Review of Ratatouille (2007) by Harry W — 04 Mar 2015

Being Brad Bird's follow up to his amazing animated film The Incredibles, Ratatouille demanded my viewing.

I've seen Ratatouille so many times in my life that by this point it is probably my 10th viewing, but I can happily say that still to this day it manages to entertain me in almost all the ways that I could hope. The only criticisms of the film would be that there is not too much creativity put into the Rat-themed universe due to the focus being predominantly on Remy's relationship with Alfredo Linguini. Due to the film suggesting that the only contact they can have comes from the physical engagements, there is not much room for banter between them when there could have been. And although the film was able to go a long way on the basis of the physical relationship they share with all its slapstick merits, I felt like the theme of banter between characters was not explored well enough. There is a universe full of potential in Ratatouille but I felt it ended up rather limited to a small scale setting and few characters. All in all, the premise in Ratatouille does not have as much creativity as it could or any sense of adventure as it goes for more of a comic relief angle the entire time, and it works in doing so at the expense of the sense of adventure synonymous with many other Disney Pixar film. The scale of the tale is very small even if it has some brief moments where it goes beyond the boundaries of its setting, but it is a thoroughly well written feature with a hilariously clever screenplay and a lot of fun characters to boot which is later converted into an unforgettable experience by the wonderful animation of the film.

The animation in Ratatouille is exquisite. After wowing everybody with The Incredibles, Brad Bird returns to amaze viewers once more with the animation in Ratatouille. Capitalising on the French setting of the story, Ratatouille maintains a beautiful sense of scenery by using traditional French buildings and streets as the basis for the story. Everything is very detailed and while the colour of the film is somewhat monotonous in a realistic manner, the actual detail on all the scenery is beautiful. With different tones of colour blended and extensively detailed three dimensional animations, Ratatouille is a wonderful visual experience. The quality of the three dimensional animation is stunning with all the character movements and such being so organic even when they move by in very quick pans. And all this is put into the charming design of the characters who all maintain their own iconic elements such as the cute little rat at the heart of the story or the stereotypically French antagonist with a comically short stature. Due to these character elements and the way Brad Bird puts them to clever use in the story, the main sense of humour in Ratatouille comes from the visual slapstick of the feature. The quantity and quality of all the slapstick more than makes up for the somewhat simple nature of the premise as there is plenty of clever visual humour used in the contrasting size of the rats and the human beings, but most importantly the way that Remy controls Alfredo Linguini like a marionette puppet. The entire concept is a hilarious one, and Brad Bird is able to find creative situations to put that into which successfully stretches it all over the 111 minute running time without ever getting stale. The visual gags of Ratatouille make it a thoroughly fun experience, and it is really the best thing that the film has to boast about in the end. Ratatouille is full of unforgettable imagery and detailed animation, and to add atmosphere to the experience of the film there is a beautiful musical score which is culturally appropriate in fitting the French setting of the film. All in all, Ratatouille looks good and sounds good, and the voice cast plays its role in ensuring the latter.

Patton Oswalt is perfect for portraying Remy. While he is known for his whiny persona from many films and television series such as The King of Queens, he adds elements of that to his voice work in Ratatouille while combining a true sense of energy with a passionate sense of articulation for speaking about food. Patton Oswalt speaks with the mind of a true chef in Ratatouille which makes it all the more funny for the fact that he is portraying a rat since he is thoroughly dedicated to playing it as legitimate. Patton Oswalt is spot on in Ratatouille.

Lou Romano is also spot on in capturing the awkward nature of Alfredo Linguini. With a tone in his voice of constant uncertainty, Lour Romano manages to grasp his role firmly and play around with it. As it is his job to share chemistry with a silent rat, he has a lot weighing on his shoulders, yet he easily spearheads it with a perfect effort. Mainly coming from his interactions with fellow talented voice actors Janeane Garofalo and Ian Holm, Lou Romano brings a likable role to Ratatouille which becomes the source of plenty of vocal humour in the film.

Peter O'Toole is also incredibly dedicated in capturing the sadistic nature of Anton Ego. He delivers his lines with such a raw power which comes in a subtle format and combines with the sophisticated nature of the character. His edginess is very dark and his tone of voice is appropriately commanding which makes him a cleverly manipulative antagonist who finds ways to dominate the screen in the snobbish way he speaks. Peter O'Toole takes on a nice contrast playing the antagonist for once, and it is very welcoming to have such a legendary actor on board.

So Ratatouille has some minor story flaws to it, but with astoundingly incredible animation and a hilarious sense of slapstick comedy, Brad Bird directs another winning feature from Disney Pixar.