Ratatouille

Plot synopsis:
The movie opens with a TV show featuring Chef Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), owner of the best restaurant in Paris, talking about his bestselling cookbook, which proudly bears his mantra "Anyone Can Cook!"A rat named Remy (voice of Patton Oswalt) begins talking about his life in monologue fashion. Remy states that he has enhanced senses of both taste and smell, which makes him very particular about what he eats. Remy's brother Emile (Peter Sohn) is impressed by this talent, but their father Django (Brian Dennehy) who leads the rats' colony, could care less - until Remy reveals that he can recognize the scent of rat poison in or near food. Django puts Remy to work sniffing and testing food for the rest of the clan. Remy is not happy about the rats having to steal food from the garbage; he would prefer to go to the kitchen and take the "fresh" samples. But Django hates and fears humans so he forbids Remy (and all other members of the clan) to interact with them.Despite his father's orders, Remy spends several nights in a human home, reading Chef Gusteau's cookbook and watching television programs about cooking. Before long he has a near-expert level of knowledge about food preparation. One day, Remy takes Emile into the kitchen to get some spices that will go with some other food samples they have gathered. Emile hesitates, but agrees to go with his brother. While inside, Remy sees on TV that a famous food critic named Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole), gave Gusteau's restaurant a less-than-stellar review that resulted in the restaurant losing one of its five stars. A heartbroken Gusteau died soon after, which meant the loss of another star according to tradition.While watching news of Gusteau's death, Remy accidentally wakes the elderly woman who lives in the home which the rats have colonized. Django orders everyone to get away as fast as possible but Remy stays behind to grab Gusteau's book. The rats manage to escape on miniature rafts into a river. Remy uses the cookbook as a flotation device but is separated from the group by a rapid current in the sewers.Hours later, Remy sits, reading the cookbook, waiting for a sign of his friends and family. Through a fusion of grief, loneliness and hunger, Remy begins to hallucinate that the illustration of Chef Gusteau is talking to him. Gusteau encourages Remy to go up through the sewers and find out where he is now. Remy travels along several pipes and finds that he is in Paris - just in front of Gusteau's restaurant!Inside Gusteau's, the new head chef Skinner (Ian Holm) meets Alfredo Linguini (Lou Romano), the son of Chef Gusteau's recently-deceased old friend. Linguini gives Skinner a letter written by his mother in the hope of getting a job at the restaurant. Skinner makes Linguini a garbage-boy and tells him to start work immediately.As Remy watches the action in the kitchen, he spots Linguini accidentally knocking over a pot of soup and trying to cover up his error by adding random ingredients. Knowing that the combination Linguini has forged will be terrible, Remy jumps down and adds his own ingredients to the mixture. Linguini spots Remy and traps him underneath a bowl before he can run away and without anybody else noticing. Skinner spots Linguini messing with the soup and is furious, but he cannot stop the wait staff from serving the soup. A bowl is served to a food critic, who likes the concoction. Skinner still wants to fire Linguini, but another chef, Colette (Janeane Garofolo), sticks up for Linguini. Skinner relents and allows Linguini to stay.Remy makes another attempt to escape, but this time Skinner spots him and Linguini manages to catch Remy in a jar. Skinner orders Linguini to take the rat away and kill it. Linguini takes Remy to a river but cannot bring himself to dispose of the rat. Linguini knows that the rat was the one who really made the soup and that Skinner will expect a duplication of the recipe. Linguini, seeing that Remy can apparently understand him, takes the rat home and essentially adopts him.The next morning, Linguini sees that the rat (who he has nicknamed "Little Chef") has cooked breakfast for them both. When they arrive at the restaurant, Linguini tries to find a way to have Remy cook but without anyone else seeing. After a few tries, they find out that Remy can manipulate Linguini like a puppet by pulling on the boy's hair at strategic moments. Deciding that this is their best method, Linguini and Remy spend the next few days practicing cooking in their spare time. Before long they are able to make a perfect duplicate of the soup that captured the critic's attention. Skinner appoints