Ratatouille (2007)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Directors:

Brad Bird
Jan Pinkava (co-director)

Writers:

Brad Bird (screenplay) and
Jan Pinkava (story) ...

Release Date:

29 June 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Family

Tagline:

Dinner is served... Summer 2007

Plot:

Remy is a young rat in the French countryside who arrives in Paris, only to find out that his cooking idol is dead. When he makes an unusual alliance with a restaurant's new garbage boy, the culinary and personal adventures begin despite Remy's family's skepticism and the rat-hating world of humans.

Plot Keywords:

Rat | Chef | Restaurant | Cooking | Food

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 43 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Patton Oswalt	...	Remy (voice)
Ian Holm	...	Skinner (voice)
Lou Romano	...	Linguini (voice)
Brian Dennehy	...	Django (voice)
Peter Sohn	...	Emile (voice)
Peter O'Toole	...	Anton Ego (voice)
Brad Garrett	...	Gusteau (voice)
Janeane Garofalo	...	Colette (voice)
Will Arnett	...	Horst (voice)
Julius Callahan	...	Lalo / Francois (voice)
James Remar	...	Larousse (voice)
John Ratzenberger	...	Mustafa (voice)
Teddy Newton	...	Lawyer (Talon Labarthe) (voice)
Tony Fucile	...	Pompidou / Health Inspector (voice)
Jake Steinfeld	...	Git (Lab Rat) (voice)

Also Known As:

Untitled Rodent Project (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital EX | DTS-ES

Certification:

USA:G | Canada:G (all jurisdictions) | Australia:PG | Singapore:G | Brazil:Livre | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:0 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/4 (dubbed version) | Portugal:M/6 (subtitled version) | Finland:S | UK:U | Ireland:G | Chile:TE | South Korea:All | Germany:o.Al. | Taiwan:GP | Malaysia:U | Sweden:7 | Hong Kong:I | Iceland:L | Norway:7

Company:

Pixar Animation Studios

Trivia:

When Ego, the food critic, reads back his first scathing review, he compares Gusteau to Chef Boyardee, who was in fact a real chef (true Italian name spelled Boiardi) famous for his brand of food products.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Gusteau's restaurant was said to have attained a five-star rating previously, yet the French guides don't go any higher then three stars. This detail was most likely deliberately ignored by the producers because many international audiences are used to hotel ratings that go up to five stars, and would not have understood that a three-star rating is the ultimate culinary honor in France.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: [on television] Although each of the world's countries would like to dispute this fact, we French know the truth: The best food in the world is made in France. The best food in France is made in Paris. And the best food in Paris, some say, is made by Chef Auguste Gusteau...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Gadget Show: (#8.6)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Le Festin

Incredible

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