

Although Walt Disney Studios is much smaller than Disneyland Park, which is a short five-minute walk away, there is a diverse and interesting collection of attractions — some familiar to Disney regulars, others unique to the park — that make it a worthwhile destination.

Hollywood Boulevard in The Walt Disney Studios. [Disneyland Paris]

Production Courtyard

The Production Courtyard is located just past the Partners statue and features “the wonders of cinema and television.” Straight ahead is Hollywood Boulevard, a much more condensed version of Florida’s street. There are a variety of Los Angeles-themed building facades and palm trees that will have you California dreamin’ … but looming behind one of those facades is the imposing figure of The Hollywood Tower Hotel, home to the iconic Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

If you can get past the fact that “Twilight Zone” creator Rod Serling introduces “tonight’s episode” in French, you’ll see many recognizable props in the entrance foyer, the library and the queue area of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. The ride itself, while enjoyable, isn’t as elaborate as its Florida cousin; indeed, there seemed to be fewer random drops in Paris.

Catastrophe Canyon is one of two live sets featured during the Studio Tram Tour in Disneyland Paris. [Disneyland Paris]

For Hollywood Studios’ nostalgia buffs, the Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic is a blast from the past … literally. The Studio Tram Tour in Paris is similar – if a bit more elaborate – to the now-shuttered Hollywood Studios version. [Indeed, the Tram Tour is one of several attractions still open in Paris that have been closed at Disneyland and/or Walt Disney World.] There are a host of film props and set decors on display and not one, but two live film “sets.”

First, there’s Catastrophe Canyon, where a gasoline truck ignites, flames shoot skyward and torrents of water come splashing down. A few minutes later, the tram rolls onto the set of a nearly devastated city of London [you’ll know it’s London because of the double-decker bus parked in the street], where dragons have caused havoc.

Disney Junior Live on Stage! and Stitch Live! give younger guests a chance to experience television and the movies. Disney Junior Live on Stage! stars many of the characters that have made the Disney Channel such a worldwide success, while Stitch Live! is an interactive experience using technology similar to Turtle Talk with Crush, shown at Epcot and on the Disney Cruise Line.

Perhaps the most unique attraction in the Production Courtyard is CineMagique, a clever look into some of cinema’s most beloved movies.

The entrance to CineMagique, a must-see in The Walt Disney Studios. [Disneyland Paris]

After taking a seat in the theater, guests are reminded to turn off their cell phones. As the show begins on the giant screen, there’s a rude gentleman off to the side of the stage who is chatting away on his phone [apparently, his luggage was lost at the airport]. When a cast member confronts the man, he gets up and stumbles onto the stage … and right through the screen and becomes part of the movie.

The rude gentleman, it turns out, is Canadian actor Martin Short, who becomes the unwitting participant in a whirlwind journey through a wide variety of classic movie scenes … from the silent movie era to Westerns to Mary Poppins to Titanic. It’s an extremely fast-paced [there’s so much going on, see the show more than once, if you can], funny and imaginative attraction that’s pure Disney magique.

Backlot

This themed land is short on attractions [only three], but packed with action, excitement and special effects. Or so it says in the guide map.

Armagedden: Les Effets Speciaux is billed as “an amazing demonstration of the world of special effects” … but, frankly, it’s outdated and not all that exciting. There’s a pre-show that’s too long and requires you to stand throughout as a cast member shows off his multi-lingual skills. The main show – you’re still standing as you take your place inside the space station set of the blockbuster movie – features loud noises as “meteors” rain down on the station. There’s some shaking, and a quick burst of flames. Usually, when you see something for the first time, it’s thrilling. This just wasn’t.

The Moteurs … Action! Stunt Show Spectacular is another here-in-Paris-but-gone-in-Florida attraction that’s sure to please car buffs. The Walt Disney Studios’ version is inspired by the Disney/Pixar Cars 2 movie and features lovable Lightning McQueen.

As was in Florida, the show features coordinated stunts, leaps and skids performed by professional drivers at break-neck speed in cars and on motorcycles.

The final attraction in The Backlot is Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, starring Aerosmith. The setting [Tour de Force Records] of the Walt Disney Studios version of the coaster is quite similar to the Florida version. The pre-show and most of the props also are replicated quite nicely. The ride itself, in the recognizable elongated stretch limo, seemed a bit more jarring than the Florida version, but with similar twists, corkscrews, inversions and thumping music along the way.

