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Ratatouille Is Tasty Film Fare

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Written by Steve Collins

Saturday, 15 March 2008

by SteveCollins

Ratatouille, the eighth Pixar production, is a scrumptious treat. The irony of the kitchen's most horrifying menace, a rat, becoming a culinary hero is too ironic to resist-at least, that is what Pixar thought of the idea when it was introduced in 2001. The name comes from a French recipe and translates literally to "toss food." It is difficult to imagine a more fitting title for this film.

The hero of the film, Remy, is a rat with unique dreams of becoming a chef, and he has a real talent. Washed ashore in the sewers of Paris, he observes a gourmet restaurant's garbage boy boggle soup destined for a critic. Remy jumps in and saves the day. When the soup turns out to be a hit, the garbage boy (hilariously named Alfredo Linguini) finds himself stuck with the impossible task of recreating the soup. Thus, an unusual team is born. Remy, hiding beneath Alfredo's toque hat, proceeds to direct the clueless boy's movements by tugging at his hair, not unlike a puppeteer would direct a marionette. Consequently, Alfredo gains a reputation for being a star chef.

As in all the Pixar productions, the animation is amazing, and the creators found themselves doing some pretty strange homework to create their effects. For months, caged rats scampered in the studio hallway as movement models. Fruits and vegetables were drawn in various stages of decomposition. One man was nominated to go swimming in a chef's coat and toque to see where the articles would stick to his body when wet. The hardest assignment? A week in Paris studying the finest restaurants of Paris!

The final result is a culinary tour de force which many critics, among them A.O. Scott of the New York Times and Scott Foundas of the L.A. Weekly, count among the best films released in 2007. Nominated for five Academy Awards, Ratatouille is a rich, film you will want to watch over and over.

About the Author:

Steve Collins is an Author in Encino, CA. An avid Disney fan, he uses the Disney Movie Club to fill the gaps in his collection. Read reviews of Disney Movie Club