Ratatouille (2007) User Reviews

A Feast for the Soul...

[Xstal · 9/10 · 18 October 2020]

Taking great ingredients including but not limited to, an endearing story with meaning and a message, superb and breathtaking animation, brilliantly voiced narration and as cute a rattus rattus you're ever likely to encounter. Combined, refined, formed and baked to perfection, the result, a jaw dropping piece of film that you can perpetually admire, enjoy and savour.

A First Rate Film

[robcat2075 · 9/10 · 17 June 2007]

I just saw "Ratatouille" tonight.

It's a first class movie. Several thoughts come to mind...

-The character performances are so good, I think there's no sort of movie they couldn't make. I've heard Pixar's John Carter of Mars is going to be live action? No! I want them to do it all animated.

-"Cars" definitely _was_ a lower-value softball they threw to finish out that original Disney-gets-half-of-everything-plus-sequel-rights contract they were in at the time. I remember all the clucking last summer about how Pixar had lost its way.

-There were a few moments when they seemed to lose that stylized reality they had established and things looked merely "real".

-There was one scene in the latter part of the film where I thought "I can't believe they are doing this tired movie cliché" but they pulled out of it at the last second and made it something new.

-The 2D-ish end credits were great. Stick it out to the very end to see the mo-cap disclaimer!

-With this, Brad Bird is certainly one of the animation gods now.

GREAT addition to the Pixar family of films...

[mshuman-2 · 9/10 · 17 June 2007]

I attended a sneak preview of Ratatouille, and I have to say, Pixar has done it again. I enjoyed Cars, but didn't LOVE it like some of the other Pixar Films (Monsters Inc and The Incredibles are my favorites). This movie, however, was just about perfect. If I had one complaint (and it's VERY small) it was a just a little too long, but not by much. But the voices, the computer animation, the music, and above all the story were all top notch. I'm continually amazed at how Pixar continues to crank out great films like these that both children and adults can appreciate. I have a feeling most critics and film goers alike will rate this one very high. I wholeheartedly recommend the film - it really was a fun night out at the movies! Congrats Pixar!! Oh, and they also continue to do wonderful shorts that appear before the feature. This one involving aliens(that's all I'll say) is really cute and continues that fine tradition.

Can't wait for the DVD!

"Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist *can* come from *anywhere*"

[cinephile-27690 · 10/10 · 9 November 2018]

That's what the food critic, Anton Ego, says in his review of the movie's restaurant at the end of the movie. That is a good way to sum up Ratatouille.

This movie released a few days after my 9th birthday. My Grandma got the DVD and I loved it. I was a kid and animated movies were my jam! I even taped a Disney Channel showing on a record-able VHS. I have seen this numerous times, and I still love it. I just saw it again as a 20 year old and it still puts me in awe.

The movie is about Remy, a rat who has an obsession with food, cooking, and the humans who cook food. He meets a chef who can't cook very well, and he uses his talent to secretly help him. But that causes issues with a secret rat in a failing restaurant.

I can't think of a single flaw with this movie.The animation is beautiful(I noticed one car that almost looked real at one point)and the story is well told.

I know when I love a movie when I feel this thrill in my heart and an excitement along with it.(See my review of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) I felt that all throughout this movie, even though I have seen this movie numerous times.

This is an animated movie where you don't need to be a kid to enjoy it. (Roger Ebert said this as well.) Anton Ego also says that he will return to the restaurant "hungry for more." Revisiting this as an adult makes me say the same thing about the movie he is in.

Edit: Nearly 11 months later, 7/7 people found the review helpful. I appreciate the positive feedback from everyone! If you enjoyed this review, please click on cinephile-27690 and click "reviews" on the right for more reviews! Movies are my passion, so let me share it with you!

Incredible

[stalcup · 10/10 · 17 June 2007]

Remember how everyone was talking about Toy Story when it first came out? The incredible visuals, unique style, vividly imagined world? The next time people were talking that way with such enthusiasm about a computer animated movie was Finding Nemo. I'm excited to say that Ratatouille will be the next one to redefine the visual creativity and technical detail of computer animated movies. Honest to goodness, I was awestruck by the animation, and that never happens to me. It is a visual masterpiece of a movie if ever the term applies.

The next thing to talk about is the "genre" of the movie. As Pixar enthusiasts will tell you, Brad Bird, the director of Ratatouille, also directed The Incredibles, which has the most inspired and creative action sequences from any of the Pixar movies. Ratatouille, while not so straightforward with its action, has almost as much as The Incredibles did, in unique ways. Most memorable is the shotgun scene near the beginning. (You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it). Other than that, this is the expected comedy-with-heart movie from Pixar that so many have grown to love.

The voice acting? Spot on. Every voice is distinctive, and it never feels like a celebrity's voice tacked on to a character (Shrek, I'm looking at you), it feels like the characters themselves speaking. You can't ask for more from voice acting.

And finally, the script and the story. The entire irony of the story -- a street rat with a passion for fine food -- is beautiful, and a tight, smart, wonderful script flows from this. The pacing of the story is odd and choppy at places, but this is a very forgivable grievance. The only other minor fault is that a few of the dramatic one-liners feel a bit forced. Other than that, this is the most layered, complex, and satisfying script from Pixar since The Incredibles.

