Honestly...

Pixar's Feature Films Ratatouille
#1

Why do people think this movie is so great? I mean it’s good and all but it is my least favorite Pixar movie. There is no emotional moments in this movie and the characters are just way to stuck up and annoying. Everytime I put this movie in I say lets just give it another chance, but I still don’t like it.

Can someone tell me what makes this a good film, I’m curious? I want my mind to change about this movie so I can LOVE all Pixar movies.
And is there anything I can do to actually like Ratatouille?

PS: I’m not doing this for attention. There’s no point.

#2

Your opinion is your opinion. Forcing yourself to like it just because it’s pixar is both close-minded and missing the point of cinema. Movies are meant to instill emotion and to entertain. If you don’t like it you don’t like it. If nothing stirs within you then don’t push yourself for the sake of a brand name. It belittles the essence of film.
That said, I cried a little watching it. But hey, that’s me. I love a good “hero’s journey” tale.

#3

What part did you cry at?

#4

I’m like you, Buy-N-Large, I just don’t get Ratatouille. For me, Pixar’s uses of believable and interesting characters are what make (most) of their films great, but none of the characters aside from an under-used Ego seemed interesting at all, and most of the main characters were downright annoying. You don’t want to get me started on Remy. :laughing:

I will admit, I was really looking forward to it before it came out and was severely disappointed in the cinema. I expected it to be good because it’s a Pixar film, but I’ve learnt now that though Pixar films have always been good quality, I shouldn’t expect to like every one of them because, as Haunt said, it’s all down to personal preference. A lot of people on here like Ratatouille and I can see why, but it just isn’t for me.

If you don’t like Ratatouille, don’t force yourself to like it just because it’s a Pixar film. Even the amazing people at Pixar aren’t capable of creating movies that are to absolutely everyone’s tastes! :laughing:

#5

I really like Ratatouille. It is my second favorite Pixar movie. It portrays a very incredible theme about following your dreams, no matter how impossible it may seem. THe animation looked bery believeable. So believeable that i wanted to grab the food from the movie and eat it. The script was great, the music was relaxing, and the voice acting was right on.

#6

I loved Ratatouille.
I’ve been thinking, that since The Incredibles, Pixar has been trying to change as a film company, and trying to go out of their boundaries than making the typical buddy films that were seen up to Finding Nemo. I think it was a wise choice so they don’t lose fans if their films started to feel like the same repeated film over and over again with different character each time. For instance, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, and even Up look like vastly different films that have different things to offer, and there is always something that people will find to like. Sometimes one might feel one isn’t as good as the others, in this case. Maybe that’s why Cars is not a favorite by a lot of people. Was it a bad film? No. It was just different, almost like Pixar is trying to test new grounds to attract new viewers.

#7

After my older brother explained to me how self-serving all the characters were, I realized I wasn’t a big fan of this film either. There was always something about it that didn’t sit right.

Not to say I hate it. I like all Pixar films. But I don’t love it, either. I’m sort of neutral on Ratatouille.

I will say, though, I loved Remy’s speech in the beginning about what he enjoyed about humans. It really defines what makes human creativity so meaningful.

#8

Wow, for once we agree on something! :wink:

I don’t see how anyone could find someone like Alfredo to be a “self-serving” character. Remy is a cute character and stuff, but I don’t connect with him in the same way I connect with Alfredo, I guess. How can you find that kid “stuck up and annoying”? All the guy wants is a job, for crying out loud; or someone to acknowledge him or show him love. Honestly, I cried like a baby once watching the part where all the chefs left him. Alfredo was smart enough to tell the truth about Remy being the real cook, and because he was telling the truth, he was rejected. And how many of us get in trouble or are rejected for telling people the truth? It’s a very relatable situation.

Remy is just desperate for his talents to be discovered, which is something I can relate to as well. He’s not necessarily “selfish”. Is wanting to be accepted a “selfish” desire? Not really. Everyone feels like this at one point or another in their life. Also, his desire to change the way his colony (e.g., his peers or his society) lives can relate to people who challenge the status quo and aim to make live better for everyone by changing the way they live. Sure, it may disrupt the equilibrium of life as they currently know it, but it would be a change for the better.

If you can find something in a character that relates to yourself, it makes you appreciate the movie so much more. You don’t necessarily have to like it, but I’m having a hard time seeing where you guys are coming from when you say the characters are “stuck up”. Just because they’re “French” doesn’t mean a darn thing. You’re thinking in stereotype mode at that point. Again, can someone simply observe Alfredo and tell me honestly that he is a “stuck-up” person…?

You can’t do anything to make yourself like a movie, Buy-N-Large. I don’t care if you hate this movie’s guts. That’s your personal opinion and preference, and I’m not gonna do anything to change it. I’m simply answering the question you asked in your first post:

Well, here’s your answer from a die-hard Ratatouille lover. :wink:

little chef

#9

Shoot, now I’m not sure. Those were some excellent points, little_chef. Maybe I’ll sit down and watch the film again to get a fresh perspective. I haven’t seen it in a while. I did like the fact Linguini professes to not be ambitious. It made him more believable as a character; he was just the everyman, trying to get along.

Why do people call Linguini “Alfredo”? That never made sense to me…

#10

Castoro Chiaro: His first name is Alfredo. :wink: I don’t know if you noticed that while watching the movie. It is first mentioned when Larousse introduces him to Skinner: “Hey boss, look who’s here: Alfredo Linguini; Renata’s* little boy!”

