Ratatouille (2007) May 5, 2008
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Brad Bird
As the propagation of computer animated movies continues unhindered into summer and winter schedules alike, there’s one notable through-line that joins all these anthropomorphic tales together: genre. They’ll all be knockabout comedies with some colourful over-emphatic characters and enough jokes-per-minute to make you forget that Ice Age 2 [review] is just Ice Age in reverse, or that The Wild seemed more original when it was called Madagascar. In traditional style there might be some gags for the older audience slipped in, and if you’re lucky they’ll actually be good, but it’s basically the same meal on a different plate.
So thank goodness we have Pixar at hand to prove that there is another way, by creating something that breaches its traditional audience with unhindered storytelling and a sense of the existential: “Where are you going?” asks Remy’s father after lecturing the would-be chef on the unsurpassable differences between the nature of humans and rodents, “With luck, forward” replies Remy. A pandering children’s fable, this is not.
The story itself is one of simplistic contradiction: Remy is a passionate food-lover and dreams of becoming a chef – a dream that is hindered only by the fact that he is a common street rat. As impossible as his ambitions may be, when he finds himself in Paris there is only one restaurant he wants to visit: Auguste Gusteau’s. There, a chance meeting with bumbling kitchen hand Linguini shows Remy that maybe there’s hope for him yet. With Linguini as his puppet, Remy sets out living his dream, albeit hidden underneath a chef’s hat. All is well until revered food critic Anton Ego sets the restaurant a make-or-break challenge, and wants to meet the chef.
Billed as the least genre defined of Pixar’s productions, Ratatouille’s strongly held morals about not judging anyone because of their differences are right at the fore, yet shrouded by a tale so steeped in fantasy that it hides all sense of education in its narrative. But if living toys and monster worlds were deemed fair sources of material for previous movies, then surely the unnatural account of a rat who wants to be a chef shouldn’t raise any eyebrows in the believability department. The fact that it even comes to mind, suggests that this film has the most ‘real world’ setting of any Pixar movie, and that those who find Remy and Linguini’s kitchen control system a touch absurd have maybe bought into the film more than they thought.
You might say that it has ideas above its station, but it’s those higher aspirations that drive all the Pixar movies to reach above the still prevalent opinion that “cartoons are for kids”. Ratatouille is the animation studio’s bravest film given that it so forthrightly drops the laugh-a-minute crutch of traditional animated fare and goes for something that can survive on its own: a dramatic work of story and character the likes of which Shrek will never be able to touch. There are laughs in Ratatouille, and it maintains the light-hearted nature of the creators who bring it to life, but you can also feel the sense of experimentation in their work that pushes the boundaries of what you should expect from a computer animated film.
Speaking of which, the animation presented here is of standard Pixar quality, which is to say that it is spellbindingly brilliant. The street settings, the bustle of the kitchen, the effect of light and shadow, or rain on stone cobbles, are all beautifully rendered with loving care. Attention to detail has never been their shortcoming, but they’ve paid particular attention here to Remy’s fur (they way it moves and brushes, the way it looks when it is wet or in motion, even how it reacts after a lightening strike!) as well as the various foods that are on display and appear, however much of a cliché it might sound, good enough to eat.
The animators have chosen to stick with the slightly cartoon-styled human look that saw them through The Incredibles [review], although the range of different characters has increased somewhat this time around. As for the rodent contingent, someone deserves an award for turning a stereotypically dirt-ridden vermin into the loveable and innocent Remy the rat. While Flushed Away [review] didn’t make rats look entirely displeasing, Ratatouille makes them positively cuddly. Maybe an association that heralds danger given their actual predisposition for carrying disease.
On the vocal acting front, Incredibles director Brad Bird once again plucks from the ‘best of the rest’ in Hollywood. Comedian Patton Oswalt takes helm as the talented cordon bleu rat and does a fantastic job at relating the passion and emotion of his tiny character. Meanwhile we have Lou Romano doing similarly great work as the bumbling kitchen-hand Linguini, and Janeane Garofalo’s convincing French accent playing the strong-minded female cook, Colette. Also lending their voices are Ian Holm as the scheming but diminutive Head Chef Skinner, and Peter O’Toole as the frighteningly composed food critic with a dangerous air about him. Brad Bird himself writes the screenplay, from a project that was originally started by Geri’s Game director Jan Pinkava. In fact, Pinkava still receives a co-director credit on the final film, although it became entirely Bird’s project around 2005, leading to a story re-write and subsequent character changes. Where to attribute the most praise for the style of this film is hard to say, but the result is a confidently shot cinematic treat.
The story and its telling almost belie the ‘U’ certificate, bringing an element of the dramatic that may exclude younger audiences from its charm. This is not necessarily a mistake; in fact I would argue that it should receive applause for the effort, although I feel there are parents of entertainment-craving children who may disagree. Plus, even at its one hour and fifty minute running time, there are still some themes which are touched upon without proper exploration - especially Remy’s dissatisfaction at his lack of credit and subsequent betrayal of Linguini. I’d be misguided too, to think that Pixar hadn’t held back slightly on the emotional engagement that guided Monsters Inc or especially Finding Nemo, and that this film’s incessant attention on story and plot forwarding seems to mislay. Still, you’ll struggle not to feel something for the little protagonist, if for no other reason than the artistic styling that makes you believe a rat can be cute.
What Ratatouille lacks in typical joke-feeding, it more than makes up for in story and a welcomed sense of venturing into the unknown. The whole movie is evidence of the resolve that Pixar have to push animation into a different league from that which it currently resides. Their use of it as a storytelling art form has long been in evidence, but now they are moving those boundaries again, challenging our perception of what can be achieved using this so-called ‘children’s medium’. Where are they heading? With luck, forward.
Comments»
I think that Pixar’s ambition to take their art and stories forward is aptly demonstrated in the traller for Wall-E - it looks stunningly different.
My only gripes with Ratatouille are that I found Linguini hard to empathise with, and I felt that the story loses focus about 2/3rds in - perhaps as a consequence of having both the Chef Skinner and Food Critic Ego as obstacles to Remy & Linguini’s plans (Skinner seems to simply disappear).
Remy is brilliantly brought to life I agree, and Bird does some excellent slapstick tributes to the likes of Chuck Jones.