Overall, I recommend that everyone see this movie when it hits theaters (I was lucky enough to see a pre-release screening). Though not perfect, it is an animated masterpiece in true Pixar form with breathtaking animation and visual design.

10/10

Nothing less than the finest movie ever made

[fyapar-27303 · 10/10 · 28 June 2019]

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so...

This movie is perfect. This movie is the reason why I write movie reviews. This movie helped me appreciate effort and art. This movie helped me defeat my prejudices against things I don't really know.

It is a perfect kids movie, it is a perfect adult movie. Most Pixar movies actually contain very mature messages and this movie's message, "anyone can cook" is why we watch movies. Movies are meant to inspire the audience and this movie does a great job. Show this to a kid, they will watch it over and over again. I know because I used to watch this movie every single day.

This is not Remy's movie, this is not Linguini's movie, this is definitely not Gusteau's movie. This is Anton Ego's movie. The character development of Anton Ego is phenomenal. We see an arrogant critic become a humble and honest person, and it is what we should become at the end of the day. Most of us start out as arrogant and we do not appreciate effort and talent. However we must learn to give credit where it is due. We see Ego's journey in becoming this modest person, he changes for the better.

The final scene is one I cannot praise enough. Seeing Ego complete his arc This movie is an inspiring masterpiece, something we really need in the movie industry today.

Maybe I highly rate this movie because of my memories watching it. The scene where he tastes the ratatouille is exactly how I felt re-watching this movie. When I rewatched this movie I experienced something new, an appreciation of kids movies and their messages. This movie changed my whole perception on animated movies. Today, most movies are cash grabs produced with the sole purpose of making profit from tickets and action figures. We need more movies like Ratatouille in this world. In this critic's opinion, this movie is nothing less than the finest movie in history.

Excellent movie!

[superfan18 · 10/10 · 11 June 2007]

Tonight I went to see Ratatouille during a preview offered to Myspace users in Boston. Overall the movie was GREAT! It was really funny, often in unexpected places, the storyline kept you engaged the entire time and the overall mood was lighthearted and inspiring. A real "feel-good" movie. I admit I was a bit skeptical going in, I mean the idea of a rat in a kitchen kind of left me queasy, but I left the theater excited to see it again when it is released. The voice actors are excellent and the animation is amazing. I've been to Paris before and the overall views were very accurate. At times I could tell exactly where in the city the events were taking place. Overall a fabulous movie, I highly recommend it!

Pulls the most out of an okay story

[GSmith9072 · 7/10 · 17 June 2007]

Ratatouille is a major step up from a lot of last year's animated fare, and a vast improvement from last year's Oscar winner for best animated feature. Here we re-discover sweet simplicity amped up with the expected story-telling techniques of Pixar, and here's the kicker, no heavy handed messages hammered in with a drill, but there certainly is a message and it's delivered with subtler grace despite some flaws. Although, aspects to the message are borderline confusing if you over analyze the reality that occurs in the film, but the film doesn't scream for over-analyzation in the same fashion as "Finding Nemo". For me, the animation slightly overpowers the story, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The film is directed, camera-wise, with the same interesting techniques as "Happy Feet", but the film has more in store. We get to see the world mainly from Remmy's perspective, and it's visually exciting. The camera-work is what makes the film's physical humor work so well. More on the artistic scheme, the film looks really great. Particularly the lighting stands out. The colors are very lush and detailed; very accurate toward a real city-scape. Then the rat's fur are very impressive, it moves against the wind and gets wet very much like real rat hair. Don't let the detail in the clothes get past you either. The film manages to find a balance between superficial realism and animated characters. The character designs for the humans are marvelous (Bird seems to get much humor out of the smaller villains as seen in the past "Incredibles" and the non-Pixar film "Shrek") and the rats, while moving a lot like real rats still have acceptable personalities and animated form. So we feel like we're entering an animated world that is fleshy and real. Speaking of such, other animated marvels are the organic forms of the food. As real as the food in the film is, the film rightfully capture the spirit of the plot it pursues. It introduces the viewer into the world of fine-dinning and develops something rare in today's animation, a bleeding heart.

Story-wise, that's the only area where I can detect any trace of criticism. I felt at times, dare I say it, that the emotion was a little bit forced. There were just certain times I didn't understand a certain character's frustration. Also, I felt uneasy about the films unusual balance of fantasy and realistic themes, such as how the reactions to rats were carried our toward the end of the film and how it blends into the films major theme and other suspend disbelief occurrences. That lack of coherent continuity gives a writer a lot more flexibility in how to tell the story. In other words, it's kind of a shortcut. But it's an observation that is made up for by other successes in the film. The film very impressively for an animated film delivers some conventional themes with a little more depth (to truly enjoy it, I'd recommend erasing the fact that rats often carry disease from your mind). It's cute without embarrassingly forcing it and unpretentious. The very fact that what makes it work may fly over the heads of small children isn't a reason to condemn it. It's true though that I feel that younger kids may get a little restless halfway though, and not just through my own experience at the theater. however, this is another great film for an older audience to enjoy a simple well told story. As for whether it will have that lasting effect that Pixar films usually carry, only time will tell.

