“Disney Insider” is back giving us an inside look at three of the big things the Walt Disney Company is working on going forward. This week’s episode takes a look at how a cartographer maps hiking trails in Colorado for National Geographic, the new ride at EPCOT based on the Pixar film, “Ratatouille,” and the work that goes into the new Disney Jr. show “Mickey Mouse Funhouse.”

This is a rare episode where I truly enjoyed all three featurettes, so it makes it very hard to pick my favorite. I love hiking. I love the Disney Parks. And, I love Mickey Mouse. It’s really cool to see behind the scenes for each of these featurettes. I think my absolute favorite would be the look at Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. I love the attractions at the Disney Parks and I think “Ratatouille” is an underserved intellectual property that needs to be explored. Plus, it’s one of the few that actually makes sense going into EPCOT. I was also really intrigued by the riders seeing everything from Remy’s perspective while being on a trackless ride. I would love to see this show tackle more looks at new rides and ride re-theming at the parks.

I also greatly appreciate the effort that goes into making maps of hiking trails. National Geographic has become a hidden gem of Disney+, allowing for some more mature viewing in the United States. Many of the documentaries in the National Geographic section are amazing and it’s great to see the work that goes into them. Plus, as someone who enjoys hiking, I love to see how the mapmakers do their thing given that hiking trail change over time, either naturally or artificially. Plus, it’s cool to see how someone who thought he was going to be working in Fine Arts can be inspired by geography and still use his passion for art along to chart hiking trails. It’s a nice blend of science and art and something we should see more often.

While that would make the look into “Mickey Mouse Funhouse” my least favorite of these three featurettes, I still really enjoyed it. I liked seeing how the creators used Disneyland to inspire the show. Plus, Mickey Mouse is a favorite character of my son and if there’s a show that will keep his attention featuring Mickey, I’m all for learning about it. On many other episodes, this would’ve been my favorite featurette, but it was featured on an episode with two other things I love.

If you love the Walt Disney Company and want to get a look at some of the big things going on, this is definitely a good original series for Disney+. I hope moving forward we get a lot more like the three featurettes in this episode.

Ranking: 4 stars out of 5

What did you think of this episode of “Disney Insider?”

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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