Bonjour everyone,
Today is the day.
Many of you know that I am a hopeless fan of the film, Ratatouille. My passion for such a production surpasses almost every other love I have for things material – it is not simply an ardent adoration in a tangible sense, but also in a spiritual and mental sense. This composition, to me, is much more than a work of art; it is a romance, a dance, and a documentary…
Before I take the first steps towards this journey in writing, you must remember, first and foremost, that I am a Christian, and that the way I view Ratatouille is in this light. For those of you who do not support this view, that is perfectly fine with me. I’m simply speaking from my own personal experience. This is not a thread for debate; it is, in the purest sense, an explanation as to why I love Ratatouille, because I do love it… with all of my heart.
Secondly, though not as equal in importance, you should probably be forewarned that this post, in particular, is a long one, and that if you wish to read it you may want to set aside some spare time to do so. However, if you do get through all of it, I thank you so much for doing so. This thread is mainly for you guys, so that you may know why my passion for this film exceeds the realm of perceptibility.
For those who don’t have the time to read the novel below you, I’d suggest that you scroll down to the very bottom of this page.
On June 16, 2007, my heart was ensnared and cleverly hidden, and to this day, I have not been able to recover it.
So, without further ado, and to both quote and translate the title of this thread, Ardor Imperceptible:
On the night that I returned from an expedition to unveil Ratatouille, I was sitting in the front seat of my father’s car, my countenance altogether captured by the many heavenly bodies in the sky… and bearing an expression of pure, uninterrupted lucidity. What exactly had I seen? What was it that I had experienced? Thick were the questions, and difficult to interpret were the answers. Once one inquiry was penetrated, another arose, each more ambiguous than the last. Eventually, I came to a conclusion, and the conclusion was this: Ratatouille, to me and me alone, is not a comedy… or a classic. It is not an adventure, a dramatic composition, or a fantasy. It is a biography.
As unbelievable as it may sound, almost everything that happens to Remy in the film has happened, is happening, and will probably happen to me throughout the course of my life. The way I relate to him as a character is, in many ways, identical, as I share a similar passion, personality, and journey. Each of these aspects is fabricated to such an extent that even I’m amazed that the very idea of a film documenting my life on the screen is plausible, and it has been done. Equally ludicrous, in my eyes, is the fact that I’ve come close to tears while watching this production, perhaps not because of the source material, but because of how delicately crafted it is; there are innumerable instances where I’ve noticed something in that film that is only relevant to me, and I continue to see something different and note-worthy almost every time I watch it. To say that I consider myself to be haughty in this light is far from the truth; to me, I find this film to be simply… incredible.
Each character in Ratatouille represents a unique individual in my life, and each has a significant importance in the way events play out in the present and the future, with the exception of extremely minor entities. For convenience, I’ve compiled them all into a list, in order of appearance. Voila´:
Remy - I am Remy. Simplistically put, I am Remy. His life – his passion – his character – his personality – his unique way of viewing the world: I am that character. From the moment he is introduced… until the full fruition of his journey is achieved, my life and my heart are reflected in his.
It’s a common saying that great minds think alike. In this instance, I’d rather word it as, “unconventional minds think alike”. I will briefly state right now that I am not your typical adolescent, and that the fashion in which I interpret the world is unique to my own perspective. Then again, who’s isn’t? Strictly speaking, I’ve always considered myself to be something of an outcast from my peers, even though I’m on good terms with pretty much everyone I’ve had the pleasure of being introduced to. As far as my general preferences are concerned, I enjoy reading the dictionary, dislike conversing with most teenagers, and adore working with a pencil and paper. Remy, on the other hand, often takes to sneaking around kitchens (and for a good reason), is looked down upon as a bit of an oddball and a geek by his family and friends, and positively swims in the culinary arts. We’re equally passionate about the things we love and trespass into an alternate universe of sorts when immersed or surrounded by these infatuations. Most of our peers don’t understand our weird habits… and generally see us as something of a janitorial device; I’m a bit of an exception, since I do get along extremely well with my family, and they definitely don’t just love me for my “neat freak” attributes. And… we both harness a near impossible dream, which is to work, and be accepted by, the institutions we admire most.