An Amazing film, made for film lovers, with an artistic/indie appeal

[willden21 · 10/10 · 17 June 2007]

I caught a sneak peak yesterday, and must say, this film is a classic. It is not as flashy as cars, or as action packed as Incredibles, but it is a masterpiece of restraint and heart, that matches the classics from the golden age of the film industry. Pixar has always been groundbreaking for smart and fun animated features, but Ratatouille might just be what puts them over the top as one of the BEST all around film-making teams in history.

Ratatouille is a treat for film lovers. It feels like a classic. The animationis absolutely beautiful, especially the scenery of Paris which evoked awes from the audience, as if we were seeing a grandiose fireworks show.

The story is oh so classy and universal, especially when you look at it as a parable to yourself and society. Sometimes the story seems familiar, yet it is packed with so much genuine heart and individuality, that it might even be too "indie" for most audiences. But those who are patient and willing to open their minds and hearts, even when it may challenge the viewers to rethink their own personal biases, will find within this entertaining, sweet, simple film a remarkable message about challenging societal norms and not letting anything stand in your way of your dreams. When you follow your dreams, you never know what an impact it will have upon you, or those you might encounter on the journey. Just see the film, and be open to its message, and I am sure if you allow it too, it will touch you as well.

P.S. : The short in front of the feature is the funniest animated short film pixar has ever done, so even if ratatouille might not be as flashy as many might want it to be, the short film will have everyone in stitches, as it did our entire theater. So just go and see it, and be prepared for a wonderful two hours.

Could this GET any better?!?

[Dingataca · 29 October 2007]

Disney and Pixar have done it again. They've combined their amusing + universal story, sprinkled on some killer animation, added a dash of perfect voice acting, and sautéed it to make very endearing main character, who will appeal to children and adults alike. The end result has been astounding.

Remy (Patton Oswalt), is a small rat with big dreams. Where the other rats have a passion for food, Remy has a passion for COOKING food. He aspires to become like his role model and idol: Gusteau - the best chef in all of Paris. After Remy loses his family, he finds himself face to face with Gusteau's restaurant - which is now slowly losing its 5 Star reputation. Unfortunately for Remy, his hero Gusteau suddenly passed away, leaving Remy pondering on what to do. When Remy bumps into Linguini (Lou Romano), the garbage boy, they set out on an adventure together, to discover themselves, to discover secrets, and most importantly, to discover the art of real cooking.

The animation is stunning. It is so realistic that it's unbelievable, every little detail has been perfected, and each twist and turn of the story pulls on your heartstrings.

Each actor voicing over does a great job, each one is well suited for their role, especially Lou Romano as Linguini - the chemistry between Remy and Linguini was fantastic! Just with the voice, an audience is able to identify with the characters, and view the superb chemistry these two actors, by just listening to their voices. Either way, it really worked for Ratatouille!

In conclusion, Disney Pixar have a new bestseller family film on their list, following Toy Story, Shrek, and Finding Nemo. Ratatouille will earn a place in your heart.

Technically brilliant, but Pixar storytelling process stumbles - SPOILERS ABOUND!

[Mrswing · 6/10 · 10 August 2007]

I went into Ratatouille with huge expectations due to the glowing reviews. I generally love Pixar features.

To my surprise, I wasn't immediately swept off my feet as the movie started. I waited, and waited... and though there were some brilliant sequences, there were just too many elements which did not ring true for me to get into the film.

Things I had problems with: 1) Remy isn't really a rat, he's a human in rat shape. He already knows how to cook, he can read, he's hygienic, he has moral qualms about 'stealing'... His only problem is that he's a rat, and thus unable to achieve his desires. That's a purely physical limitation, not a psychological one. So there's no real growth on his part, just the search for the opportunity to live his dream.

2) Linguini is so passive and incompetent, he's really an uninteresting character. The conflict between him and Remy is forced - even when he's taking credit for Remy's talent (very late in the story), he does so because of circumstance and Remy has never before given any indication he's not okay with this.

3) Colette is completely superfluous to the story. Moreover, she starts off extremely feminist and violently tough, but soon after becomes just another lovelorn female pining for idiotic Linguini. Her anger at the female-unfriendliness of the haute cuisine world is immediately forgotten.

4) Skinner is a badly realized character. He's only interested in his line of Gusteau frozen foods, yet he keeps the restaurant open and expects it to produce quality food. However, he doesn't try to improve the star rating (which could only help his business plans). On the other hand, he doesn't deliberately cut corners or lower standards to save money. (It's not clear to me whether his frozen foods have already been launched or whether this is a secret plan of his - if so, it's never discovered (as a revelation) by anyone during the film, so it doesn't really add to the storyline. Also, Skinner is so very concerned about Linguini being Gustave's son, feeling certain that he 'knows' something and his appearance just before the deadline is no accident. However, nothing is ever discovered about Skinner, he doesn't appear to have any dark secrets. So why the paranoid worrying? Finally, Skinner isn't really a successful villain to oppose Remy, as their goals never really clash. When Skinner finally captures Remy, it's not to kill him but to force him to cook more deep-frozen meals... Not exactly a fate worse than death. I was also irritated by his English name being coupled to a French(ish) accent.

