Thoughts on Ratatouille
We went to see the new Pixar movie Ratatouille today. It was quite good, although the pacing was unconventional. As a result, I think there’s a little more distance between this film and me in comparison with Brad Bird’s left effort for Pixar, The Incredibles. The movie centers around Remy, a rat whose senses are so acute that he develops a fondness for excellent food and a desire to create it himself. His father and his fellow rats are less interested in gourmet ideals, but when Remy gets separated from his colony and finds himself in Paris, he lurks around the kitchen at the restaurant founded by his idol, Gusteau. Gusteau has been dead for years, of a heart attack brought on in part by a harsh review, and the restaurant has been trading on its former glory. Remy winds up forming an unlikely partnership with Linguini, a hapless lad who just wants a job as a garbage boy – and who happens to be Gusteau’s son and heir.
Spoilers follow.
What surprised me was that the movie resolves the Gusteau’s will plotline with a good 40 minutes or so left in the movie. I expected that the “rightful heir discovers his identity and claims his birthright� plot to figure into the climax, as it does in so many Disney movies. But instead, that just turns into the catalyst for the final act, where Remy and Linguini have to confront a chef’s arch-nemesis, the food critic, while they resolve their own interpersonal conflicts. It’s an interesting dynamic, and I’m still trying to figure out how well all the threads come together. The ending also pulls the rug out from the heroes right at their moment of triumph, but lets them land on their feet. It’s an example of Bird’s effort to inject a certain amount of realism into his fantastic premise, although I find myself overthinking the ramifications of a world where it becomes clear that rats are capable of higher-level thinking and communication. I probably shouldn’t hold that against the movie, though.
Technically, the movie lives up to the Pixar standards – the rats all have individual character, Remy is extremely expressive, and the many chase sequences are involving but never distracting. The voice cast does a great job, with many of the actors using accents that made them unrecognizable to me. All in all, it’s a fine piece of work.
About Dave Thomer
Born and raised in Philadelphia. Studied philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, where I made many great friends and met my wonderful wife. We moved back to Philadelphia, where I studied philosophy some more and became a teacher. Online and off, I'm looking for ways that we can be better citizens and build stronger communities.