Ratatouille

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 27th, 2007, 8:52 pm

Hey Mitch!!!

It's been ages!

That's great you got to see the film early. I know how much you were looking forward to it.

Post by **Mitch** » June 27th, 2007, 8:55 pm

Haha! I know, it's been too long. I hate summers. Summer = sweat and pain. Long story. It's nice to "see" you guys again, though!

Thank you! And cha -- it was awesome.

-- Mitch

Post by **Daniel** » June 27th, 2007, 9:52 pm

OMG.......

......Its Mitch!!

I thought we scared you away or something, but its great to have you back!! Remember me? Haha, of course you do!

I also just read your review and it was very beautiful. It was just cute, how it all came from the heart!

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 28th, 2007, 1:08 pm

BTW forgot to say that the (pretty brief) JHM piece on The Art of Ratatouille was interesting in that he mentioned that the book's writer, (despite 90% of the book being the Bird-revised version), did manage to sneak some material from the aborted Jan Pinkava version:

This was a cut dream sequence in the original version of the film where Remy dreams he's in a pastry-filled winter wonderland type deal. (with Nutcracker-type vibe, etc...)

Just gorgeous.

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 28th, 2007, 1:15 pm

Speaking of Mr. Bird: If you want to know why Brad replaced Jan, the real reason that John Lasseter, Ed Catmull & Steve Jobs called Bird (While he was on vacation after promoting the release of "The Incredibles" DVD, no less) and insisted that he immediately take over as director of "Rat!" / "Rats!" / "Ratatouille" / whatever ... