“Ratatouille” (2007)

Ratatouille

Grade: A+

There have been many great animated movies throughout the history of cinema, but there are only a few that are comfortably in the running for “greatest animated movie ever.” For me, Spirited Away and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh immediately come to mind. But might I also propose Ratatouille? The Disney Pixar story of a rat who becomes the greatest chef in Paris is funny, heartfelt, profound and wonderfully inventive in a way that few movies, animation or otherwise, can ever hope to be. A few more notes on Ratatouille:

Directing:

If Ratatouille isn’t the greatest animated film of all time, it’s at least the greatest computer-animated film of all time. Director Brad Bird and his team of talented artists brilliantly combine digital imagery with a traditional cartoonish style. The end result is quite astonishing: a photorealistic Paris populated with an eccentric and expressionist cast of quirky characters, whose designs perfectly match their personalities. Every movement and facial expression — including those of the rats — is filled with so much emotion and meaning that the story of Ratatouille could’ve been told without dialogue and still been just as brilliant. It’s no surprise, then, that several of the best scenes (e.g., the complex chase between Remy and Skinner that zigzags through the Paris streets and spills into the Seine) are entirely visual. Bird’s animation not only enhances the human element of the story; it completely transcends it.

Acting:

Similar to how the character designs perfectly match their personalities, so too do the voice actors. Patton Oswalt is a sympathetic and strong-willed everyrat, while Lou Romano is an empty-headed yet good-natured teen. The real talent, however, resides in the colorful supporting cast: Janeane Garofolo as the straightforward, brusque Colette; Ian Holm as the spiteful, diminutive Skinner; and Peter O’Toole as the foreboding, vampiric Anton Ego. In Ratatouille, the voices are inseparable from how the characters look — a film in complete lockstep with all its moving parts.

Writing:

The premise of a rat secretly becoming a world-class chef is already an idea that lends itself to endless possibilities. Amazingly enough, Ratatouille completely delivers on this fantastic concept and then exceeds it. There are no narrative lulls, and the story keeps on getting better and better from beginning to end. The only other film I can think of that takes such a wacky idea and expounds on it in increasingly unpredictable and awe-inspiring ways is Being John Malkovich. Which means it’s also fair to say that Ratatouille is somewhat Kaufmanesque in how it reaches our subconscious. Unlike Kaufman, however, the fantastical tale is told in a straightforward manner.

Ratatouille doesn’t pander to kids with easy gags or dumbed-down dialogue, and it doesn’t cater to adults with endless pop culture callbacks or self-referential humor. Instead, the film trusts in its own ethos: “Everyone can cook,” and every viewer can empathize with Ratatouille‘s genuine emotion.

Music:

Every aspect of Ratatouille, from the directing to the acting to the writing to the music, impacts each other and vice versa. Case in point: Michael Giacchino’s score, which effortlessly combines Ennio Morricone-influenced classical, Django Reinhardt-inspired jazz and relentlessly uplifting French folk music idioms (i.e., accordions galore), is an inseparable ingredient from the rest of the recipe. The music fits seamlessly with the images onscreen and the actions of the storyline, while also amplifying the story’s humane themes. Possibly Giacchino’s best soundtrack…and he has plenty of great ones.

Ending (SPOILER):

Everyone gets a happy ending — even Anton Ego, whose Proustian flashback to his childhood after tasting the titular stew is the magic center (i.e., best scene) of the film. And, yes, the happiness is reciprocated: Ratatouille inspires pure jubilation in the viewer; a feeling which never grows old no matter how many times you watch it. Like your favorite food prepared at your favorite restaurant, the film is always a joy to return to.

“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.” — Anton Ego

Why Ratatouille gets an A+:

With a story this good, it’s hard to fail. This is the epitome of all that Pixar Animation Studios has to offer: a thoroughly moving and affectingly profound cartoon that transcends the genre’s limitations.

Accolades: 

Colin’s Review Best Films of the 2000s

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