Pixar, the first name in quality CGI storytelling, has become such a trusted brand that Disney smartly brought its team onboard and have given its leader John Lassetter oversight of Disney animation. That audience trust has allowed the company to take chances and Ratatouille is in some ways a risky experiment. How do you tell a story about a rat who wants to work in a restaurant kitchen, and a Parisian gourmet one to boot? Will the subject be too repellent to audiences and would kids care about a rodent’s genius for concocting refined recipes? A theme about artistic aspiration is not the first subject one thinks of when appealing to the same crowd who loved Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. or The Incredibles.
But director and screenwriter Brad Bird, (The Incredibles), took the risk and I think it works well. His hero, Remy, with his bluish tinted coat and haute cuisine dreams, is the ultimate rat-out-of-garbage character. He faces both the loss of his extended family of scavengers whose tastes run to refuse and the revulsion of humans for the four legged creatures who are the scourge of clean kitchens. Remy finds that he has the gift of discerning the fine distinctions between one food or seasoning and another and has learned to read and and absorbed the message of a master chef’s book, Anyone Can Cook! Remy tries to introduce his philistine brother rat to the joys of fine cooking by having him sample fresh fruit while a visual representation of a strawberry’s taste appears next to him and then we see the dull impression his brother gets from his taste. To see this is to begin to understand how an artist often must struggle against the underdeveloped aesthetic appreciation and tastes of the masses. A heavy theme for an animated film but I would think many audience members can identify with the pull of one’s gifts and motivations against a family or community that simply cannot grasp one’s vision.
But this isn’t an elitist manifesto so much as a recognition that great artists and craftsmen can come from ignoble roots. It’s sort of a shadow of the idea that God chooses the low to confound the wise and the simple to defeat the sophisticated. Genius happens and the Spirit blows where He wills.
But don’t let the high concept think the movie gets bogged down in its theme–there’s plenty of comedy, action and excitement to carry us through the tail, er tale of what some have called a return to the classic Disney-style storytelling that relies more on timeless characters than pop-cultur-referencing jokes. I think everyone in the family will savor the joys of cooking by rats. And if it succeeds at the box office, expect to see a “Ratatouille” gourmet restaurant at the France area of Disney’s Epcot in a few years.
I hadn’t thought about the “God choosing people from humble beginnings” thing in connection to this movie. More recently, that theme did come up on one of Nancy Lee DeMoss’s speeches about the women in the lineage of Christ. But all that aside.
This movie was cute. It wasn’t “Cars” standard. But it was pretty good. A bit more on the adult-ish side, not only in the weight of the theme, but also in the tipsiness of one character, the questionable nature of one child’s parentage (A bit of a weighty subject for any kid, I thought) and the hint of passionate romance so common to the City of Love.
I like the artistic nature of it though. The idea of “do something you love” is part of the American dream. (Universal dream is more like it.) Kids may pick up on it, and become something great. I remember when I was a kid, I’d write and write and write, just because I loved doing it. (Sneaky kids may turn this around on parents. “But mom! Video games are what I LOVE! You wouldn’t deny me my artistic PASSION would you?”)
Remy is an abitious lil critter with a heart of gold and a nose that knows no bounds. His love for his family and his love for his art conflict with one another, and he must choose between the two. A very difficult decision for any man, or rat, to make.
Colette is perhaps the most complicated character in the film. She’s worked from the ground up to get to where she is in this male-dominated industry, and yet, when her pride gives way to complacency, Remy teaches her that the “scientific method” of cooking is well and good in itself, but it just isn’t enough. Cooking is an art, and like any artist, a true chef must always be willing to try something new.
Anton Ego, “The Grim Eater” is also a complicated character. He’s supposed to be an antagonist. Oddly enough, he wound up being my favorite. See the film, and you may see why.
I won’t say anymore. I wouldn’t want to give away too much. I just suggest seeing it for yourself. It might just make you want to take some culinary arts classes!
Comment by Ashley — July 9, 2007 @ 5:03 pm |