Zainter

***Ratatouille*** (/ˌrætəˈtuːi/ *RAT-ə-TOO-ee*) is a 2007 American computer-animatedcomedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The eighth film produced by Pixar, it was written and directed by Brad Bird, who took over from Jan Pinkava in 2005, and produced by Brad Lewis, from an original idea by Pinkava, who was credited for conceiving the film's story with Bird and Jim Capobianco. The film stars the voices of Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Ian Holm, Janeane Garofalo, Peter O'Toole, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, and Brad Garrett. The title refers to the French dish ratatouille, which is served at the end of the film, and also references the species of the main character, a rat. Set in Paris, the plot follows a young rat Remy (Oswalt) who dreams of becoming a chef at Auguste Gusteau's (Garrett) restaurant and tries to achieve his goal by forming an unlikely alliance with the restaurant's garbage boy Alfredo Linguini (Romano).

Development for *Ratatouille* began in 2000 when Pinkava wrote the original concepts of the film, although he was never formally named the director of the film. In 2005, following Pinkava's departure from Pixar for lacking confidence in the story development, Bird was approached to direct the film and revise the story. Bird and some of the film's crew members also visited Paris for inspiration. To create the food animation used in the film, the crew consulted chefs from both France and the United States. Lewis interned at Thomas Keller's The French Laundry restaurant, where Keller developed the confit byaldi, a dish used in the film. Michael Giacchinocomposed the Paris-inspired music for the film.

*Ratatouille* premiered on June 22, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California, with its general release on June 29, in the United States. The film became a critical and commercial success, grossed $623.7 million, finishing its theatrical run as the sixth highest-grossing film of 2007 and the year's second highest-grossing animated film (behind *Shrek the Third*) and received widespread critical acclaim for its screenplay, animation, humor, voice acting, and Michael Giacchino's score. It also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was nominated for several more, including Best Original Screenplay. *Ratatouille* was later voted one of the 100 greatest motion pictures of the 21st century by a 2016 poll of international criticsconducted by the BBC.

## Plot

Remy, a young rat with heightened senses of taste and smell, dreams of becoming a chef like his human idol, the late Auguste Gusteau, but the rest of his colony, including his older brother Émile and his father, the clan leader Django, only eat for sustenance and are wary of humans. The rats live in an elderly woman's attic outside Paris, but when the woman discovers the rats, they're forced to evacuate, and Remy is separated from the others. Encouraged by an imaginary Gusteau, he explores until he finds himself on a roof across the street from Gusteau's restaurant.

Watching from a window, Remy notices the restaurant's new garbage boy, Alfredo Linguini, attempting to fix a soup he had ruined. Remy jumps in to fix Linguini's mistakes. Linguini catches Remy in the act, but does not reveal him to Skinner, Gusteau's former sous-chef and the new owner of the restaurant. Skinner confronts Linguini for tampering with the soup, but when the soup is accidentally served and proves to be a success, Colette Tatou, the restaurant's only female chef, convinces Skinner to retain Linguini and uphold Gusteau's motto, "Anyone can cook". After demanding that Linguini replicate the soup, Skinner spots Remy and orders Linguini to take him outside and kill him. Once they're alone, Linguini discovers that Remy can understand him, and he convinces Remy to help him cook.

Remy controls Linguini's movements like a marionette by pulling on his hair while hiding under his toque. They recreate the soup, and continue cooking at the restaurant. Colette begrudgingly trains Linguini, but steadily comes to appreciate someone heeding her advice. Later, Remy finds Émile and reunites with the clan. After Remy tells Django that he intends to stay at the restaurant, Django shows him a group of exterminated rats in an attempt to convince him that humans are dangerous, but Remy ignores his warnings and leaves.

Meanwhile, Skinner discovers through a letter from Linguini's late mother that Linguini is Gusteau's illegitimate son, and the rightful owner of the restaurant. Skinner is shocked and enraged about this revelation, as Gusteau's will stated that he would inherit ownership of the restaurant, only if no biological heir appeared two years prior to the latter's death. After his lawyer verifies that Linguini is Gusteau's heir, Skinner hides the evidence in an envelope, but Remy finds it and runs away, showing the documents to Linguini, who then forces Skinner out. The restaurant thrives as Remy's recipes become popular, and Linguini's life improves as he develops a romantic relationship with Colette. Food critic Anton Ego, whose previous negative review of the restaurant indirectly led to Gusteau's death, announces to Linguini that he will dine at the restaurant. After Linguini takes credit for Remy's cooking at a press conference, he and Remy have a falling out. As revenge, Remy leads his clan to raid the restaurant's pantries for food. Linguini arrives to apologize, but upon discovering the raid, he furiously kicks Remy and the other rats out.

The next day, Remy is captured by Skinner but promptly freed by Django and Émile. After returning to the restaurant, he and Linguini reconcile, and Linguini reveals the truth to his staff, who all immediately quit. Reminded of Gusteau's motto, Colette returns to help Django and the clan cook to Remy's directions, while Linguini waits tables. Skinner and a health inspector attempt to interfere, but are locked in the pantry by the rats. Remy creates a variation of ratatouille which reminds Ego of his mother's cooking. Ego asks to meet the chef, and is stunned upon being introduced to Remy after the restaurant closes for the evening. The next day, he writes a review of the restaurant, stating that he has come to understand the meaning of Gusteau's motto, and describes Remy - without revealing that he is a rat - as "nothing less than the finest chef in France".

After Skinner and the health inspector are released, they inform the authorities and the restaurant is shut down, stripping Ego of his job and credibility. To continue Gusteau's legacy, Remy, Linguini, and Colette open a bistro, called La Ratatouille, which a now-happier Ego invests in and frequently visits, and the rat colony settles into the bistro's attic as their new home.