He needs a lot more imagination…
I have to say, about fifteen minutes into the movie yesterday, I was pretty upset. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this movie for well over a year now, and finally yesterday I was sitting in the theater, and I could not get myself to enjoy the movie, or even feel involved in any way with the characters on the screen. Just to clarify, it wasn’t that Pixar had done a poor job. Just the opposite. My issue wasn’t with Pixar, it was with my local movie theaters, who seem to hate Pixar so much that they can’t even give this beautiful film the decent presentation all of the other movies at the theater currently are getting.
First, there was the fact that they only gave Ratatouille three showings per day (and all three were at very inconvenient times). Never in my life have I seen a movie get less than 5 showings a day at that theater. Then they put it into the smallest and furthest theater from the entrance, conveniently “out of the way” of all the other movies. Also, other than Wall-E, there was only one other preview playing before it (which is usually a sign of a movie on it’s way out of a theater). But none of these things would have bothered me if they would at least play the movie correctly! But apparently someone didn’t know (or didn’t care) how to set up the projector. Because for the entire 2 hours I sat in the theater the movie was playing in FULLscreen format, squashing the entire image, leaving ugly black bars on both sides of the screen, and literally cutting off half the image on both the top and the bottom, leaving us to guess what was going on in those unseen portions of the screen! There was a considerable amount of action in the movie that took place in the lower third of the screen, and we couldn’t see any of it. For instance,
[spoil]in the scene where Skinner is chasing Remy, he jumps through the air and grabs the tablecloth at a couple’s table, pulling it with him into the water. Nobody laughed at that part, because nobody saw it. If that clip hadn’t been in the trailer, I wouldn’t have known what happened either (a friend of mine didn’t even know he hit the water until a few shots later)[/spoil]. Anyway, this was very distracting, and I almost considered getting up and leaving the theater (after all, I didn’t want to watch the whole movie this way).
But the thing that bugged me more than anything was that this exact same thing had happened to me once before: last year, when I saw Cars for the first time in a completely different movie theater!! For some reason my local theaters have a thing against Pixar, and if this happens again at Wall-E next summer, I’m moving. 
Last year at Cars, the distorted and cut-off image distracted me so much I couldn’t even enjoy it. But then I went to a different theater the very next day and enjoyed it a lot (I didn’t really like that, though, because it felt like I was watching the movie for the first time, but already knew the entire story). I was glad I got to see Cars again, but I would have rather seen it for a second time for the sake of seeing it a second time, not as a “second-first-time”.
I was sure this was what would happen with Ratatouille as well, but as the film progressed I started getting into the story, and after the movie ended I suddenly realized that I’d completely forgotten that the screen was so messed up (something I was never able to do for Cars). It didn’t bother me. I could be watching a shot with no action other than two rat’s ears bobbing up and down in the bottom of screen, and I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything (I was missing out, but I was so engrossed in the movie I didn’t care).
Every Pixar film has been excellent (with “excellent” being an understatement), but some films have a higher level of excellence, with that extra spark of magic that reminds me just how great Pixar is. This is one of those movies. The multiple plot lines were very well-crafted, never being overly obvious, but subtly hinted at here and there until finally surfacing at the exact right moment. The humor is sporadic, but when it is there it’s some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever seen in a movie (I was rolling in my chair laughing watching Linguini stumble around the kitchen being “driven” by Remy). And while the sentimental scenes aren’t “bawl-your-eyes-out” sad, they do add just the right touch of emotion to get you involved in these wonderful characters. Any more would have been overkill.
There were several moments throughout Ratatouille where I thought it was about over, and if it had ended in any of those places, I would have been content. Yet it continued, and with each new scene the movie got better and better, which is how all movies should be. If I had to say anything bad about the movie, I could come up with a few critiques. But they are all so minor that they aren’t even worth mentioning. My biggest issue with the movie was the opening.
[spoil]While the whole full-screen TV/Interview opening worked for The Incredibles, I don’t think it quite worked here. I would have preferred them opening with the shot of the house just after the TV bit, and then found some way to fit that information in a little later.[/spoil] Other than that, my only other “real” critique is that I found one of Remy’s five-second narrations in the middle of the movie a bit out of place.