One feature that I’ve always liked about Remy is that he’s blue. A blue rat. You don’t see too many of those. It tenderly emphasizes his uniqueness in a blunt fashion without going “over the top”. As for my unusual traits, they’re subcutaneous, but they’re there. And I’m proud of them. (heheh)
Last, but not least, there’s something that I’ve found to be… very endearing… during several of the times that I’ve watched Ratatouille. A couple of times, I’ve glanced at a scene in which Remy looks up at the camera, and for but a moment, in that half a second, that one, infinitesimal second, I see myself in that character. Call me crazy beyond the realm of craziness, but kid you I do not. It’s the strangest thing: To see yourself reflected on a television screen. It’s also one of the most sentimental, and personal, things I’ve ever experienced.
Emile - My sister is Emile. She doesn’t understand me, but I can be myself around her. Yep – like Remy. She’ll eat pretty much anything, is a bit daft at times, is very sensitive and sweet-natured, and, like any sibling, tends to do things that I disapprove of. Nevertheless, she’s my sister, and I love her to bits – more than she knows.
There’s a moment in the film where Emile is on the verge of being shot to death, and Remy, practically helpless at one point, can’t bear to watch. That scene touched me very deeply because, even though I’m always quarreling with my sister, if anyone dared to put a finger on her they’d be very sorry indeed.
Django - My dad is Django, but only in one sense: If I were in a position such as the one that Remy was in at the end of the film, where every friend and acquaintance had abandoned him, my dad and the rest of my family would be there to support me.
Gusteau - Gusteau represents God, and his book, Anyone Can Cook, represents the Bible. I altogether admire, follow, and respect Him, and He’s never let me or my family down. When I stumble, He’s there to lift me up. You can’t see Him (even Remy, in a technical sense, couldn’t see Gusteau), but He’s always there.
The Cooks - The cooks in Gusteau’s! kitchen represent the employees that I will eventually work with, either at Pixar… or at some other animation studio, or both.
Colette - Colette is an exemplification of a director in some specific department at Pixar (such as a Lighting Technical Director, Story Artist, etc…) who will provide exceptional assistance to me, or she may just be a coworker who helps me out to a great extent.
Skinner - Skinner is a pessimistic, unsociable figure. I’m not certain as to who that could be…
Linguini - Linguini is a very significant symbol. He’s the depiction of a good friend (or, perhaps, several friends) that I’ll meet and probably work with in the future. There’s no doubt that I’ll learn from whoever I socialize with at Pixar.
Anton Ego - Ego is another important figure, as he is the epitome of a critical eye and a sharp tongue that I’ll probably come into contact with at some point or other. He represents the critic, naturally; someone who will evaluate and judge my work. This could be anyone, or a number of people, but I’m quite interested to see who it is.
Those are the characters, and the settings, listed below, are similar:
[b]The Countryside[/b] - Remy’s previous residence, which was the area around Mabel’s cottage, is an example of my past home.
Paris - The uncovered, unlimited mysteries of France’s capital city is an example of my abilities to advance as an artist. As it stands, I am momentarily an amateur, and unaware of the potential I possess. Once I reach the top, I will have unveiled those abilities, even though the journey will be far from over.
Gusteau’s! Restaurant - As is probably blatant, this represents Pixar Animation Studios.
La Ratatouille (Remy’s Restaurant) - Although I have no idea what this represents, and though I certainly don’t want my own studio in the future, we’ll see what it stands for eventually, if it stands for anything at all.
Certain occurrences in the film really hit me on an emotional level, either due to the fact that I’ve gone through a similar situation… or because it’s personal and relevant to my life.
My favorite of these moments is when Remy and Django are talking in the rain outside of that shop. There’s a specific, direct way I see this scene. To magnify some of the quotes uttered here:
“The world we live in belongs to the enemy. We must live carefully.” - Django
Again, me being a Christian, this world does belong to the enemy; or, at least, it’s being controlled by him.
“No. Dad, I don’t believe it. You’re telling me… that the future is… – can only be – … more of this?” - Remy
“This… is the way things are. You can’t… change nature.” - Django
“Change is nature, dad. The part that… we can influence. And it starts… when we decide.”
“Where’re ya’ goin’?” - Django
“With luck… forward.” - Remy
I love this exchange of dialogue. All right. Personally, Django is stressing one point while Remy is counteracting it. The former party is basically saying, “Nature is irreversible.” The latter responds in this fashion: “It’s reversible if you want it to be.” Now, here’s how I view it: The enemy of the world (Satan, rather) is always present to hinder individuals from achieving their goals; he beats them, deceives them, and influences them to choose the incorrect road. I am a budding artist who views my work as “barely tolerable”, and yet… I dare not give up. In this, I am tempted to quit, or to declare myself worthless, and goodness knows that I’ve run across many obstacles already. Nevertheless, that’s not what perseverance is about. Perseverance is about being steadfast. The statement, “Change is nature”, to me, equals, “Fidelity is rewarding.” I can only continue further in my quest to gain a position at Pixar Animation Studios by changing my attitude and crushing defeat. In addition, I usually replace “luck” with “faith” in that last quote of Remy’s. “With faith… forward.”
