Review #868: Ratatouille (2007)

Title: Ratatouille
Year: 2007
Director: Brad Bird
Country: US
Language: English

Pixar does a tremendous job at allowing audiences to connect with things they normally wouldn't.  Finding Nemo found warmth in the cold blooded, scaly creatures of the deep; Cars brought inanimate metal to life; Toy Story turned hunks of plastic into empathetic human-like beings. Ratatouille seeks to do the same, albeit with creatures much harder to love. Granted talking furry rodents are hardly a novelty in cartoons, people have been entranced by Mickie Mouse for decades, but Ratatouille isn't anthropomorphic (at least physically) and he seeks to be a professional cook. In any other world, this scenario would be "icky" at best. 

In this, a rat named Remy (Patton Oswalt) who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous restaurant. 

Written and directed by Brad Bird and displaying the usual meticulousness associated with the Pixar brand, “Ratatouille” is a nearly flawless piece of popular art that is both simple and sophisticated. Though the art is not ground breakingly impressive, the animation is still remarkable and has the sensibility that could only come from a former Simpsons animator. Ratatouille is a cautious film, Bird knows all the cliches and does his best to avoid them. We do not get the same lazy plot structure that plagues other Disney pictures. 

As a character Ratatouille is rather complex. He is cute and attempts to be ethical, but can also be demanding and insecure. Trying not to overwhelm its audience with excessive noise and sensation, the film does have some frenzied kitchen choreography but ultimately is about character development and steadily growing complications.  Ultimately Ratatouille celebrates the passionate, sometimes aggressive pursuit of excellence.

Ratatouille is perhaps my favourite Pixar movie. Remy is an engaging protagonist, Mr. Ego (Peter O' Toole!) is an entertaining antagonist. The situations the characters find themselves in have fairly unpredictable resolutions. The writing could easily be considered the best Disney/Pixar has had in a long while.