About a month ago, right after seeing the 9-minute sneak peek, I made a prediction that Ratatouille would become my all-time favorite Pixar film. And now that I’ve seen it, I actually think it has exceeded my prediction (if that’s even possible). It’s not at all how I expected it to be, and it’s very different than any other Pixar movie, but it’s pure gold.
On a rather humorous note, my friends and I always stick around for Pixar’s end credits (of course), but we’re usually the only ones in the theater by the time the credits have run their course. Well, to add to my frustration with my local theater, about a minute into Bird’s fantastic credits experience some guy up in the control booth shuts the film off. Before I even had a chance to react, I hear a chorus of “boo’s” from behind me, turn around, and see that practically the entire audience is still in their chairs watching. A couple of people yell up at the back window that “we paid to see the credits, too!” After about fifteen seconds, the guy flips the movie back on, everyone laughs, and we all finish watching. That’s definitely the largest crowd of people I’ve ever seen stick around for credits. 
I’m a little disappointed that I missed part of “Lifted” (I was busy trying to find some friends who were seeing the movie with me), but what I saw of it looked good. I don’t think I’d rank it among my top Pixar shorts, though. Fortunately, I’ve already made plans to see Ratatouille again at a different theater (possibly this weekend), and hopefully I’ll be able to see all of Lifted and the un-cropped version of Ratatouille.
There’s not a whole lot of deep insights left for me to make that haven’t been made already (although maybe there will be once I see the movie a second time, with a more critical eye now that I’ve already seen it for story and content). But I just have no choice but to say, even if it is reiterating, that this film is the most visually and cinematically stunning Pixar presentation I have seen. Cars was of course beautiful with the reflective surfaces and chrome and whatnot, but even though I know very little about filmmaking and film-critiquing I’m going to go out on a limb and whip out the word “camera,” as in angles and movement, as something that I absolutley loved about Ratatouille. [spoil]The chase scene with Skinner and the documents is absolutely fantastic and heartpounding, and is a scene worthy of an action film, I don’t care how small one, well, both really, of the participants are. And a scene with a completely different tone, where Remy is running through the walls of the buildings up to discover that he is in Paris was paced wonderfully, and melded so incredibly beautifully with Michael Giacchino’s music, that my heart is soaring just remembering that part.[/spoil]
I think the best way to describe it is that it, without a doubt, has “Brad Bird” written all over it. That’s how I plan to describe it to my friends, at any rate, at least those fellow Pixar freaks who know who Mr. Bird is.
Sharkbait - How the film is presented (at least, as far as cropping and set-up goes) has a deep impact upon the film, I’m sure. Judging by your review, it really is a shame that various cinemas choose to do this (unless yours is just a rare exception), as it pretty much degrades the production itself in many aspects.
I hope that the next time you go to see Ratatouille it will be a pleasurable experience.
DElf - I have to concur with you when considering the position of the camera angles and how beautifully they were manipulated to tie in with the film itself and with the overall score. One of my favorite “moments with a camera” has to be a sequence of the film that was shown in the 9-minute clip of Ratatouille, and this is when Remy is desperately attempting to escape from the bustling confines of the kitchen de Gusteau’s!, specifically the instance where the frantic little rat is scurrying underneath a food tray. The entire scene is just…beautifully choreographed.
I’m glad you enjoyed the film! 
– Mitch
Sorry for the repost I totally missed this thread and kept blabing on in the official opening day thread.
After thinking about this movie all day. I think my expectations may have been too high for this movie, don’t get me wrong it was a good movie.
In my opinion Toy story set the bar, The Incredibles and Cars raised the bar, Ratatouille came close to the bar but did not raise it.