4) Anton Ego is an even less suitable opponent for Remy. He's a very mean character (almost vampire-like in looks), and directly responsible for Gusteau's death. Yet there is no punishment (though he indirectly killed Linguini's dad!), only a sense of immediate and total redemption. Why did he become such a monster (compared to the sweet and innocent boy he used to be)? If you think about it, the character is all about exercising tyrannical power (destroying the reputation of chefs for the fun of it), not the love of food as he claims. How does this put him into direct conflict with Remy? He's the main threat of the film but only shows up in the third act (when the less imposing Skinner has been largely disposed of). (It would also have been nice if Remy's food had first provoked culinary hallucinations of an incredible potency before flashing him back to his childhood)

5) Remy learns to control Linguini perfectly, but when they have to cook the sweetbreads, Linguini is once again careening off the walls etc. like in the much earlier apartment scenes.

6) The kitchen personnel is very dull: nothing is done with them, and they have almost no personality (despite being introduced in a way which makes you expect them to have a far greater impact on the movie). Perhaps the whole rat family theme should have been dropped and more time should have been spent with the kitchen staff)

7) major coincidences propel the story forwards: Remy losing his family and (especially) finding them again is really arbitrary.

8) The final fate of Gusteau's restaurant is disappointing.

9) Remy's unwillingness to believe humans hate rats when his father shows him the shop is really strange, as he's experienced the homicidal old lady. It would have been better if he remained convinced that Linguini is his friend and would never harm him no matter what, unlike other humans.

10) The film lacks a climax as spectacular and inventive as Monsters Inc., Nemo and Incredibles.

11) The paternity angle is resolved extremely quickly, after having received quite a build-up. The resolution was very unsatisfactory (more could have been done with it story-wise, and during development it probably was at one time or another).

Finally, the film isn't that funny, compared to the other Pixar classics. Heck, Flushed Away (which had a less likable hero by far, and was less emotionally involving) is funnier by far than Ratatouille.

Ratatouille is more serious in tone than many other Pixar films, but for me, the story told didn't convince and the moral lessons were far too heavy-handed (follow your dream, prejudice is bad, family comes first, critics are generally bad :-)...) The set pieces are very impressive, technically the film obviously breaks new barriers, and there are some nice jokes and little touches scattered over the film - but to me, the magic was missing. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say the development process of the story must have been extremely complicated and I often had the feeling that bits were left in that probably worked better in previous versions of the story, or alternately were added later without fitting the overall story perfectly.

Pixar's best yet !

[mstramba · 10/10 · 17 June 2007]

Fantastic ! ... Can't wait to get the DVD ! The technical / animation / lighting ..etc aspects of the film are awesome. Pixar has raised the bar again.

The best thing about the movie, is that it showcases Pixar's "mantra" , that being story, story ...story. That along with having great characters/animation/dialog, which you just forget ... or never even consider are digital puppets.

The humor was great too, the gags / situations character acting all contributing to making situations that "kids of all ages " could "get".

There is on one level the entire story, of Remy and Linguini, but then there are 3 or 4 or more subplots and a number of dramatic scene changes which almost felt like separate chapters of the main story. That all contributed ..for me at least... to keeping the movie very interesting right to the end.

While I found a few things predictable, there were also quite a few twists and and unexpected events / scenes, that just kept giving me more new "stuff" to enjoy 10 / 10 Mike

Cute

[baileycrawly · 6/10 · 28 November 2020]

Ratatouille isn't as good as some of the other Pixar entries, in my personal opinion, but it's still a pretty good movie. It's perhaps a little bit too long and tries to do a little bit too much. As far as emotions are concerned, this film doesn't really do a whole lot in that area, which is a real shame because one of PIxar's most potent weapons was the ability to make an audience feel strong emotions and react emotionally to the things transpiring on screen. This movie was absolutely brilliant from an animation point of view and really continues the upwards trajectory of raising the bar not just for their own productions, but also for the future of animated film in general. It just felt a little overdone in some places and undercooked (if I may say that) in others. It didn't connect with me in quite the same way that other Pixar films did. Not to say it's a bad movie, because it was an enjoyable experience for me... it just didn't offer as much resonance as their other entries.

/Lays out rat poison

[bobbins494 · 3/10 · 11 October 2007]

Disney did a great job capturing the feel of Paris, the animation is beautiful, and I loved the music. That being said...

Disney has been beating us over the head with "self realization/being true to oneself" movies for years. The formula for this one is no different. The difference is many of Ratatouille's predecessor's have actually been entertaining. This wasn't.

The protagonist in this movie is a rat named Remy. He's a gifted cook who grapples over following his cooking aspirations and being true to his little rat roots. He's likable enough, but neither interesting nor humorous. The human protagonist of the movie is named Linguini. He is, in a word, a moron. I disliked him in the beginning of the movie. I disliked him at the end of the movie. The physical comedy they try to pull-off in the kitchen sequences (when Remy first tries to control Linguini's movements), pay a nod to a physical comedy genius: Goofy. Unfortunately, Goofy is lovable. Linguini is not. The comedy fell flat.

Before the middle of the movie I'm completely bored (and so are my kids). There's legality and DNA conversation, too much Linguini, not enough characters who are interesting.

The middle of the movie is choppy and it's hard to follow the action. I lost all sense of time, with more than one time-passing sequence occurring. It seems the first 45 minutes of the movie is just filler, building up to something happening. -And believe me, after 45 minutes you're ready for something (ANYTHING) to happen.

