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

Best Animated Film in Creation

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.