Colette to teach Linguini about the finer points of haute cuisine. Colette does not relish the task at first; she's the only female chef, worked very hard to obtain her position and sees Linguini as a possible threat to her status.Later that night Skinner meets with an agent. We learn that since Chef Gusteau's death, Skinner has been making a profit by selling out the Gusteau name and image to a line of cheap frozen food. Taking a moment to read the letter from Linguini's mother, Skinner panics and calls his lawyer. The lawyer (Teddy Newton) explains that Gusteau's will stipulates that if no heir can be found after two years (a deadline which expires in a month), Skinner will inherit the restaurant. Apparently the letter from Linguini's mother states that Linguini is Gusteau's son, and should be the rightful heir! Skinner refuses to believe it while the lawyer suggests doing a DNA test as well as a background check.Colette begins training Linguini about the fine art of cooking, and a rapport develops between the two.One night, a group of guests asks the head waiter Mustafa (John Ratzenberger) about what is "new". The staff panics, but Skinner decides to have Linguini prepare an old Gusteau-style recipe for sweetbreads. Skinner knows that Gusteau considered that recipe a "disaster" and hopes that it will be Linguini's downfall.Colette begins to follow the recipe but Linguini (under Remy's manipulations) alters it severely, which angers her. But a few minutes later, Mustafa bursts in and declares that the customers love the new concoction and there are several more orders for it! The other chefs toast Linguini's success later that evening. Skinner, knowing about the rat, brings Linguini into his office and pulls out a bottle of rare Château Latour in an attempt to get Linguini to talk about his "secrets" but gets nowhere.Meanwhile Remy, resting outside, spots a mysterious figure in the garbage pails. He is stunned to find that it is his brother Emile! Overjoyed, Remy runs inside to steal some ingredients to fix food for his brother. Afterwards, Emile brings Remy to the new colony. Django is overjoyed to find his second son alive. Remy wants to leave the colony (and return to Linguini) but Django is opposed to the idea. Django brings Remy to a storefront that specializes in rat-killing, stating his belief that humans and rats must always be enemies. Remy, however, feels differently. He leaves the colony and goes back to Linguini.Next morning, Remy finds Linguini still at the restaurant and exhausted. Colette comes in, still angry at Linguini. In an attempt to apologize, Linguini tries to confess his secret to Colette. Remy, desperate to remain hidden, forces Linguini forward so that he ends up kissing Colette. After a few seconds of hesitation, she reciprocates and a genuine attraction between the two begins.Food critic Anton Ego is in his study when he hears news of Gusteau's renewed popularity. Stunned, he vows to return there and find out what is truly going on.Skinner's lawyer returns to confirm Skinner's worst fear - Linguini is indeed Gusteau's son. Skinner decides not to tell Linguini and let the will's deadline (a mere 3 days away) pass - after which he can fire Linguini and suffer no ill effects.Later that night, Remy finds Emile with a few other rats outside the restaurant. When Remy goes inside to find the key to the food locker, he reads the documents and finds out about Linguini's parentage. Remy tries to take the documents, but Skinner spots him escaping again. Despite a thorough chase, Remy gets away and Linguini learns the truth. Skinner is fired, Linguini takes charge of the restaurant and the Gusteau frozen-food line is halted.At a press conference a few days later, Anton Ego introduces himself to Linguini and promises to come by the restaurant the next night to review Gusteau's once more.Linguini, growing arrogant, decides to try and work without Remy's help. In anger, Remy arranges for the rest of his rat-clan to raid the restaurant that night. Linguini finds out and throws all the rats out, including Remy.That evening, Remy and Emile are sniffing for food outside the restaurant when Remy runs into a trap. It turns out that the trap was set by Skinner. Skinner wants Remy to work for him creating new frozen foods.Ego arrives at the restaurant, and instead of ordering off the menu he challenges the chef to "hit [him] with your best shot." Skinner, eager to see the downfall of Linguini, asks to have the same dish that Ego is served.Remy, still caged, is freed by his father and brother. Thankful, he returns to the restaurant to help Linguini. One of the chefs spots Remy returning and tries to kill the rat. But Linguini steps