Possible spoiler ahead…
[spoil]The comedy was just OK, they didn’t have as many hidden jokes as I was expecting. Also I guess I wanted to see more history on the characters like Linguini and Colette’s past. Colette briefly mentioned how she got in the kitchen but maybe they should have shown even a 1 min clip on her past. I would have liked to see them shed some light on Linguini’s childhood and how his mom hooked up with Gasteau. I think with those elements it would have tied the movie in a little better and would have had more impact on me. In fact I think somewhere in another thread someone was asking about the history between Linguini and Colette
Just like how Sally talked about her past and then the showed a brief history on the town radiator springs, it makes the movie come together which is what I thought Ratatouille was lacking.[/spoil]
I am not knocking the movie I think it was great and I plan on getting the DVD, just a few changes I think that would have made the movie better.
And when I got home from the theatre I took a nap and had dreams of cooking with Linguini and Remy
Hmm. Thats a pretty good observation and a good point! I did feel that something was lacking a tad bit, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. After the movie, there was tiny part of me thinking of what it might be missing There could have been a bit more character development here and there, yet maybe it would have taken away from the overall plot. I dunno! I still love it to death! I just saw it for the second time today and really took it all in. It was just as awesome as the first time!
I just saw Ratatouille earlier this evening, so I’ll be writing my review in a couple of days.
Before I write my review, here’s a little hors d’œuvre for you…
- The Incredibles
- Finding Nemo
- Ratatouille
- Toy Story 2
- Toy Story
- A Bug’s Life
- Monsters, Inc.
- Cars (still a masterpiece, IMHO)
My siggy probably says it all as well
(If I don’t get to write my review immediately, then it probably means that I’m awfully busy. I’ll get it posted eventually, though.)
There’s probably not a lot I can add either, so many good observations have already been made.
I saw the film on opening day (I wouldn’t have it any other way ) And loved it. (Even my dad loved it - and he hates rats) It’s so full of heart, definitely one of Pixar’s sweetest films. The dramatic scenes are perfect; not overdone at all.
This movie was very different, even for Pixar’s standards. They’ve never done “ghosts” or human-animal interaction; both a little strange, but so well-done.
One thing did bother me about the film. It just seemed to me that some things were a little too… convenient. Like how [spoil]Gusteau “leads” Remy directly to his restaurant, on the first night Remy finds out he’s in Paris, too.[/spoil] Or how Remy had complete contol of Linguini just by tugging on his hair.
That being said, I thought the film was a great success. Pixar’s constantly pushing the envelope; I saw one person on iTunes describe the film as “refreshing,” and I think that’s a perfect word. The film is surprising, sweet, funny, and most of all, uplifting. And you’re right, Googly-Bear, that scene with Anton Ego was simply amazing. Just when you think something can’t get any better, leave it to Pixar to bring out something like that. Like you said, DElf, the camera angles were amazing. And I loved the color and lighting in Gusteau’s kitchen. It looked so warm and inviting!
Another thing; I really liked how Pixar worked out the dynamic between Remy and his dad. I worried it was going to be a typical parent-is-totally-against-kid’s-dream-but-then-sees-the-light - I should have known better. The way Remy’s dad came around was not cookbook in any way.
And oh yes, Kudos to Pixar for throwing 2-D animation in! 
My review is going to be nice and short.
This was the greatest movie I have ever seen this summer. I just love it so much. The laughs were perfect and the story was excellent. I just fell in love with every character in the movie. The moral really captivated me. The cooking scenes made me want to jump right in and join them. And finally, after watching it, it made me hungry for more.
Really good film. My second favorite Pixar movie of all time.
I finally decided where I rank Ratatouille:
1. The Incredibles
2. Ratatouille
3. Toy Story 2
It features Pixar’s best character animation to date, I love the peculiar partnership of Linguini and Remy, and most importantly, the story was awe-inspiring…aaand I’m kinda Brad Bird biased, if you couldn’t tell by now. 
Yeah, I know whatcha mean, but hey, that’s part of the fun of animation! Sometimes, just for the sake of entertainment, you hafta let things slide.
~~=oP
I know, you’re right. They needed a way for Remy to communicate with Linguini. And after all, rats can’t talk, so… 
I’m more than willing to let it slide when the rest of the movie was so spectacular!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, The Star Swordsman! 
BandGeek727 and The Star Swordsman - I’m glad you guys liked the film!
