Not without a charm, but lacking depth

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2015)

I first saw this film back in 2007 when it just came out in the movie theaters. Back then i hadn't seen The Incredibles or Toy Story yet, so it's no wonder that Ratatouille seemed like a breath of fresh air, something new, vivid and inspiring. There was simply no much competition in the field those days, except for Shrek maybe, which had already passed its peak by that time. And now, eight years later, Ratatouille and i got a chance to meet again.
The times have certainly changed since then. Plus, now we have some new prominent examples of fine animation like Kung Fu Panda or How to Train Your Dragon. And while ignorance is indeed bliss, knowledge makes you re-evaluate certain things, and your cinematic experiences are not immune to that.
The most important thing that's literally screaming at you from the screen is how goofy and childish this film is. Of course, all the animation movies try to be appealing to the kids so some goofiness can't be helped. But Ratatouille wholeheartedly embraces the buffoonery, trying to turn it into the film's major source of charm and the main selling point. And while France had its history of brilliant and lovable clowns like Louis de Funès or Pierre Richard, Ratatouille fails to reproduce that fine balance of hysterical and touching that made those actors and films they starred in so different.
But all that clowning around could be easily forgiven if Pixar hadn't missed the spot with the dramatic angle. The most intense and emotionally saturated animation films these days inevitably revolve around the topic of coming of age. That genre is dearly beloved by me because there's nothing as mind-blowing and revealing and literally touching you to the very core as the process of transformation from an adolescent into an adult. It's something relevant to everyone, and a film that truly resonates with the kids' current feelings and is able to bring the memories of those feelings in the adults has a chance at being a true epiphany, a family-binding moment of sincerity and understanding that matters so much in the world of today when the fast pace of life drives generations further and further apart.
Here we had not one but two struggling heroes in existential crisis. Remy, a brilliant rat chef, is torn between his rat's nature, which his family never misses a chance to impose on him, and his humanly passion for cooking. And Linguini, a loser kid trying his best not to screw up for once and outgrow the shadows of the father figures he's been surrounded with.
Unfortunately, in Ratatouille the whole sub-plot of that transformation of personality is wrapped up so abruptly that it seems as if no transformation has occurred at all. Both Remy and Linguini fight for their freedom to be themselves and to do what they love without being told what to do by someone else, however, they both end up dependent on each other and ultimately not free at all. And their act of liberation that was supposed to change everything ends up being nothing but a deus ex machina device when the world suddenly decides that it's not gonna interfere anymore. Compare it to the culmination of the same Kung Fu Panda and you'll understand why some movies give you that goosebumpy cathartic feeling while others slide past you with no aftertaste at all.
Ratatouille is by no means a bad film. It has enough kindness and charm to make the time you spend watching it enjoyable. However, the tone it speaks to you at the end is pretty much the same as what the film started with, and that lack of maturity makes it rather forgettable in a long run.