in and protects Remy, confessing the truth to everyone. The chefs, stunned, walk out - even Colette. Linguini thinks that there is no hope for Gusteau's.Django comes in and admits that he was wrong; seeing Linguini stand up for Remy has changed his attitude about humans. Django recruits the entire rat colony to help out - they will follow Remy's orders to prepare the food.Just then, a health inspector arrives and sees the kitchen full of rats. One group of rats swarms the inspector, tying him up and locking him in the freezer.Before long, the rats have formed an intricate system and are preparing all the meals for the restaurant. Linguini, knowing that someone will have to wait tables, puts on a pair of roller skates and begins serving the guests.Colette, having had a change of heart, returns to the restaurant to help Remy and Linguini. She asks what Remy wants to prepare for Ego. Remy selects ratatouille, an older-style recipe not traditionally up to the standards of Gusteau's (Colette calls it a "peasant dish.") Soon enough, the entrée is prepared and served to Anton Ego.Ego takes a bite of the ratatouille, and immediately has a flashback to his childhood where his mother prepared the same dish to brighten his spirits after a bicycle accident. He is overwhelmed with emotion for the dish. Skinner, furious, storms into the kitchen - and is tied up and thrown into the freezer alongside the health inspector.Ego's heart is warmed by the fantastic meal, and insists on thanking the chef. Colette tells him that he must wait until all other customers have left. That evening, Ego learns the whole truth from Linguini, Colette and Remy. After leaving the restaurant, Ego writes a fantastic review for Gusteau's - proclaiming the chef to be "the finest in Paris", while neglecting to reveal the chef's true identity.Unfortunately, the good fortune does not last. The health inspector and Skinner are freed; as a result, Gusteau's restaurant is shut down. And, as an effect, Ego loses his job and a great deal of credibility for promoting a rat-infested restaurant.Remy, telling this story to a few friends, states that Ego is now working as a small-business investor. It seems that Ego (along with Colette, Linguini and Remy) has opened a bistro named "La Ratatouille" where both humans and rats (in hidden, separate chambers) are both welcome.

Tags: violence, cute, clever, flashback, inspiring, romantic, entertaining, storytelling

Review:
Everything from the animation to the score to the voice acting to the story (and especially the story) was EXCELLENT.I don't know if it appeals to kids as much as other Pixar offerings, but this one upholds their legacy of excellence.Casting Patton Oswalt as Remy was PERFECT.
or never even consider are digital puppets.The humor was great too, the gags / situations character acting all contributing to making situations that "kids of all ages " could "get".There is on one level the entire story, of Remy and Linguini, but then there are 3 or 4 or more subplots and a number of dramatic scene changes which almost felt like separate chapters of the main story.
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).
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.
I remember all the clucking last summer about how Pixar had lost its way.-There were a few moments when they seemed to lose that stylized reality they had established and things looked merely "real".-There was one scene in the latter part of the film where I thought "I can't believe they are doing this tired movie cliché" but they pulled out of it at the last second and made it something new.-The 2D-ish end credits were great.
The character designs for the humans are marvelous (Bird seems to get much humor out of the smaller villains as seen in the past "Incredibles" and the non-Pixar film "Shrek") and the rats, while moving a lot like real rats still have acceptable personalities and animated form.
It has many comedy elements but is not overloaded with jokes that make reference to the present time (like Shrek).This movie integrates a very nice story, with attractive characters and the last advances in computer animation.
(And Paris has never looked lovelier -- if the French tourist board didn't subsidize this production, they should have.) From the standpoint of voice acting, it ranges from believable and unshowoffy (unlike the annoying star turns we're seeing in a lot of these days) to the stentorian sneer of the great Peter O'Toole.And, most of all, the character creation and animation is beyond belief.
Today I had the privilege of seeing Pixar's 8 feature-length release, and the current front-runner to receive the 2007 Best Animated Oscar.That film is Ratatouille.