I’m going to see it again at 5:00 PM tonight; I just can’t keep my paws off the thing! Our theater listings (as displayed on the internet) went all wack on me this evening, making it look as if the film had ceased performing at the nearest cinema near my residence. I almost had a heart attack when I saw that, and so I bicycled all the way down to the afore-mentioend theater just to see if the “rumors” were true. Thankfully, they weren’t. I’m so relieved. This film is a like a breath of fresh air at the end of the day for me. If it ever leaves my local theater anytime soon…I don’t know what I’ll do. (snigger)
Heheh. I’m just kidding, PV.
After watching the movie a second time I must say I enjoyed to movie a whole lot more!!! Which is weird becuase all the past Pixar movies have hit me like a ton of bricks and I just loved them(especially Cars). But Ratatouille had to grow on me and took a second time to see it before I could fully appreciate it.
Love the Rat under the shirt scene still cannot stop laughing at that and I love Linguini’s apartment, reminds me of my first “it’s not much” apartment!!!
Saw it on the Saturday of the sneak peek and the Friday of the official opening. The first time I was so overcome and taken aback by the animation and acting that I was completely engrossed. The second time I could focus on the camera angles, subtle animation cues and background details.
The animation floored me. I seriously couldn’t get enough of it. The first time I saw it in the trailer I ended up spending half the night trying to recreate it in 3ds max (<–complete failure). I absolutely adore Remy’s eyes, especially in his more ratty moments. In the scene where Linguini was questioning him about the oregano Remy’s eyes were so rat-like! It really amazed me how easily and smoothly Remy transitioned between ‘Remy behaviors’ and ‘real rat behaviors’.
There was no character design I didn’t like. Loved Linguini for his expressions. Loved Colette for her expressive eyes, mannerisms, and hair (plus, she had one badddddd leather jacket. Got to get me one of those). Remy, of course, for all the little ratty tendencies. Skinner and Ego for their facial animation and skin textures.
As for favorite scene I’d have to go with the ones that affected me most. The last 5 or so minutes had me smiling like an idiot. I also had warm squishy feelings because of Linguini’s smile when Remy came back to him in the waterway scene. I think my most favorite part was
[spoil]The part where Colette is about to smack the crap out of Linguini. Her eyes were all teary and her expression conveyed the sense of pain and betrayal so fiercely….it gave me goose-bumps. Now that is some powerful acting!
[/spoil]
I know a lot of people were questioning and even surprised by Skinner’s line:
[spoil]“Welcome to hell.”[/spoil]
I wasn’t really surprised or upset by it. Kind of the opposite. I expect Pixar, and especially Bird to throw something gutsy in there for the shock value. (Ok, maybe not so much a shock value, but you know he’s having fun with it, heh). Though I think the shocker line in TI will stay my favorite for quite some time. Synnie seriously had me rollin’.
The same thing happened to me with Finding Nemo and ironically enough Incredibles. Ratatouille got to me right away and I felt very connected with the movie after the first viewing. The does not happen often with me.
Despite my complete and totally adoration for this movie, I think it may have to go for second place in my Pixar lineup. I just can’t give up my Supers.
Technically, the rats in the film couldn’t talk. For instance, [spoil]when Remy was yelling at Emile to swing the lights, we partially heard what the old lady was truly hearing…squeaks.[/spoil]
~~=oP
Saw it today. It was sweet,heartwarming,and of course,funny. What added to the awesomeness is that my cousins showed up unexpectedly! I got to sit right in the middle of them,my cousin was holding me the whole time.
Well,on to the movie.The beginning was very entertaining,Emile automatically became one of my favorite characters. The old lady does look a tad bit like Geri…lol
The next scenes were entertaining,but I really can’t think of much to say but that I was still on an Emile hype and was eagerly awaiting anything involving Colette.
The middle was my favorite part.
[spoil]The whole kiss scene was INCREDIBLY cute. I was telling my cousin to ‘awww’ with me.The little bugger didn’t,but she did think it was cute. Only problem was the fact that the whole scene caused my cousin and sister to keep repeating the same question over and over again-“Do they get married?” “Do they get married?” “DO THEY GET MARRIED??!”.There was actually a kid somewhere in the audience who asked if she was going to have a baby… 
Even if Hannah and Hayley weren’t talking,I could still hear their pesky voices repeating it in my head [/spoil]
From then on,I was incredibly hyper about you-know-who and you-know-who. Every part I saw them together in I did an ‘Awww’.