***There is one transcendent moment in this movie; the reason for the three stars I gave it. It's a wonderful scene that is poignant and full of truth: the scene where Ego (who is the most interesting character in this movie) first tastes the ratatouille. I laughed out loud, as did most of the adults in the audience. The irony was that none of the children in the audience got it...because they are children! They are currently IN CHILDHOOD! Odd that the only moment of humor in this dismal little movie was directed at the adults.***

In conclusion, the major themes of this movie are be true to yourself, even an incompetent loser can still succeed if he rides the coattails of those around him, and don't steal. Deception, using those you love for your own purposes, kidnapping, taking credit for others work...these things are OK; but DON'T STEAL.

Disney needs to get it's marketing and creative department in order and on the same page. It is unclear what audience this movie was intended for: children or adults. It was way too uninteresting for children and way too childish for adults.

A fantastic story that adds to Pixar's stellar reputation

[Tripper27 · 10/10 · 17 June 2007]

I checked out a sneak preview of Ratatouille last night, and I must say I truly loved this movie. Everything from the animation to the score to the voice acting to the story (and especially the story) was EXCELLENT.

I don't know if it appeals to kids as much as other Pixar offerings, but this one upholds their legacy of excellence.

Casting Patton Oswalt as Remy was PERFECT. The rest of the voice cast was outstanding as well...including Pixar "house voice" John Ratzenberger. See if you can tell which guy he is without foreknowledge (as in, don't read the cast list).

Michael Giacchino's score was as perfect for this story as the award-winning one he created for "The Incredibles" and the incredible music he has created for most of J.J. Abrams' recent projects, including "Alias" and "Lost".

Even with my 3-year-old son making it really hard to concentrate, and our "we got to the theater late and had to sit up front" seats, this movie was fantastic. Everyone should go see it, even if they don't have kids.

Brad Bird - you done right by us movie fans again...Ratatouille is great!

One of Pixar's best

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 9 July 2007]

This film is exactly what Pixar needed to steal the thunder from Dreamworks' latest release, SHREK III. In many ways, this is very ironic, as one of Pixar's best films, MONSTERS INC., was overwhelmed when it was released due to the first SHREK's success. I honestly think if SHREK hadn't been such a wonderful movie, people would have noticed that MONSTERS INC. was an exceptional film. Now, Pixar gets some payback with one of their best, RATATOUILLE.

Actually, RATATOUILLE is probably Pixar's best film, though I did enjoy TOY STORY II and THE INCREDIBLES. The reason I was so overwhelmed by this story was that it was so highly original and creative--I simply cannot compare the plot to any other film (something you can do with THE INCREDIBLES and TOY STORY II). Plus, after years of making CG movies, the look is taken to a whole new level in this film--it just looks breathtaking.

Now I need to point out that RATATOUILLE is not as much a kid's movie as its predecessors. Sure, it can be enjoyed by the kids, but the story line is a tad darker and covers an adult concept (illegitimate birth) and includes a swear word (though not one the really "bad" ones, you can be sure). Also, while the rats are kind of cute (and a marketer's dream), most of the rest of the story isn't and there are no catchy kid's tunes. No, instead this film is aimed more at teens and adults in its sensibilities--something that really helped make SHREK a financial gold mine and cursed MONSTERS INC. to be seen (incorrectly) as "just a kid's movie".

Amazing animation, excellent writing and, the rarest of rare, a completely original and captivating plot make this a winner and film that will be long remembered. I can't wait to see it again.

Another Disney-Pixar Masterpiece!

[ashowen · 10/10 · 16 June 2007]

This film is fantastic! Pixar has yet another great film to add to their impressive repertoire. Oscar-winning director and screenwriter Brad Bird, who wrote and directed "The Incredibles", has produced a film with subtle humor, heart, and very profound truth. The voice actors are so great, and it is especially great to hear Peter O'Toole on the screen. The animation is beautiful and it is all around an excellently made film. Its message is one that holds so much truth for everyone, especially today's youth: it tells people that no, not anyone can do anything, but if you have the talent you don't have to be limited by your surroundings or your upbringing. I think this is refreshing to hear because often, children are lied to when they are told they can do anything, when actually not all of them can. But it offers hope to the ones who may feel limited by their social class. It also exposes the fact that most people try to put up false facades of themselves to hide who they are in order to feel accepted by the social standards we create in our society; it shows characters with this flaw, but ultimately they accept this reality and learn to be true to themselves. This thread, I think, is very common throughout the Pixar films, and they present it very well. "Ratatouille" is my new Disney-Pixar favorite! "Ce film a pleine de joie de vivre!"

Among the Greatest Animated Features

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 4 May 2019]

The absolutely absurd premise of a rat becoming a great French chef is brought to fruition by Pixar. It starts by being amazingly colorful and capturing the world of food. Secondly, it is downright funny but does not insult the intelligence of the viewers. Food becomes the background for everything and as the tiny rodent gains popularity, we are pulling for him. This is such an intelligent film and it works at every level.

Hyper Reality

[tedg · 15 July 2007]

Its easy to see how this story came about. Animators are puppeteers first. So if you asked an animator to come up with a story, naturally you will find two features: one would involve two on-screen characters, one the animator of the other. We have many jokes associated with how imperfectly the on-screen animator (our hero) works his puppet at first. Incidentally, this movie is preceded in the theater by a short: "Lifting." It features a novice "animator" of precisely this type, being graded. Notice the infinite panel of switches in that short.