Complicating matters are a feisty female cook, an asshole of a head chef, the reunion between Remy and his disapproving family, and snarling food critic Anton Ego.Do not be afraid of Ratatouille's 110-minute running time, this movie has a far-quicker pace that some 90-minute movies.
I felt enchanted because I witnessed the marvelous performance of Peter O'Toole as the crusty but lovable food critic Anton Ego. The way Peter O'Toole used the word "Perspective", I couldn't help but get goosebumps, and I mean that as a high compliment.While I still await The Simpsons Movie with great anticipation, now I highly doubt it will win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, because it'll have to be really good to beat Ratatouille's magic.My grade (out of 4 stars): 4.
Brad Bird's screenplay is rich with jokes (Remy waves to a cyclist, who, disgusted, isn't looking where he's going and crashes into a car in a cloud of shopping and bike parts), passion (Linguini's love, Colette) and tiny details which would amaze even the greatest director (Remy's oven-glove bed, the rat poison/exterminator shop, Gusteau's ghost telling Remy what to do).
'Corn dog' was at least explained...) The use of accents is also somewhat scattershot: the villains (inevitably) are played by English actors, the rat-heroes (inevitably) are Americans, while the one female speaking role is played with a comedy French accent -- as if the characters were not all (presumably) talking French.Pixar's animators have obviously spent a lot of time studying rats, as well as -- I would guess -- researching the professional kitchen.
My only other caveat would be that the rats in the film seem to spend an awful lot of their time with ears laid back: a real rat's ears are swivelling radar-dishes, high and round and on the alert, and relocating them for most of the shots to a more 'human' position, low down on the head, has a rather odd effect on the characters' expression.But since I for one am a rat owner, I appreciated the way that Pixar have captured their heels-up scamper and their funny trundling walk, their habit of carrying things with their chins raised, their athletic climbing abilities and above all their superb sense of smell; if anyone could design a new dish for a restaurant simply by sniffing it, it would undoubtedly be a rat!
(It's a tribute to the plot that it didn't even occur to me until after the film was over that it was in any way odd that the rats, on the other hand, could not only understand but read every word the humans used!) The process by which Remy discovers that he can remote-control Linguini is, I suppose, ridiculous in a real-life context, but seemed to make sense at the time...Plot-wise, I found the start of the film fairly slow, with all the emotional depth of your average Mickey Mouse, though I did like the concept of the rats' having an organised escape plan.
Even the underbelly passages of the rats are highly detailed as we go through them fast and furiously while our hero Remy runs to get above ground, going past numerous rooms that are seen through cracksa comically French domestic dispute among them until we get our first glimpse at the grandeur of Paris.Despite the beautiful graphics and the unobtrusively effective voice-overswhen you find you aren't wondering who is who, you know the acting is successfully integrated into the wholeit is the story that really shines.
And, other than their very military approach to getting things done, and the lead character's odd cooking talent, they generally behave like rats and have rat motivations.The movie is fun and funny and, at times, quite heart-warming.
This goes not simply for the rats themselves- the funniest, probably even funnier, that Disney's remotely had to market since the Great Mouse Detective- but the human characters too, who have their own distinct shapes and qualities based on personality and relevance to the story (whether they're good or bad, or maybe even more complex too).
It'll be hard to beat this (to put it in a corny phrase) 'gourmet selection' as the best animated film of the year, and certainly the best that Pixar's done since, um, the last Brad Bird movie!
On the fluke, he becomes the new chef at Gusteau's...only, the chef's a rat, literally, hilariously pulling Linguini's hair to make him a cooking puppet (early on this makes for some of the best physical comedy of any Pixar movie).
And there's morales to be learned too, or sort of taken away, I guess, only this time in the true Disney form instead of Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, it's Remy and the, well, illusion of Gusteau's ghost appearing to him as a quasi-conscious.What makes Ratatouille stand out of the pack from the fellow summer far of the moment, particularly 4th of July fare, is how there's such deft to Bird and his team navigating along the lines of making the comedy work to its excessive lengths while always keeping a firm grip on which turn the story will take next (the moments I didn't quite expect- the whole heir angle involving Linguini, and the climactic scenes with the rats preparing the restaurant's dinners, all washed before going to work, and keeping 'under wraps' the health inspector at the same time!).
