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“It Sounds like Rat, and Patootie”: A Ratatouille Movie Review
You have to wonder what Brad Bird and company were thinking when they decided to make a movie about a Parisian rat who has a knack for cooking. The whole concept of the movie is quite odd, but that is what makes it so brilliant. Pixar, the animation giant of the 2000s, has inspired and awed children and adults alike for years and years. They have pumped out absolute classics such as, The Incredibles, Wall-E, Finding Nemo, Monster’s Inc., Up, and of course, Ratatouille. I found myself urgently wanting to write a review for this film as I absolutely adored it as a child and still love it. However, I did not want this to be a review where I just talk about my nostalgia for it as that assumes bias. I have already seen Ratatouille many times in recent years but I sat down and watched it once more to truly find objectively what is so great about the movie.
Believe me, there are movies that I lived and breathed as a child that are utterly unwatchable today. For example, many of the animated Scooby-Doo movies I watched as a kid I now see are utterly shallow, too fast-paced, and overall super predictable. Not to mention all of the older Disney animated films I watched as a child such as Lady and the Tramp, Hunchback of Notre Dame, or dare I say it, even The Little Mermaid, which are all so unbelievably slow I cannot believe how my short attention span as a child could make it through them. Anyway, after viewing Ratatouille once more, I can say that it is still and will continue to be a masterpiece of epic proportions.
I want to start off by saying this movie has very good pacing. As I’m sure everyone who is reading this has already seen it, I’ll reference specific moments in the film. Remember the beginning portion where Remy and all the rats live in the cottage and he makes some “lightningy” food and then later the old lady goes apeshit and shoots her shotgun all over the place? Yeah, the clan makes it on their boats to sail into the sewers after that whole part in the first 10 minutes and Remy makes it to Paris in the first 15. However, I never felt like this part was rushed, it just moved the plot along to get to the meat of the story. Although almost all of the scenes throughout the movie are entertaining by themselves, Bird also throws in a few action scenes to break up the more dialogue heavy scenes. This can be seen in the previously mentioned old lady action sequence, the part where Remy must survive within Gusteau’s kitchen, or the chase scene between Remy and Chef Skinner. These scenes are sort of out of place when you think of the context of the movie but they end up benefiting the film to keep the scene types varied.
Next I want to talk about the food in this movie. If you have ever watched Ratatouille and never once wanted to grab some random ingredients together and make something new then you’re lying. I am talking about the incredibly vivid scenes throughout the film where Remy tries to explain to either the audience or his supportive yet a little dimwitted brother Emile the delights of experimenting with tastes in food. In the first showing of this, Remy tastes some cheese and a strawberry but the scene is unique in how it communicates taste to the viewer. When he bites the cheese, he closes his eyes, the background becomes black, and all you see around him are little yellow animations dotting around the right side of the screen, then once more but in red and on the left side with the strawberry. Finally, he puts the two together and a symphony of orange animations dazzle the entire screen. As this being mainly a kids movie, this technique was very effective and I’m sure inspired thousands of children around the world to experiment with their own foods, including myself who asked my mother if I could borrow some cheese and some strawberries to try it for myself.
Very briefly I want to mention how the score is done very well throughout the movie, the use of the accordion really transports the viewer to Paris, France. The final song “Le Festin” sung by Camille is a perfect way to end the film as it shows just how beautiful the French language really is and leaves the viewer with a sense of wholeness. The rest of the instrumental score within the movie is really lovely, done by the talented Michael Giacchino who has done many other Pixar films such as The Incredibles and one of the movies most famous for its music, Up. The piano in the main theme is both sad and uplifting as it transitions to violins so the viewer gets a grand feeling of the environment of Paris. Overall, excellent job on the score.
However, I do have one criticism of this movie and it may be unpopular but please bare with me. Almost all Pixar movies are based in some kind of realism, in that although the events that are occuring are impossible, they could technically be possible in that we can’t necessarily prove that they are wrong. For example, the plot of Toy Story is meant to take place in real life, where toys come alive when no one is around. So technically, Toy Story is possible since we could never see them when they are alive. Same thing with Monsters Inc. Obviously there are no monsters, but they only show up at night and scare kids that the parents don’t believe, so again, this could be possible. In Ratatouille, an attempt at realism is made but then is completely made unreal by its most crucial plot point, the fact that Remy can control Linguini’s movements by simply moving his hair. Now I know, its an animated movie, suspension of disbelief and all that which is why I am able to shrug this off, but I think it is still worth mentioning. Remy is possible in Pixar terms in that he could just be a special rat, the one rat who dared to hang around humans and so he picked up a few things. However, although he can understand Linguini, he still can’t talk, which is realistic. It is not possible for a man’s arms, legs, head, and even his fingers to move strategically and exactly because someone pulls on his hair. Not to mention Remy is able to do this in one scene when Linguini is asleep, albeit it's a great scene between him and Collette and plays out the classic romantic French cliches but you get my point. Either make Remy be able to talk so that it is straight up impossible, or go the realism route, you can’t have both, thank you.
One of the best parts of this movie is the lessons and themes it teaches to the audience. The smaller lessons have to do with stealing, where Linguini tells Remy multiple times throughout the film to never steal food as it is wrong. This comes to a climax when Remy brings the entire clan to raid the kitchen’s storage room after Linguini lets all the fame go to his head. Linguini later then catches Remy in the act right after he apologizes. This teaches kids one, stealing is wrong, but also that revenge is never the answer. The bigger and more obvious lessons deal with the famous line of Auguste Gusteau, “Anyone can cook”. The line is sort of mocked, even by Remy himself in the beginning of the film as he says, “Well yeah, anyone can [cook] that doesn’t mean anyone should”. Its true meaning and importance are brought centerstage in arguably one of the best parts of the movie, Anton Ego’s review. Ego, after tasting Remy’s Ratatouille and meeting him, has this to say, “Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.” This is a wonderful lesson to teach kids because notice how Ego doesn’t even say “cook”, he says “artist”. This teaches kids and adults too that no matter where they come from, great artistry can be inside all of us. Lastly, Ego has some very interesting points to say about critics in general. He says that to be a critic is easy in many ways as their job is to simply put judgment on the humble creations of artists. Furthermore, most critics thrive on negative criticism as audiences find it much more enjoyable to read and it is more fun to write. The final point he makes is crucial as he states, “But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so”. This is a very profound point to make as many critics can talk all they want about how good but mostly how bad a movie is, but that criticism is pretty useless compared to the work that someone actually creates.
Even this review, although overwhelmingly positive, is not nearly as important as the work itself and the people behind it who managed to create something truly special here. Pixar, even though their work has fallen off a bit over recent years, (sorry I had to) will always be remembered for the unique and original stories they created geared towards children, but can be enjoyed by all. This reviewer gives Ratatouille a 95/100. A must-see animated film that is sure to leave you “hungry for more”.