The view from the Flying Carpets over Agrabah in Toon Studios. [Julian Robinson]

Toon Studio

Toon Studio is the largest themed area in the Walt Disney Studios and, as such, has the most attractions. It also is home to the best attraction in the entire park.

Most of the attractions in Toon Studio are geared to younger guests. They include Cars Quatre Roues Rallye, Crush’s Coaster, Flying Carpets over Agrabah, Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop, Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin and RC Racers. In total, it’s a nice collection of rides on which parents and children can have fun together, as Walt Disney intended when he first conceived the theme park experience.

There’s an Art of Disney Animation attraction, where guests can get a look into how the animation process works.

Animagique is a live show that takes some of the best elements of Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Hollywood Studios and Mickey’s PhilharMagic at Walt Disney World and combines them into an enjoyable, family friendly production.

Much like Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Donald Duck wreaks havoc after disobeying instructions from Mickey Mouse. The setting is a film vault, which allows a host of Disney characters to sing and dance their way through a short history of Disney animation. In the end, all is forgiven and everyone lives happily ever after.

By far the crown jewel of Toon Studios – and, indeed, the Walt Disney Studios – is Ratatouille: L’Adventure Totalement Touquee de Remy or Ratatouille: Remy’s Totally Zany Adventure.

The attraction is a richly detailed, cleverly conceived 3-D adventure through scenes from Ratatouille, the 2007 Disney-Pixar movie. The attraction is part of an entire area, opened in 2014, which includes a quaint Parisian-inspired courtyard filled with authentic touches like lampposts and fountains. There’s also a restaurant, called Bistrot Chez Remy, as well as a gift shop.

An elaborate Parisian-themed courtyard greets guests as they walk toward the Ratatouille attraction in The Walt Disney Studios. [Disneyland Paris]

The ride’s queue seamlessly transports you into what Beth Clapperton, the attraction’s art director, refers to as “Pixar’s Paris.” Recognizable music from the film serves as a pleasing backdrop. Then, as in the movie itself, Gusteau’s sign magically comes to life, setting the stage for a trip into Remy’s world.

You board a “rat mobile” and are instantly reduced to the size of a rat for a wild ride along some larger-than-life Parisian rooftops and into Remy’s restaurant before you’re discovered – and hotly pursued – by the notorious Skinner.

The ride vehicles seat six guests, two rows of three, which means that using the single rider line is a great way to beat the long wait times.

The ride system is referred to as a “trackless dark ride.” Similar GPS-guided systems exist in Hong Kong Disneyland [Mystic Manor] and Tokyo Disneyland [Pooh’s Hunny Hunt]. Basically, although your rat mobile seems to be traveling without rhyme or reason, it is actually moving smoothly through a series of scenes projected onto screens. On those screens, you appear to be moving into the restaurant’s kitchen, under tables and into storage areas.

The ride itself, while seemingly frenetic, is actually smooth and not jarring at all, making it a perfect attraction for guests of all ages. Unlike the similar ride systems previously mentioned, Ratatouille’s vehicles tilt and vibrate to replicate the movement of actual rats.

Throughout the attraction, the characters speak in both English and French, but in truth, nothing is lost in translation thanks to Pixar’s stunning visual effects.

The adventure begins as your rat mobile spins away from the boarding area, following Gusteau’s ghostly figure along a rooftop toward the restaurant where Remy will prepare a meal for us. As we enter the first of several projection domes, Remy paces above a glass rooftop window, trying to decide what culinary delight to prepare.

Just as Remy makes up his mind to serve the classic French dish ratatouille, the rooftop window opens and we tumble into the kitchen, where many of Remy’s fellow rats are busily preparing meals for the restaurant’s clientele.

From your rat’s-eye view, we travel from one sequence to the next before the movie’s antagonist, Skinner, sees us and a hot pursuit begins. At one point, the rat mobile goes under the oven, where “flames” come perilously close and heat can be felt.

Chaos is the name of the game during the final sequences before we arrive, safe and sound, for dinner with some of Remy’s closest rat pals.

Outtakes

FastPass, Disney’s innovative system created to cut down on attraction queues, isn’t used as extensively in The Walt Disney Studios as in the two American theme parks. Only the real “E ticket”-type attractions have FastPass in the Studios.

Food options are limited throughout the park, with the new Bistrot Chez Remy being perhaps the most upscale. There’s also a large fast food cafeteria inside Studio 1 with ample seating.

Next time: Parc Disneyland … aka Disneyland Park

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