You can also see his name in several newspaper clippings in Skinner’s office. :stuck_out_tongue:

*Renata is Alfredo’s mommy. :cry:

little chef

#11

Actually, Ratatouille is one of my favorite pixar films. I didn’t like it the first time I watched it, but the second time I loved it. Not only because it was pixar either (as Lizardgirl stated). I thought it had hilarious humor, and a cleverly weaved storyline. I also loved linguini’s character because he was just so…likeable?

Also I am a big fan of strong female characters in movie’s with romance, and I thought Collette was just great. Independent, Strong, No-nonsense.

The pair of the two for me was just great! Again, thats just my opinion, and we all have our own views on each movie.

#12

Personally, the fact that the most of the main characters were not really French whatsoever is what bothered me the most. :laughing: I can understand why Pixar went down that route- I can’t always understand what Colette is saying and so for all the characters to be speaking in a very French accent might alienate the audience a bit. My dream version of Ratatouille would have the characters all talking in French and for there to be subtitles for the film’s English-speaking audiences, but once again, I can see why Pixar didn’t go down that sort of route.

I wouldn’t say Linguini is stuck-up as such…I don’t think any of the characters are really. Remy does seem to treat those that don’t understand his ‘talent’ as a bit stupid but yeah, he’s got dreams and he wants to fulfill them. I understand that, I just don’t like the way he goes about it.

But yes, of course, it’s all down to personal opinion.

#13

Ahh Mitch, where are you? :wink:

Well Ratatouille is probably my least fav Pixar movie, mainly because I’m not that interested in any of the topics related to it. But I dont feel bad about it because something’s gonna be last on my list, and something’s gotta be first. I dont feel I have to like it just because it’s Pixar. Loving Pixar doesnt mean you have to love everything they do. Some of their shorts, for example, I’ve been like, “well, that was altogether unamusing…”

On the other hand, I will say I enjoy the music in Ratatouille, and I like Colette and find Linguini to be amusing. I really like Anton Ego’s character too.

#14

Well, I’ll tell you why I like Ratatouille. To me it a very fun movie. Some of the scenes make my head spin. I thought it was funny at times too. The animation is brilliant, and the story is mostly original. However, I can also see why you wouldn’t like this movie. Remy really gets on my nerves sometimes! :confused:

#15

I like you a lot.
And the only time i can watch Ratatouille is when I’m with you and Gabriel.

#16

Ahem…

For the sake of brevity, I am basically going to say that I agree with what both Haunt and lizardgirl stated – with the former in that whether you like a film or not is a matter of opinion, and with the latter in that one set story can’t please everyone. I find it almost comforting of the fact that even Pixar, in all its glory, has made films that not everyone likes; it shows that they’re human, like the rest of us.

Personally, I find Ratatouille to be the most beautiful film I have ever seen, but the reason behind this is due to the fact that it is an extremely personal delicacy… from my perspective. To put it bluntly, this particular film is a documentary of my life, and the fact that such a movie was made astounds me.

I wrote out a lengthy description of why I adore this film so, and you may read it here if you like:

All-in-all, it comes down to a matter of personal preference. Some people love Ratatouille, while others don’t, and the same goes for other Pixar films, like Cars. Just because you don’t like a production that most other people favor doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you. Not at all. It just depends on your unique and individual tastes.

Ha-ha. Yeah, you know I wouldn’t pass by this thread. :wink:

– Mitch

#17

Thank you! I love Ratatouille but I hate how everything’s in English. I understand not having the characters speak French, but I hate how almost all of the text is in English… Or even worse is the random bilingual papers. Like Gusteu’s will. His handwriting is in English, but the actual document’s in French? (example here)

These little things annoy me so much ): It’s a beautiful movie and I love it to bits, but, come on, I don’t understand why they did that.

#18

That never really bugged me. It’s kinda funny though, I’ve only seen this movie 3 times (as of today, me and Simon-Simon watched it together over skype, great fun!), and it had it’s position as my 2nd favorite before I watched it the 2nd time. Monsters jumped from 8th to 3rd after my 2nd viewing (keep in mind, the first 2 were about 6 years apart), so it’s pretty amazing that I remembered how great it was just from watching it the first time.

I’m probably gonna root through the features tonight, need something to do, and I plan on seeing all the features for all the movies at some point anyway. This is really a great movie, lots of fun, really great story, very unique characters, and just a fantastic movie overall. \m/

I do think that Pixar is trying to depart from their early formula, a lot of their plots have differed much more since The Incredibles. For those who don’t know yet, Up’s plot is very very emotional. Wall•E was an incredibly visual movie, Up’s more of a movie for the heart. Ratatouille is a movie about dreams, while Cars is a bit more traditional and has to do with friends and ambitions. I think the reason Cars didn’t do so well is because it’s very cookie-cutter for Pixar, it seems like it’s been done before. Also, the world in Cars isn’t as vibrant as most of the other movies. Ratatouille is the same way, but with a more substantial story. Pixar’s departure from their early work has actually really helped them in my eyes, they cover so much ground, and do it so well. They have something for everyone.

I think the main reason some people have a hard time liking Ratatouille is because you kind of have to have an eye for the little things in movies to appreciate it fully. I honestly think that Linguini, Collete, and Remy are some of the most well done characters from Pixar. Skinner is one of those characters that frustrates me to watch (Muntz does the same thing), and Ego is a mix of both.

My favorite kind of characters are ones like Linguini, Collete, Buzz (taking into account a mix of both before and after his realization of toy-dom), and Carl, ones that stand out for their unique personalities, and aren’t typical of normal movies. Remy stands out a bit, especially in his original spot in the clan, so he’s pretty great. Emile however, is a bit blah to me. Other faves include Dory, Russell, M-O (for what it’s worth), and Sulley.

I cry during Ego’s final critique a bit, really great part. I tear up a tad during Linguini’s speech when he reveals Remy as well.