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I’m not saying this film is terrible, but I recently saw a list of Pixar’s films, and by far, Ratatouille was the worst. Once again, I can’t stress enough that I don’t HATE it; I just didn’t like it. First off, the animation was bad. It was ugly and unattractive. The animation from Toy Story holds up better. Secondly, the storyline was tedious. A rat that’s a cook? Who the hell comes up with that? You might as well have a caterpillar that wishes to become a mountain lion! I know it’s supposed to be wild and imaginative, but I felt like it wasn’t and it wasn’t engaging. Lastly, the voice acting was the final nail in the coffin of an unfavorable review. The accents were atrocious and it was clear that these people weren’t French. Overall, I just didn’t like it!
I consider Ratatouille to be Pixar’s finest piece of work; a delectable, flavoursome feast that only gets richer with age. It captures two senses that were heretofore uncapturable on film: taste and smell. Director Brad Bird and his fleet of supremely talented animators and storytellers are not only able to convey the sensation of tasting delicious food, but also the way in which those tastes are intrinsically linked to memories of the past, and the way in which they evoke feelings of love, lust and longing. Ratatouille on the surface may seem like a high-concept kids film (rat in the kitchen – weird!), but it’s so much more. A French farce; a romantic comedy; an appreciation of both art and art criticism; all set to the strains of Michael Giacchino’s wonderful score. Perhaps Remy the Rat’s arc – revealing to his family that being a chef is who he is – could be read as a metaphor for a young gay man coming out of the closet? Ratatouille is imbued with so many layers of powerful, lovable subtext, it requires seemingly infinite viewings to soak in. Besides, any animated film that casts Patton Oswalt in the lead deserves to be called genius!
Discuss: Where do you stand?