Yet another scene that I’m touched by is the sequence where Remy is moping in the sewer. My family and I really did lose our home, as Remy did, and we lost several friends in the process. Although I don’t feel alone in this situation, I do experience isolation in other areas. And yes, I will talk to myself, to God, or to fictional characters when I’m down. But what took place there in the underground waterways? “Now go up, and look around!” Gusteau exclaimed. I stated earlier that everything that happened to Remy is happening in my life at this moment. Consequentially, I mentally “bookmark” various moments in Ratatouille according to where I stand in life. Currently, I reside here:
All throughout the film, there are certain things, little things, that I find to be very interesting, as they appertain to my views and what I’m experiencing. My personal favorite is one that occurs in the scene above, where Remy is conversing with Gusteau in the sewer system. After turning the pages of Anyone Can Cook several times, Remy comes upon a picture of Gusteau. I was able to read the number of the page opposite the one of Gusteau, and it happens to be this: 125. I have this weird habit of picking a random two or three-digit number and adding it up to see what the result is. As it stands, 1+2+5 = 8. This would mean that the page that Gusteau is on would have to be page number 124, which adds up to 7. Seven is God’s number, representing the seven names that He has. Since I see Gusteau as something of a Godly figure, how interesting is it that the page number that Gusteau is on happens to be 124, which adds up to seven?
Gusteau’s words of wisdom are especially significant to me, and I often have to hold in a few tears whenever I hear them quoted…
“How can I describe it? Good food is like… music you can taste; color you can smell! There is excellence all around you. You need only be aware… to stop and savour it.” - Gusteau
“Forget tradition! Forget mystique! This is about your cooking. Great cooking is not for the faint of heart. You must be imaginative; strong-hearted; you must try things that may not work; and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit… is your soul. What I say is true: Anyone can cook, but only the fearless… can be great.”
Replace “food” with “art” and “cooking” with “art” or “animation”, and you get my perspective in the equation. That first quote is basically how I see art, and the second is, in a sense, both God and Brad Bird giving me advice.
I probably should have mentioned earlier that Gusteau is also sort of a representation of Brad Bird, in my eyes. Mr. Bird is an extremely inspirational figure to me; every time I watch a documentary or a snippet of a film featuring him, I feel as if I can draw almost anything.
Before I depart, I’d also like to mention Anton Ego’s review at the end of the film. I see this voice of opinion in too many ways to name, but it means more to me than I can say. To say that the words chosen to suit this review were picked by accident is erroneous; this analysis is not a coincidence.
“But the bitter truth we critics must face… is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism… designating it so.” - Anton Ego
Think about that. If you’re an artist and you proclaim that your compositions are nugatory, they may turn out to be the beginnings of note-worthy opus. It’s merely something that hit me yesterday, but I thought it to be worth quoting.
Ratatouille is not a coincidence, I am assured of that. It touches on my heart, my soul, and my life. I heartily thank Jan Pinkava for endeavoring to create this film, and Brad Bird for finalizing it. To the latter: You have no idea how you’ve changed my life. I’m thoroughly convinced that without this film, I wouldn’t be half as confident in my work as I am now. Thank you, Mr. Bird. Thank you so much.
My sincere compliments to the entire team at Pixar, as well, for making this film what it is: A masterpiece. You guys are the best!
Thank you to everyone on Pixar Planet, for you make my life that much more entertaining. I’ve never had so much fun on the internet, and I am much obliged for your undying friendship!
A most heart-felt thanks to my family and friends, and, most importantly, to God. There’s no doubt that I was meant to see this production, and I wouldn’t put it past Him that He had a huge part in it.
– Mitch
- If you don’t wish to read all of that (above), feel free to view this video on YouTube, as it describes how I relate to Remy on an impeccable level:
Ratatouille - “Where the Dream Takes You”
I know that a member on Pixar Planet made that video, but I neglect to remember who it was. To whomever made it: I LOVE it.
)…
I’m a little rusty right now, but I’ve been working hard to play it perfect again. 
I’m glad you agree with me!