Ratatouille (the movie, not the dish)

[Tek7]

I took a day off yesterday. My wife and I originally intended to work around the apartment and prepare for a quick trip out of town on Saturday. We ended up canceling the trip, so I had a day to relax instead.

Shortly after waking up in the morning, I remembered--with much delight--that Ratatouille was premiering that day. We ended up seeing a matinee, so I thought I would post my impressions.

I wrote up this two-page post on Pixar, Disney, and Ratatouille, but I decided to scrap and just say:

The film is awesome. Pixar takes a step of faith toward a more mature audience and I believe it pays off. It's fresh and original and doesn't fall back on cliche plot devices as other films would. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

 

[tjguitarz]

I second that! The movie was very funny and cute and had a great story. It was definitely something I'd see again.

 

[Lazarus]

And what is it about?

 

[tjguitarz]

It's a cross between the Matrix and Beauty and the Beast. Except Neo is a rat, and the beast is this fat guy.

 

[Glitch]

Wow.... since you've said that... i just might actually see it. I was planning on waiting for the movie to come out on DVD yet; since you say it isn't just the "same old thing" and actually has good humor, i'm thinking of seeing it now. Thanks Tek.

 

[SirThom]

Awesome! Remember, guys: Tek's summary comes from someone who doesn't really like Disney much. =D

 

[tjguitarz]

Whenever I think of Disney, I think of all the Family Guy spoofs on their cartoons and Walker Disney himself. Those always made me laugh. But I lost all respect and loyalty to the show when they started making fun of my Savior, Jesus Christ. That kind of humor is unwanted and very offensive. So I stick with Spongebob.

 

[Hescominsoon]

I agree with tek. We took it further and let our daughter see it. It's a great movie for all ages and is truly a wonderful and cute movie. This is one of the few that will be making it into our dvd collection.

 

[ChickenSoup]

Except it's in France. I don't mind France, except for the French.

EDIT: Before I get banned again, that was a joke. I don't mean any verbal harm against any particular nation.

 

[Tek7]

Awesome! Remember, guys: Tek's summary comes from someone who doesn't really like Disney much. =D

That's an understatement. -_-

But yes, Ratatouille is fantastic. I plan on pre-ordering the DVD when it's announced.

I buy very few movies, but I own every Pixar film up until this point on DVD.

 

[Tek7]

Except it's in France. I don't mind France, except for the French.

EDIT: Before I get banned again, that was a joke. I don't mean any verbal harm against any particular nation.

No offense taken. The movie itself makes fun of the French on a few occasions.

 

[tjguitarz]

Except it's in France. I don't mind France, except for the French.

EDIT: Before I get banned again, that was a joke. I don't mean any verbal harm against any particular nation.

The French deserve insurmountable verbal abuse, and I think it should start with C$.

 

[Glitch]

Is all the humor clean? "adult humor" (not meaning "dirty", meaning you need an understanding of the world to understand the joke)? or is the humor open for every side of the family?

 

[tjguitarz]

Is all the humor clean? "adult humor" (not meaning "dirty", meaning you need an understanding of the world to understand the joke)? or is the humor open for every side of the family?

Mr. Clean couldn't make it any cleaner even if he was poked with a cattle prod.

 

[Tek7]

Mr. Clean couldn't make it any cleaner even if he was poked with a cattle prod.

Yes, the humor is clean, though there are a few scenes that might scare or startle young children.

These scary scenes, for me, only made the film more enjoyable. Modern storytellers sanitize stories and remove any unsettling content for fear of receiving negative reviews. The storytelling tradition, most notably fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm, included characters intended to frighten children.

Anton Ego is a terrific continuation of that tradition. Pixar uses imagery to make it clear to the audience that Ego is a character to be feared: the back of his typewriter strongly resembles the shape of his skull and an overhead perspective of his office looks very much like a casket. Pixar draws on classic vampire imagery, simultaneously creating a scary character with a strong presence (and given a fearsome demeanor by Peter O'Toole) and making a subtle comparison between critics and the blood-sucking undead.