The rest of the movie was excellent,as predicted. You probably figured by now that when Linguini admitted his secret that I was yelling, “NO COLETTE!DON’T LE-AVE!” I’m weird…
Of course,[spoil]the ‘welcome to hell’ line-what were the reactions? Surpringsly,I only heard my little sister tell my mom about ‘the bad word’.She didn’t seem to care. She actually gave my sister the ‘Just be quiet’ look.[/spoil]
So,basically I loved the movie! I give the movie ***** out of *****!
P.S. Missed all the stuff (Pizza Planet truck,A113). Darn it.
Here’s my review that I posted on Amazon.com and IMDB.com:
Ratatouille is a tasty winner! Go see it!
You know that feeling after you see a really good film that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and you laugh because you just spent the last two hours laughing at some real smart comedy, and you smile because you actually care about the characters? Ratatouille is one of those films.
Pixar is, and will always be, number one in animation, storytelling, and filmmaking. If all major Hollywood studios made films as good as Ratatouille, I’d probably be broke right now from seeing all of those movies. I don’t know how Pixar does it. They seem to score every, single time. And that’s what I love about Pixar. They win, and they know how to make good films.
Ratatouille scores a creative, funny, heartfelt, and genuine script from director Brad Bird. I had the opportunity to see him at San Francisco’s Wondercon a few months ago, and I could see his passion up close in his eyes and how much he cares about Pixar’s films.
Each scene has a purpose in Ratatouille. Remy, the rat hero of the film, dreams of becoming a chef, inspired by his hero, Gusteau, a French chef who just died. Remy meets Linguini, the klutsy garbage boy, and together, they become the greatest chefs in Paris. With the help of Colette, the only female in the kitchen; Emile, Remy’s rat brother who eats anything; Anton Ego, the premier restaurant critic of Paris; and Skinner, the greedy head chef who wants to bask in Gusteau’s fame, Pixar creates some of the most memorable characters. Laugh out loud scenes reveal new details about the plot as Linguini interacts with Remy. And to top it off, the finale of Ratatouille may be the most satisfying finale of a Pixar film ever (but I shall not spoil it here). For such a simple plot, some may think that Ratatouille scores low. But the heart and genuine humor bring Ratatouille to rival the greatest films ever created.
The look and sound of Ratatouille is incredible. Ratatouille boasts one of the most visually brilliant films, animated or not animated. Streets of Paris are marvelous as Remy gets chased from the chef. The kitchen of Gusteau’s is full of energy. The sewers, from human perpective, are dark and gloomy. But when the camera turns to the rats’ perspective, the sewers look and feel like heaven. And let’s not forget the incredible score, which should and will get an Oscar nomination for original score this year.
In some ways, the story of Ratatouille mirrors how Pixar runs its company. Gusteau, I would imagine, is Brad Bird and all the geniuses at Pixar, because Gusteau carries those values of being able to showcase your talents. Gusteau addresses the mediocrity of society but also reminds us the importance of finding our talents and passions saying, “Anyone can cook.” Remy, I assume, is Pixar, because Remy has a dream to be the greatest chef, just like Pixar is the greatest film studio. Just like how Linguini uses Remy to help showcase their talents together, Disney uses Pixar to gain fame and fortune.
If you ever get the chance to meet someone who has already seen Ratatouille, go strike a conversation with them. I bet you a free movie ticket that the person only has things to rave about the greatness of Pixar’s Ratatouille.
“Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great.” Ratatouille is a winner!
Any suggestions to improve my writing skills are welcome via messages.
Yeah, I know! Was that interesting or what? His entire personality and overall build seemed to transition from one point to another as far as human and rat mannerisms were concerned. Quite intersting…
TheIncredible - Nice review! I quite enjoyed reading it.
TheIncredible - I loved the review. I really enjoyed it.
Man, when is August 15 going to arrive?! 