I probably laughed just as much during this film as I would at something much raunchier like Knocked Up or Grindhouse, to give recent examples, but as mentioned there's a riskiness to Bird's style here.One scene I particularly loved is when Remy is training linguini to command the muscle-controlled hair pulling scheme at his home, and there's a build-up to what seems like a knife going to cut into his fingers while he's chopping vegetables (up to this point he's been hopeless in his training), but at this very point where we should expect the worst, which is funny unto itself, it starts to level out and he's sort of under control.
Same goes for little things like the quite silhouetted bit Remy passes by with the lover about to shoot the other and then falling into full embrace, or the actual fellow employees at Gusteau's, one of who has the wildest thumb ever shown in a movie, least of all a 'family' movie, that I can remember (albeit Bird does come out of working on the Simpsons).So many masterstrokes of comedy go on that it's almost neglected to note how exciting a lot of the film is too, the run-around Remy has in the kitchen first time he comes in or the chase through Paris between the crooked head cook Skinner and Remy, and how seamless voice-work and the (now highly expected) advances in Pixar's technical innovations go together.
Although G-rated Ratatouille does go onto to be a bit racy at times, but really it is having fun poking fun at the French Culture without insulting the legacy.Director brad Bird, best known for his hit The Incredibles manages to bring the element of family and trust front and center while engaging the audience in one of the most entertaining animated films since The Lion King.
The voices are terrific from Patton Oswalt to Ian Holm to the great Peter O'Toole as deathly-thin food critic Anton Ego. There really isn't anything here that doesn't work and Michael Giacchino's score emits the spirit of Paris that sets the background for this story.
The Incredibles ranked amongst my favourite so far, but writer-director Brad Bird has topped that with Ratatouille, a story about a rat, and probably the most mature of the Pixar stories to date.One of the rare successful rats in the animated genre is Mickey, but Remy here (voiced by Patton Oswalt) has more character, and with that photo realistic quality to him, will give Mickey a run for his money.
Ratatouille explores these and more, though they're kept veiled and subtle for the narrative to move on, and never provided a dull moment for kids and adults alike.Pixar's animation continues to astound, and provide inspiration to the many 3D animators out there - they have always set new benchmarks for others to follow, and I think they're on top of their game with the excellent animated portrayal of Paris, the kitchen, and of course, the rats, with that touch of photo realistic quality to it all, which does wonders to the food presented.
The comedy's here top notch, not necessarily relying solely on slapstick to bring on the laughs, but possessing many sly moments throughout as you root for little Remy and his escapades, less so for Linguini though, who comes off as that perfect loser in life.Ratatouille is a perfectly delicious offering worthy of that Pixar stamp, and definitely gonna be a crowd pleaser.
I liked the animation of France (Citroen D-Seies included) and Peter O' Toole is very funny, voicing a snooty restaurant critic, but I think a chance was missed to make the rats as physically repulsive as most people find them in real life; a cuddly rat is sort of missing the point.
to be seen (incorrectly) as "just a kid's movie".Amazing animation, excellent writing and, the rarest of rare, a completely original and captivating plot make this a winner and film that will be long remembered.
It is a topnotch achievement--the chef d'oeuvres amidst a world of hamburgers and fries.The advanced screening of the latest collaboration of Disney and Pixar, directed by the ingenious Brad Bird, whose previous works were never disappointing (The Iron Giant and The Incredibles), was probably most anticipated by some Filipino viewers who are aware of the increasing popularity and immense critical acclaim of the Ratatouille.
The animation and cinematography is amazingly sensitive, not showy at all but instead well motivated, effectively giving the audience a feel of what it's like to be Ratatouille's star, Chef Remy, who just so happens to be a rat.It is difficult not to be smitten by the range of complex emotions and situations as he is torn between his family and his passion for creating culinary masterpieces in a human world where he is despised in by default.Just like the movie's fiercest critic, The Grim Eater, it will be close to impossible not to fall in love with this movie.
