Anthony's Film Review - Ratatouille (2007)

Pixar has another animated winner, this time a lovable rodent...

There is a good reason why Pixar is highly praised for its works of animation: originality. Not the fact that the studio is original, but how they are original. They do it by twisting conventions and cliches. Whatever beliefs we hold dear or cultural ideas that we're used to, Pixar doesn't follow them. The clever folks there seem to have that rule of not following exactly what's been done. Material that is not new on the surface must be twisted inside out or turned upside down.

In the case of Ratatouille, Pixar plays with the notion that rats are a bane to the kitchen. The creators probably asked, "What is the opposite of this convention?" And someone probably said, "A rat who is a friend of the kitchen." Then another person had the idea of a rat chef. Bingo. It's an idea that is an altered version of something that would be unoriginal if left alone.

The rat in this movie, Remy, is a lovable one. He is friendly and means no harm to anyone. But obviously, the humans despise these rodents, especially chefs in gourmet kitchens. It's really not easy for Remy, who dreams of being a chef because of his keen sense of smell. At the beginning of the movie, Remy gets separated from his friends and family during an escape from an old lady's house. While Remy tries to find his way, he ends up in the kitchen of a top-class French restaurant. He also finds a book by his human chef idol, whose motto is that "anyone can cook."

And if the humans despise rats, then it's natural for Pixar to pair Remy up with a human friend. Here, Remy meets the humble garbage boy Linguini, who discovers that the rat could actually cook but is accidentally given the credit for a tasty dish Remy prepared. There's only one way for the two to be happy: work together. Remy can do all the cooking while Luiguini keep up this little lie. They do it by having Remy pull Linguini's hair, controlling him like a puppet.

I will let you discover the rest of the movie yourself. If you are a fan of cooking and fine dining, this movie is definitely a treat for you. Even without that, you won't be disappointed with this one if you like Pixar's other works. It has the elements of an inspiring plot and well developed characters. Just as a chef in this movie says that anyone can cook, Ratatouille tells us that anyone can be creative.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Ratatouille, visit the Internet Movie Database.