Pixar have a history of telling stories which take the ordinary and recast it into something far more wondrous – who didn’t, after watching Toy Story, take a second look at their toys and imagine their lives when they were alone? It is perhaps a unique advantage of animation to be able to do these things in a believable way and be able to get away with it consistently.
Ratatouille continues in that tradition, perhaps only broken by The Incredibles, which was a movie that could have been done with ordinary techniques (though of course nowhere near as fun). It’s the story of a French rat, Remy, who would be chef, and if that doesn’t twig every sense of improbability then perhaps you’ve just watched Cars. Which was about a world of cars and cars alone (only in America would that concept be even raised, let alone considered bankable).
Naturally with the progress of technology, Pixar’s films look more and more gorgeous as they go, and this movie is no exception to the trend. However, things are still painted in an exaggerated palette, and the Paris of this movie is altogether a lot cleaner than the reality, even if populated with rats =) It’s not approaching the uncanny valley, but that may simply be a result of a conscious effort to ensure the movie retains its cartoon nature. I would like to see though how far Pixar could push it.
The plot on the other hand stretches credibility even for Pixar. Cars was a world where many little things were entirely papered over, and since it qualified as a kids film, no-one really thought about it twice. Ratatouille, continuing in this fine tradition, doesn’t bother to explain how a rat came to learn to read, or prepare meals of all sorts – he just can. The way Remy, the rat, helps out Alfredo, the clueless human hero of the story, is also entirely inexplicable. For the sake of the plot however, you’re willing to forgive – but then, the plot is so loaded with cliche and by-the-numbers “twists” that within 15 minutes you can pretty much predict right up to the movie’s end credits rolling.
If there’s anything the Shrek films, produced by Dreamworks, show us, it is that animation can be both appealing to old and young and on many levels. Pixar however tend to go down a very predictable route, and it is to their ultimate detriment. While these are films more in line with Disney animation’s history, it could have been so much more – there’s potential here, it’s just not used.
As much as I enjoyed The Incredibles, and Ratatouille is miles ahead of Cars, this remains a bit of a disappointment. ★★★☆
i haven’t seen Ratatouille, although i will someday… but interesting thoughts about pixar. They’ve separated from Disney, right? And along with that I suppose they couldn’t keep any business ties with Studio Ghibli… which john lasseter moved to market the movies of (in US) via Miyazaki I think – which you probably already know.
I still enjoy kids movies for what they are though. I don’t know much about business but I would guess that making those movies is exactly where pixar wants to be right now anyway….
do you think should they form another branch or something for more experimental things?
no no, that’s entirely the opposite – they used to be separate, with only a distribution deal with Disney. Last year though Disney bought them out for a good bit of cash, though I believe they still operate as a separate business unit within Disney.
I definitely think they should have that experimental division – but then the next movie, WALL-E, is a bit more experiment, though perhaps not more mature. They’ve certainly got a vast creative pool to draw on.