Disney/Pixar
Note: This piece was originally published on Creators.co.
The Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures film Ratatouille is another win for the studio behind so many of our favorite animated films! I’m seriously hating myself right now. I have, yet again, which really is becoming a thing, a confession. I’ve never seen this particular animated film. Are you done? Stop it. Stop laughing or sighing or gasping in shock. It’s just one of those things. I’m amazed myself as I’m someone who’ll watch any Pixar film released. Does that mean I’ll like it? No. But I’ll give it a shot or seriously consider doing so. That’s why we call it marketing.
With this particular animated film now 10 years old, which again seems to be the main reason I finally see a film or watch it again after many, many years, it really did seem like a good time to watch it. I probably could’ve watched it before, as I found the DVD copy floating around my sister’s place and had borrowed it some time ago, but decided against it. This 10 year anniversary seemed better, as if it needed those few extra months to age just the right amount. Any sooner and I’d spoil the surprise. Yes, it’s strange, I’ll never deny that as doing so would be pretty strange itself, but it happens. Apparently a lot more than I’d previously thought, but at least I’m aware of it. And because of this, I’m surprisingly ready to do my best too not wait so long to rewatch certain animated films, and perhaps, other films in general. Who know’s what I’ve been missing or remembering wrong? I can’t wait to find out!
Hold The Bad Parts
Disney/Pixar
While any given film doesn’t set out to be awful, unless you’re on SyFy or Lifetime, that doesn’t mean that it’ll be able to successfully steer clear of bad bits. Some are littered with them, that even if there are other exceptional moments, it might not matter. Too much of a bad thing. Fortunately, with a long track record to go with it, this film managed to avoid having bad bits. Not surprising, as this is film comes from a studio that largely seems to know how to tell a wonderful story that sticks with anyone who watches.
Because of the fact that I hadn’t seen this film before, which I really need to stop making a thing, I’m not sure how this should be approached. I’m surprisingly still flying high. Any thought I have on this film, just sends me over the moon. I’m filled with excitement when I think about this film! I’d say too, that it also helps that I can’t find a single thing wrong with this film. It’s just so perfect! Mind you, saying that, I don’t think it’s better than the Disney/Pixar film Up, which would come out two years later. But it’s certainly high up there on my list of films I love! If anything can truly be called bad, it’s the simple fact that this film still follows a bit of a formula. It’s a kids’ film after all, it kind of had to. You’ve got the persistence of the villain, who ultimately gets his way for a moment, only to have the hero somehow foil his plans; you’ve got the sad moment, where all hope seems lost for the protagonists, only for things to turn around and lead to that happy conclusion you always knew was coming. While not distracting or used in too much of a cliché and obnoxious manner, it’s still easy to spot. That being said, because of writer and director Brad Bird, he was able to make sure that everything involving the story overshadowed this and that the ideas were as fresh as they could be.
Every bit of this film is fun. It is. An absolute blast! Even when bits get a little bit sadder or surprise you, if only for a moment, you can never really stop enjoying yourself. Every little bit, including the general animation look, which is classic Pixar and why you love the studio and its films as much as you do, takes you away! It’s exciting!!
For me, which was a very tough thing to balance listening to on top of just paying attention to the film’s events, I have to think about the score. The score is everything! Like with a lot of films that have score in the background, it changes everything. Yes, the film could already be highly dramatic or funny or filled with action, but the score does something else. It changes what you feel. You’re taken to another emotional level, perhaps even a deeper one than you would’ve already gotten to. With composer Michael Giacchino (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Up) involved in this film, which I’d forgotten, I knew I was in for a treat! I wasn’t let down. Because of Giacchino’s work, I could get lost in the fun and antics, find a bit more danger at times, get caught up in the thrills of certain chase like scenes, and even get a bit romantic. So many things to feel, I’m truly surprised I didn’t just get lost in the music. I fully understand why this was what led to Giacchino receiving his first Academy Award nomination. And, thanks to this film, I know now that I want to own this soundtrack. Then, without feeling guilty, I can get as lost as I want.
But even without considering score, which really seems silly, you can easily get lost in everything that’s given. The story is simply enjoyable. A rat with a dream. How can you not love that? The comedy itself is worth sticking around. It’s not tired, but sprinkled through pretty consistently and everyone gets a chance to play. While character building isn’t so much a thing in this film, except for Patton Oswalt’s Remy, the rat, you get enough from each character, not to mention the voices performances, where this doesn’t matter. It’s not simply or just that they play their parts in the larger story, but that they come to life in ways that make them still stand out. They can then become favorites, or in the case of Ian Holm’s Skinner, he can just be a crazed, tiny, villainous man!
And I can’t forget a crucial part of this film. The food! While I don’t recall actually seeing much completed food, unlike if you were to watch Eat Pray Love, there’s still enough to make you hungry, even if you’re not, and it’s still exactly what I expected. Lots of preparation and kitchen action, not just when Oswalt is trying to avoid being discovered, which was pretty hilarious, but just an interesting and exciting look at what goes on behind closed doors. I suddenly had this urge to cook and pretend that I wasn’t just making something good, but that I was genuinely good at it! Talk about living vicariously. I truly couldn’t get enough! I think the only way this would’ve gotten better is if I’d somehow been transported to Paris, to that restaurant, and given the chance to eat the delicious food that was being prepared!
I love discovering new films, but when they’re films I should’ve seen years ago (a decade), then it’s a bit sadder. I was actively keeping myself from watching something that I no doubt would’ve fallen in love with, with each successive viewing. Now that I’ve seen this film, one, I hate that it took me so long, two, can’t wait for the chance to see it again! How long should I wait? While this film may have entertained me with every little bit, it never lost sight of the one of the most important things it was striving to leave viewers with. You can do anything, even when others (your family) don’t think you can or should. Dream big! Yes, as expected, this film had a message. It may not be particularly new, but somehow, it still managed to be uplifting enough. I feel inspired! Inspired to do what? Well, that’s another thing and for another time.
The Hilarious Trailer:
Originally Released: June 29, 2007
Written and Directed: Brad Bird
Featuring the Voice Talents Of: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O’Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett, Julius Callahan, James Remar and John Ratzenberger
...Everything in Between 