“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Phooey!
Pixar is the animation studio that gave us “Toy Story,” “Finding Nemo” and Cars” among others. Now we get their latest offering “Ratatouille,” the story of a Parisian rat with a talent for cooking. This film has the brilliant look of all the other Pixar movies but it doesn’t have the fun or the heart. Plus its story takes too long to get started and too long to tell. Mark this one down as an okay movie but not up to Pixar standards.
Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) is a common, ordinary household rat. He lives out in the countryside of France with his father, brother and their entire clan of rats. His fixation is food. He loves its scents and aromas, its textures and tastes. It is the one thing that makes him extraordinary.
Eventually he ends up in Paris and finds himself drawn to the restaurant called “Gusteau’s.” This restaurant was founded by the great chef Gusteau (Brad Garrett) now deceased. His spirit speaks to Remy and inspires him to become a chef himself. Being a rat Remy can’t make himself known in the kitchen so he decides to use the garbage boy, Linguini (Lou Romano), as his arms and legs as he makes his recipes come to life.
This storyline is pretty complicated for a movie aimed at kids. Plus it moves slooooowly. There are no songs to break the monotony and the rats in this film are not warm and cuddly. They look like rats and slither and slink around the streets and floors of buildings. In one traumatic scene they invade the kitchen at “Gusteau’s” and it is not a pretty sight.
The Pixar look is amazing, but we have seen it all before. No longer can we be entertained just by the look of the film. To entertain us, Pixar has to have a fascinating story told with warmth and wit. Both are lacking in “Ratatouille.”
The film is rated G and is suitable for the entire family.
Disney has used mice before to much success – Mickey as in Mouse, and those cute mice from “Cinderella.” But this is the first time a rat has taken center stage as the hero. If they had looked more cartoonish it might have helped. Maybe if they had worn little outfits to show they weren’t real. But no these rats look like real rats and that is off-putting.
“Ratatouille” is not a bad movie but it is not a great one either. With all the hype that preceded it, it is a major letdown. I feel like “Scrooge” but I have to say my reaction is “Phooey on Ratatouille.”
I scored “Ratatouille” a ratty 5 out of 10.