Count on Pixar to find yet another way to fold introspection into the form. This is elaborated by the character of a critic. We see him first in a coffin-like office. He's only capable of destruction it seems. Voiced by Peter O'Toole in a stentorian voice-about-theater, he likes what he sees (tastes). Its a great trick you see. Usually this trick is in the form of an on screen audience watching some sort of climactic performance. When they cheer, we do too, as we become folded into the story.

In this case, that is handled by a place made for us and occupied by "the critic." So we have a place in the story for the animator and the viewer. What else? We'll need a place for the animation, right? And we have it.

It appears first as a book by a now dead, corpulent chef. This book, natch, comes alive. Look how "Ted's law" is followed: the distance between the "real" world of ourselves and the animated movie is the same as that from the animated movie and the "living cartoon" within. Its an explicit fold. And the fact that the inner cartoon has an open, personal feel to it conveys to the personal feel we are intended to have with the Pixar movie.

So these three folds: in the story is the story, the animator and the viewer. And the introductory short sets this up too.

Having said that, there are a couple noteworthy segments. In terms of the actual craft, Pixar has two areas in which it innovates.

One of these in how space is handled. The Pixar guys realized early on that if the three dimensions are going to be modeled anyway, you can zip the camera around in new ways. Early in the game they did this in an overt way. That's been picked up by the summer action films, the best of them, including the Depp pirate business. (Another Disney project benefiting from the eye motion lab.)

You can see this throughout the project: there are both all sorts of well managed, unusual perspectives, and a constant overlay of new shots. By this I mean that every shot is just a little different than what you've seen. Just a little canted. A little closer perhaps. A little movement that a physical camera cannot do well.

But there are some big production sequences as well. I'm particularly interested in architectural water. Its a unique cinematic challenge. Its not one done well in animation because the mathematics of simply making water look real is daunting. Pixar has done what needs to be done: they have made water hyper-real, dramatic. There's a sequence here that is something like that Pinnochio sequence of 67 years ago with the whale. But its so new and fresh and exciting. Look at the water and see that it has a million tiny agents all seeking to be angry — to do damage but never reaching consensus on just how to attack. This alone is worth the admission.

There's another thing that is uniquely Pixar: how characters move. Its a tricky thing, that. As with the water, it is not ever enough that they move realistically. You can make realistic movements by outfitting actors with sensors and translating that to the created beings. It captures nuance. And if you have a particularly skilled source actor, he or she will move not as a real person would, but as an actor would to convey reality. Real isn't real. We need hyperreal in special ways to get- read the reality.

The credits of this movie ostentatiously say that ""Our Quality Assurance Guarantee: 100% Genuine Animation! No motion capture or any other performance shortcuts were used in the production of this film." You can see it. We are entering a new era where both the cameras and the characters can use dramatic motions not possible with human eyes and bodies.

Its a challenge for viewers. What do we accept as embodiment? So far, the answer is that the non-natural movements must always be in the service of conveying or seeming natural. But I imagine at the speed this is developing, we may soon see something more.

One character note: Colette is voiced by the remarkable Janeane Garofalo. As with our hero, she has that French nose. As the love develops between these two, she becomes decidedly more sexy, both in voice and appearance. Its the appearance that I remark on here. Its all done with postures and a motorcycle. That motorcycle is there in part to allow her to bend forward, and change her lower anatomy.

These folks at Pixar are good. Darn good. Glad its Steve Jobs as the creative inspiration instead of that evil other guy.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Ratatouille Disappoints

[rcbbo · 6/10 · 17 July 2007]

Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 1 and 2.

And now, Ratatouille. Considering that this movie came from Pixar, it was so earth shatteringly average that it made me want to cry.

Remy (Patton Oswalt, King of Queens) is a rat with a love for cooking. It's his passion in life. Often choosing cooking over family. His dad (Brian Dennehy) and the rest of the rat colony, all think Remy needs to stop chasing a dream that will never come true. It's time wasted.

After messing around in a local woman's kitchen, Remy gets busted and chased out of the house with a shotgun. Everyone else, in fear, heads for their little boats to float away in the sewer. Remy gets separated from his family, certain that he'll never see his family again. Hungry and alone, all Remy has is the book, Anyone Can Cook, of his all time favorite chef, Gusteau.

In his delusional state, Remy receives advice from a shoulder angel version of the recently deceased Chef Gusteau and ends out making all the way to Gusteau's old restaurant in Paris.

Remy befriends Linguini. A young garbage boy who is credited with making a delicious soup that was actually Remy's. Because Remy would never get a chance to cook, he and Linguini enter into a partnership, where Remy does the cooking through Linguini, and Linguini gets the credit.

As the movie wears on, the two run into several problems. They find it difficult to keep this secret from the overly mean head chef, Skinner, a growing tension between the two begins when Linguini falls in love with another chef, and they are faced with the challenge of cooking something for the most respected and hard to please critic in France...Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole)

Critics have raved this movie as the best film Pixar has ever made. Uh...no. This is probably their worst film ever made. Pixar has always churned out great family movies, and I've always adored the characters they create. No...not this time.

None of the characters are terribly likable, and the laughs are very few, despite repeated attempts with gags about French people.

It was OK. Nothing more, nothing less. It's original, as most Pixar stuff is, and so that helps it along, but it just wasn't that good compared to their other work. It was a semi-entertaining, unfunny family film.

