While choosing a favorite Pixar is essentially an impossible task, I do have an answer for the question, “If you could only watch one Pixar movie for the rest of your life, which one would you pick?” "Ratatouille." Definitely, "Ratatouille."
While I would regret not getting to see Princess Merida tear her dress as she lifts up her bow and arrow to “win her own hand in marriage,” I think I could do it, were the hypothetical-question universe suddenly reality.
As nearly all Pixar movies since the awards introduction, "Ratatouille" won the Oscar for best animated feature, and was nominated for original screen play, original score, sound editing and sound mixing.
Yeah, it totally could have won for sound, have you heard the crackle of the bread?
A large factor in why I love this movie so much, and an admitted source of bias on my behalf is that I’m a huge Patton Oswalt fan. His stand-up comedy is hilarious, and I will always love his recognisable voice acting, particularly as Tobey in "WordGirl." You may have also heard Oswalt as the narrator for "The Goldbergs" and popping up as a few other minor cartoon characters.
Then we have Linguini, our other protagonist, who is super wholesome, and doesn’t this just melt your heart?
I know we’ve seen this troupe before, as the clumsy underdog, but I really don’t mind that. It wasn't over the top, or overplayed to create sympathy. Whenever "clumsy” is present but not the only character flaw for once, it earns major points from me. Linguine is a fleshed-out character, and I’m always amazed at Pixar’s ability to subtly create these personalities.
It’s a large asset to the film, and sets it apart from other animated movies in having these two protagonists. Pixar has of course given this us similar effects with “Inside Out,” and “Finding Nemo.” In a way we get two stories with these. For "Ratatouille" we have the rebellion against a misunderstanding judgmental dad, and the unexpected rising fame of a garbage boy, and how he will undergo this new pressure. The plots balance each other, and one element or troupe from one will not be overpowering. When separate pieces of one plot intermingle to effect each other, it makes a more interesting story line.
Pixar can make a darn good villain, particularly if the character is someone not usually associated with evil-doing, such as a little girl, teddy bear, or a talking prospector doll.
The villains of "Ratatouille," Ego the intimidating critique, and Skinner the head chef with no regard for what fine French cuisine should never be microwavable, really delivered. True, Skinner hasn’t posed much a threat for me, be it his height or the fact that I’ve seen more times than what could bring suspense. Yet, this aspect can only add to the intentional humor of his character, especially in his iconic scene of exasperatedly explaining to his lawyer all the instances he saw a rat, and whether or not it’s important.
Then we have Anton Ego, with a simple and highly effective narrative. The meat of his developing character was achieved ingeniously in only one 15 second flashback. His review of Gusteau’s restaurant is one for cinematic history.
It’s literally him setting aside his ego for what his career is built on compared to those he reviews. It’s his redemption. Plus the introduction struck heart cords with me as someone who writes many movie reviews here for Odyssey.
The romantic subplot of the film did not feel forced, and didn’t take focus away from the more important elements. I noticed more and more moments of the Colette and Linguini, while rewatching the film and of course being older than I was nine years ago. This is a great sign that it was the perfect amount of subtle.
Lastly what really seals the deal for me on the film, is the beautiful soundtrack of largely classical music by Michael Giacchino, and the song “Le Festin” by Camille! at the film’s happy turning point after Linguini’s inheritance.
This scene gets me every time.
Pixar only has 17 films, and only 12 universes when you lump originals and sequels together. While nearly all of the films are meticulously planned for years, and then become highly acclaimed "Ratatouille" has seriously slipped under the radar. It remains painfully underrated, with or without looking into the Pixar circle as a reference point. This film studio is known for it's wildly original ideas, but is different always better? They lose the benefit of a surprising concept once everyone is familiar with it in a year. Is a fantastic film about chefs in Paris not original enough for you, even though there was the whole rat-controlling-a-human-by-his-hair-thing? No? Well, it should be.
Take in from an Anton Ego in training.
