Ratatouille (#229)

Ratatouille (#229/250)

Starring: Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano.
Rating/Volume: 8.0 (291,000)
My Rating: WATCH
Source: DVD

Back on track! Number 229 in the ever changing IMDB top 250 list. Believe it or not, the most requests that I receive to do reviews are mostly people wanting Disney films. 


People love Disney films and there's a good reason; they are great! Somebody name my a bad Disney film. Go on. Anybody. I dare you! Every Walt Disney picture is put together with tremendous craft, love and even magic. They just seem to always get it right. The only films I love more than Disney films? Disney Pixar films. Not only will all these films stand the test of time as being some of the greatest animations ever made, but the greatest straight up films ever made. The lowest Pixar film that features on the list at the moment is Ratatouille (#229). You may think that is unfair given that it's a great film but at least it is even on the list!

A brief introduction to you poor, poor, unfortunate souls that have not experienced the joy and wonder that this film brings with it; Ratatouille (#229) is the story of an adorable french rat called Remy (Patton Oswalt) who longs to be a chef, just like his idol Gusteau (Brad Garrett). After he loses his home and is separated from his family, he finds himself in the sewers of Paris. There he finds Gusteau's restaurant and after an unlikely meeting with a friendly garbage boy, Linguini (Lou Romano), using Remy's culinary prowess and Linguini's opposable thumbs, they start cooking food that soon gets the whole city talking! 

I remember seeing this film for the first time. I liked it so much that I bought the DVD the day it came out. As I recall there was an offer on and I also qualified to buy Finding Nemo (#162) for only £5. Great success! The thing I love most about this film (and, come to think of it, all Pixar films) is the fact that even though the film is about a group of talking cartoon rats that cook, the films is so sophisticated. It's not just a kids film that adults put up with. It's a genuine family film that reaches all age demographics in equal measure. Children love it for the obvious; bright colours, funny characters and a simplistic story. Teenagers/Adults love it for the more adult humorous references, the awe inspiring animation and the originality of the story line. And even the elderly love it because of the refreshing new concepts in the graphics and good old fashioned family values that Disney/Pixar promotes. I think that mastering all three demographics are not only a common sense way to increase box office totals but films highly regarded by the mass market can have a much longer shelf life. It wouldn't surprise me if after I'm long dead and buried people will still be making their children watch films like Ratatouille (#229). They are that well made. Pixar was once founded with a lot of help from our friends at Apple computers. Even when Disney bought the company in 2006 for $7.4bn it left Steve Jobs one of Disney's largest shareholders. I don't know how much influence Apple had in the technology of how these films got produced (I'm guessing most) but even today they are on the cutting edge of animation. The characters never fail to impress and I think that the overly exaggerated proportions of a lot of the characters bodily features only add to the sweetness and success of the characters. This film just could not have made it in any other medium. Every single scene, supporting character and even prop is crafted on the screen with a lot of thought and attention to detail. The colours are so rich and the drawing/graphics are of such a high standard, this film demonstrates so well why even the word Pixar connotes quality, heart and humor. The story of this film is so sweet. Apparently, most of the Pixar film concepts that have been turned into movies over the past ten or so years were all created in one meeting! I wish I had that level of creative drive! The idea of the story for Ratatouille (#229) is just inspired. Every little detail is thought of. There are more adult, finer, detailed story points that impress parents whilst at the same time there is the obvious more general plotline of this rat that just longs to follow his dreams.

Pixar  have created some of the best original films in the past 15 years reaching their absolute height with Up (#116) and Toy Story 3 (#61) in the last 4 years; I just really hope they're not losing it. Their last original film was Brave. Remember it? Neither does anybody else. Up (#116) and Toy Story 3 (#61) were just so good that even I had to think to myself "how can it get any better?". Since Brave, they have done both Cars 2 and Monsters University and they have also announced a Cars spin-off, Planes, and a much awaited Finding Nemo (#162) sequel, Finding Dory, for release in 2015. Now so far, even though I am definitely going to see Monsters University on the 12th (UK release) I have not seen the last two films. That's shocking for me! I used to go and see any film just because it was a Pixar, But with Brave failing to grab me, I just gave up. Has it knocked the confidence of this once great juggernaut? Have Pixar been caught using sequels to get their mojo back? Even more insulting, they make Cars 2 before an Incredibles 2! What an injustice. I pray that they can once again find themselves and come up with some great original stories. I want another as good, or better, than Up (#116)! 

 Overall, this lovely film must be watched. Alone or with friends, everybody will be guaranteed to find this a true Disney/Pixar classic.
Now, I'm going to ask you to go and watch it yourself. You can buy it anywhere on DVD and Blu Ray from £6 and it is readily available on Netflix (a service that I can't recommend enough) at £6 a month. Feel free to send me a message at reviewthe250@gmail.com with any comments and your own views and opinions.

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Thanks for reading!

William



Next: Continuing the Disney trend with Beauty and the Beast (#237)