[Movie] Ratatouille Review

This is the post I made after seeing the sneak preview of Ratatouille. It’s spoiler-free and if for some crazy reason you aren’t wanting to rush out and see this movie the instant it comes out in your country- then read this and it’ll hopefully change your mind.

You know the feeling, the one you get when you are so in awe of something that your breath catches in your throat and your eyes start to water? That’s what this movie did to me- both literally and figuratively. Literally, it was the moment that Remy climbs up over the rooftop to see the Paris skyline. Figuratively, it’s because this movie is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in the twenty-three years of my life.

I could spend hours, probably days, writing out all the reasons that this movie is awesome. That being the case, making a single post that tries to capture it all is a bit daunting. I have a feeling that once the movie comes out full-release on the 29th that I’ll be doing more reaction posts.

To start off with, there is the grand scope of this story’s premise. A rat who wants to cook. It’s so absurd and so seemingly impossible, but Pixar makes it work. Actually, they do more than just “make it work”- they make you BELIEVE that it could happen. That’s the magic of Pixar. They can convince us that toys, bugs, monsters, fish and cars all have these complex worlds going on around us and can bring to life a superhero story that rivals the best of comic-book and James Bond elements.

But in a sense, Ratatouille is something so incredibly different. Unlike the majority of Pixar’s tales (Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, Incredibles, Cars) this movie is more about a dreamer and a dream (like A Bug’s Life was) than the disenchanted heroes of their other films. It’s about believing in yourself despite all the odds being against you and it WORKS.

A main reason this film works so well and touches your heart so much is the characters. All of them are so great and amazing- and you will love all of them SOMUCH.

Remy is someone I think so many of us can relate to. He’s the “black sheep” of his family, the weirdo, the one who is trying to dream beyond his lot in life. And he risks everything on this chance. And because of it, it makes his family life awkward. And his passion for food is so awesome. The sequences when he “sees” the taste of food are some of the best. And Patton Oswalt brings such a great voice to this little guy trying to make it out in the big human world.

Django is the well-meaning father. He wants his son to be safe and he sees humans and anything connected to them as bad. The conflict between him and Remy is something any teen has probably been through. The “But dad!” laments as the parent just doesn’t get something on the same level as the child.

Emile, Remy’s brother, totally stole the show at moments. Peter Sohn gave him such an endearing voice and the little (or not so little, given his chubby nature) guy just makes you want to hug him so much. His relationship with Remy is so sweet. It’s like- he tries SO hard to understand where Remy and his quirks are coming from, but he just can’t get it. Plus, he knows Dad doesn’t approve and so he’s caught in the middle.

Linguini is so dorky and cute and losertastic that you have to love him. Lou Romano’s voice is so perfect (and from what I’ve heard, a lot of Lou’s little quirks made it into the character) and fitting for this character. Linguini is great in the fact that while he’s so spineless at first, he can totally snap if you push him too far. It gives such dimension to this character that most other studios would probably just have left as a human-puppet gag and nothing more.

Colette is so awesome. She’s a tough girl who’s had to work so hard to make it to where she is in life. Then Linguini gets thrown into the mix and you can see how she’s torn between falling for the lovable guy and making sure she’s watching her own back since one little mistake could effect her job. She’s definitely got a unique beauty to her- a large nose, yet a very appealing look about her. It’s really no wonder that Linguini had his eyes on her from the moment he walked in the door to get the job there. XD

Skinner is so hilarious. I was really uncertain as to how his character would play out, but he’s so unintentionally funny. The guy’s so short that he’ll be pulling out step-stools to get to places and the next minute be bitching out the kitchen staff like he’s Mr. Tough Guy. It’s great. And his whole paranoia about the rat is just SOFUNNY. And his disguise? It totally loses and therefore, is so awesome XD

Anton Ego is also a surprise treat. He’s the cynic in all of us. The person that’s so used to going through the motions in life that he’s not enjoying anything anymore but complaining about it. He’s delightfully cruel yet amusing at the same time. And his review at the end of the film? Let’s just say you will love how they do this scene SO much.

All the rest of the cast ended up being great in their own respects. Major props to the random LOL from Horst, the sous chef, and his reasons why he “did time” though XD

As for the mood of the film- it’s a roller coaster ride of emotion. I think perhaps the short Lifted before the film is just there to stretch your laughing muscles for the movie itself (though granted, Lifted is hilarious and awesome and whydiditNOTwinattheOscars?!) And guh the emotional moments will totally get you. You will laugh, cry, and feel every damn emotion with these characters. And they do it with such subtlety that you don’t even realize that you’ve been so sucked into these characters and their lives.

HIGHLIGHT FOR SPOILER:
I think one of the prime examples of this is the scene near the end with Colette. First there’s the part after Linguini tells the chefs that Remy is the cook that she almost slaps him. There’s not a word spoken, but the raw emotion there is amazing. Then, you see Colette out on her motorbike and she almost runs a light. She pauses, wiping away tears and Gusteau’s “Anyone Can Cook” book catches her eyes in the nearby store window. You know at that moment, she gets it. She is willing to believe this insane possibility that a rat can cook. And this is all done without a single word, but guhhh the emotion.

I could list all the technical goodies this film has to offer, but one thing I’ve learned from all the Pixar commentaries and extras on their DVDs is that these creators want you to enjoy the story first- then look at the technical elements. But that’s why Pixar is so awesome. They don’t want you looking at the waterfall in Cars going “Hey that thing must be cool, they crashed their render farm system entirely when they made it” they just want you to go “omg that waterfall is beautiful.” The beauty of Pixar is that you can be in awe of it and then go “damn these people are talented” after the fact. And the beauty of this film is top-notch. I’m not just talking about the scenic shots of Paris (and as someone who has been lucky enough to go to Paris- guh, they went above and beyond the call of duty on the city shots) but the farmhouse out in the French countryside, the sewers and crevices that we see from the rat’s-eye camera angle. It’s all beautiful.

Overall, this movie leaves you with such a warm, fuzzy, great feeling afterwards that I still have the warm-fuzzies because of it. Hell, it’s made me want to- not try to- cook something outside of microwave ramen. That feeling of creation- something I can appreciate as an artist- that Remy gets when cooking has inspired me to try and see if I can do more in the kitchen than I give myself credit for. And how many movies actually make you want to go out and better yourself? Not many at all.

In conclusion, everyone needs to see this movie whenever it comes out near you. Srsly. Go see it. It’s like needing to breathe air- you NEED to see this movie.

ALSO: STAY AFTER THE ENDING FOR THE CREDITS.
There is 1) OMG 2-D ANIMATION *.* and 2) a lovely little label near the end that says “100% Real Animation. No Mo-Cap Used.” ILOVEYOUPIXAR~ ♥ ♥ ♥