A generous 6/10

Best Animated Film in Creation

[PoisonKeyblade · 10/10 · 17 June 2007]

The combination of Disney and Pixar never ceases to amaze, but with Ratatouille, their newest effort, animated features are brought to new heights with the best one to date. Ratatouille is stunning, surreal while at the same time realistic, and a joy to watch. The writing is, in one word, just amazing, and the voice acting is sensational. The characters are poetic and real, and the rats are some of Disney/Pixar's cutest creations. Ratatouille is written and directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles), and features stellar voice acting from Peter O'Toole, Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy, Lou Romano, Brad Garrett, and Janeane Garofalo.

Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) is a little rat who dreams of becoming a chef just like his idol, the human Gusteau (voiced by Brad Garrett). After a mishap, Remy loses his family in the sewers and comes upon a fading restaurant that had previously been owned by Gusteau before his untimely death. He comes upon a lowly garbage boy, Linguini (voiced by Lou Romano), and together they set out to revive the once-legendary restaurant.

Ratatouille is filled with loads of surprises and lots of twists and turns. The animation is even more stunning here than in some of the other Disney/Pixar productions, and the breathtaking landscape of Paris, France, really adds a layer of realism to the film. The food looks so real and delicious, and the humans and rats look incredibly realistic. Remy and Linguini are both lovable characters, and the audience is rooting for them the entire way. Surprisingly enough, this movie is the funniest of the Disney/Pixar films, with very subtle and unique humor.

As previously stated, the voice acting really makes the film different, and each actor is perfectly suited to his or her role. The best among the bunch happens to be Lou Romano, as he deals with his character extremely well and is incredibly believable. There are times when the acting and animation is so excellent that you forget you are watching an animated film altogether. Brad Garrett is actually tolerable for once, and is excellent in his role as Gusteau, who acts as Remy's conscience for the majority of the film. Some of the funniest scenes in the movie are rooted from Gusteau's chats with Remy and many others come from the relationship between Linguini and Remy. On another note, Patton Oswalt does a magnificent job voicing Remy, and Peter O' Toole is very memorable as Anton Ego, the food critic for 'The Grim Eater'.

Overall, you can't ask for a better film than Ratatouille, a new classic from Disney/Pixar that is filled with humor, amazing animation, and, most importantly, lots of heart. Some of the scenes are so poetic and perfect that they just bring tears to your eyes. It may be hard to believe, but Ratatouille is far better than any other animated films you will see this year, or perhaps that you will ever see. It manages to be better than Toy Story, better than Finding Nemo, even better than the fantastic Meet the Robinsons. I saw a pre-screening of the film on Saturday, June 16, but I cannot wait to see it again once it hits theaters everywhere on June 29. See Ratatouille—it is highly original, heartwarming, uplifting, and a very thrilling movie that has to be the best animated feature of the last few decades.

This First Quality Film of the Summer

[steverino171 · 7/10 · 3 July 2007]

Brad Bird's "Ratatouille" is a rich, textured film that explores several important themes while sustaining a strong moral core. The lead character, Remy, a rat with ironically refined tastes in matters culinary, embodies the film's adamantly pro-democratic theme of "anyone can cook" while overcoming anxieties about himself and his relationship with the humans of the restaurant that despise him (because he is a rat) or distrust him. Bird handles these matters with care and deliberateness, thus providing a powerful primer for the film's target audience on American democracy and the egalitarian can-do notion at its core.

"Ratatouille's" ideas about democracy revolve around Remy's relationship with humans. As it were humans are a necessity for Remy. He needs them to do what he does best: cook fine cuisine. He needs them to provide the ingredients. He needs them to handle the chores of cooking. He needs them to appreciate the food he creates. Thus, he forms a reluctant partnership with a young kitchen worker named Linguini who can provide a link to the world of fine cuisine and do his culinary buddings. Since their relationship must be kept secret (for obvious reasons), they become close friends, depending on each other for their dreams.

Nevertheless, Remy's relationship with humans is not always so positive. In one particularly revealing scene, Remy's father tries to scare the prodigal rat into returning to the nest—where he belongs. He brings Remy to a rat extermination shop where several rat corpses are displayed in the front window as advertisement. The scene frightens Remy into seeing that humans are indeed a threat to him and his kind. However, Remy soon sees through his father's intimidating tactics and recognizes that fear is a tool that imprisons us and keeps us from growing (an apt thematic turn considering the current culture of fear our news and broadcast media conveys). Remy refuses to succumb to his father's mistrust of humans and bravely confronts them in order to bring his dream of cooking wonderful foods (of giving something to the world rather than taking) to full fruition. He is an intrepid little rat with the courage to pursue his selfless dream.

What a beautiful message this is. What a wonderful lesson for a child to learn. Unfortunately, "Ratatouille's" box office draw will undoubtedly pale in comparison to Michael Bay's "The Transformers" and its ilk. This is unfortunate. Of course, "The Transformers" serves a purpose too. It initiates its young male audience into the world of consumerism, materialism, chauvinism, and violence. It reminds us that there are terrible threats to our world and they must be conquered through violent action. It also teaches us that young men can and should find contentment in consumption. These are all important parts of American culture as well. So, I guess it's up to you as to which kind of ideals you want your child (and yourself) exposed to. That's the beauty of a democracy I suppose.