They must keep it a secret how they create these fantastic foods; but that gets so much harder when people try to find out how he's so talented.Ratatouille is such a charming Disney/Pixar film, the animation is great, and the story is just terrific.
If you are looking for a film to see this summer, Ratatouille is definitely a recommendation, it's good to know that Pixar is going to keep giving us these great animation films that I know will be considered classics for a very long time.
Brad Garrett's Gusteau also gets too little screen time.In summary, this movie doesn't rise to the level of greatness found in some of Pixar's best films ("Toy Story 2," "The Incredibles," "Cars"), but it isn't a total bust, either.
Peter O'Toole, as well, does a great job reading the small, but important part of the feared restaurant critic, Anton Ego. The story, which takes a little time to get rolling, is quite warm and enjoyable, is capped off with, of course, a nice feel-good finish.
It mixes brilliant animation with good, old-fashioned film-making.Remy (PATTON OSWALT) is a strange rat.
And thankfully, albeit with a few minor flaws, the film comes out as being just as excellent as I could have hoped.Ratatouille tells the story of Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt), a rat who has a keen sense of smell.
I will forego the mention of the various subplots and surprises, but I will incur that Remy does meet up with the lousy cook Linguini (Lou Ramano), and the two become partners in cooking at the famous Gusteau's Restaurant (as just about anyone who knows anything about the movie can tell you).Even with its bizarre storyline, and even more bizarre main character, Ratatouille is a treat from start to finish.
I also liked the small addition of John Ratzenberger, always a great voice to hear in a Pixar movie.The only thing that harms the film is that it runs too long.
The best moment for me in this movie came when it was over.This is a boringly bad movie from Disney-Pixar.A rat named Remy yearns to be a chef and he lives his dream by giving advice to an ungainly dishwasher in a snooty restaurant in Paris.The restaurant becomes the hottest place to eat and the young man becomes the toast of Paris.Now the animation is top notch,perhaps the best Pixar animation ever but what kills this film is the script.It isn't funny at best and is just plain dull at worst.I was wanting to like this film.Patton Oswalt,who voiced Remy,is a awfully funny stand-up comedian and I was hoping some of that would be displayed in this film.But it wasn't.You might as well had some Joe from off the street voicing Remy because there was no comedy to be had in this film.Oswalt was stifled by the terrible writing as was all the other people who gave voice to the characters.I never laughed once during this film and actually don't remember even smiling either.I wasn't alone.Very few folks in the sparse audience found anything to laugh at either.How this film is getting all these great reviews I haven't a clue.It must be folks who are grooving on the animation and aren't paying attention that the storyline and script are terrible.If I hadn't been bored to near sleep by this movie I would have gotten up and left before it was over.This movie stinks like bad cheese..
But what Ratatouille lacked that other Pixar cartoons didn't was a fun story line & great voice actors to compliment the animation.The best part of the night wasn't actually part of Ratatoiulle.....it was the 5-minute short cartoon that preceded it.
With superior graphics and voices, and a nice message we can say that if Pixar continues this path, things are going to be very different in the Animation Industry and we adults can take our kids to the movies and be so excited like them as well..
With the help of Colette, the only female in the kitchen; Emile, Remy's rat brother who eats anything; Anton Ego, the premier restaurant critic of Paris; and Skinner, the greedy head chef who wants to bask in Gusteau's fame, Pixar creates some of the most memorable characters.
This is not the best Disney Pixar movie, although it is quite enjoyable, great voice overs for all the characters but the film just isn't that funny, it tries VERY hard to be, but just fails to be that funny.
Things of course get complicated, as Remy attempts to balance his passion with his family, and Linguini must handle being a celebrity through no talent of his own, while dealing with a sinister restaurant critic.Like all of Pixar's work, "Ratatouille" looks phenomenal.