Pure brilliance... beats Nemo, Cars, etc !!

[movielover_gator · 10/10 · 18 June 2007]

I saw this movie in the sneak preview, and I just loved it! You will be amazed by its creativity and brilliance. I would easily vote it to be the best animation movie ever beating nemo, cars, monster inc, etc by a mile! This movie is for people of all age groups. Kids, adults and even those who do not like animations will love it.

I do not want to say anything else here and spoil it for you. All I can say is if you do not watch it, you will be missing out on a very very very special movie.

I have never written a review on here before, but this movie made me write one. Ratatouille is pure brilliance!

Tasty (but more like a Big Mac than like great french cuisine).

[moimoichan6 · 6/10 · 20 September 2007]

"Ratatouille" is really clever, entertaining and, of course, very "well done" (from a technical aspect, beside Squaresoft, no animation studio can reach Pixar's level). But, is it enough to make a good movie ? I'm not sure, and Pixar itself seems to have lowed down its standards here, in order to be more in a classical Disney's tradition.

Don't get me wrong, some ideas are brilliant : especially when the rat "pupetmastered" the human, or the touching ending with the critic's critic, or the Head Cheaf's characters, who is very funny, etc. But somehow, the story - and especially the human's parts, who seems paradoxically less human than the fishes, the monsters or the toys of other's movies - lack of the deep you normally supposed to find in a Pixar movie. The mousse tries to hides inside a rat's figure, but you still can see the disneyen's hears of the animal. The all moral aspect is for instance very shallow (and furthermore, it's almost Shrek one : no matter what you are, if you try hard enough, you can become what you truly are).

Of course, it's far better than the last other's American animation's studio's recent works, but its far more childish than, say, "The Incredibles", witch was directed by the same Brad Bird. I also was quite disappointed by "Cars", and I have the feeling that Pixar's singularity and originality is a little lost, replaced by the dominant classical Disney's moral.

Well, at least, this years, 2-D animation brings me "The Simpsons : The movie", and I'm gonna watch it one more time, waiting for the sequel more than the next Pixar's movie.

PS : For Animation's fans and movies'lovers, "Persepolis" is also a must-see of the year : there's more than American's 3D in the cartoon's life...

Another paycheck for Brad Bird

[nickdesigns · 2/10 · 28 November 2007]

So I just watched Ratatouille on DVD. Like Incredibles, I dismissed this as another lame Pixar movie and saw Spidey 3 instead(big mistake).

But I gave Incredibles a chance and ended up enjoying it a little more than I thought. So I thought the same would happen with this movie. I was wrong.

The story was boring. Really boring. Boring and predictable. Boring, predictable, and way too long. Incredibles had a deep engaging story that kept me hooked. Ratatouille had two stories that went nowhere. Remy trying to realize his dreams of being a chef, and Linguini trying to realize his dream of not being a tool. It seemed like a good formula, well it would have if we haven't seen it in 2000+ other movies. And every 10 minutes they had to keep reminding us what's the plot of the story, because they were that bad at showing it.

The characters, oh god the characters. Flat and dull. They had no charisma, nothing unique about them, nothing that will make them stand out and join the ranks of greats like Bugs Bunny and Homer Simpson. Remy was just another big dreamer type. He works hard, get's knocked down, gets back up, and achieves his dream. Good for him, now what? He has the same backstory as about 1400 other Disney characters. And Linguni, the dude was a loser. A total loser, and he's stays that way through the entire film, and yet somehow he still get's to make it with the big-nosed chick. What was he there for? His only purpose was to make Remy look good. People say Linguini had very unique movements, but all he did was spin around a lot. What's unique about that. He had no personality, and he flaunted it. And obviously his voice actor didn't even care enough to try to make him at least sound interesting. Colette, she claimed to be a tough and sassy girl in a"man's kitchen", yet all she did was fall for the biggest loser in France. Where's her self-esteem, they did absolutely nothing with her character. It's like Pixar isn't even trying to make us care about these characters. They're one-note and easily forgettable, soon to be pushed aside for the next bland set of characters, then the cycle begins anew. And my apologies to Patton Oswalt, he's one of my favorite comedians and people in general, but the voice acting was terrible. Flat and emotionless. They honestly couldn't just get guys like Billy West and Rob Paulsen. They would have made the movie 10x more interesting.

Even with the great story and characters of the Incredibles, the animation still kept the movie bogged down. Ratatouille was no different. Everything felt so mechanical, so chained down. It didn't feel fun and exciting. It just made me wonder if they weren't gonna put any effort into trying to make the animation fun, lively, and surreal, why the hell didn't they do it in live action. All it had was just some fancy camera angles, thinking that would compensate, well, it didn't. Pixar strives too hard to make they're animation look more realistic, so much so that it loses another key component, believability(spell check). They have these uber realistic atmosphere and these ultra-fake looking humans, that it clashes and makes the movie look even more fake than it is. It doesn't suck you into the world they've created, it spits you out maliciously. One of the things I liked about the movie TMNT, they built this dark, gritty, comic style atmosphere and built it around the characters, and it worked, you were in that movie, it was believable. Ratatouille wasn't.

Ultimately, I'm not surprised little kids like the movie, it was geared toward them, and they're the only ones who could enjoy it. All the adults that are saying this is the best movie ever, needs to retrieve their souls from Walt Disney's cold dead hands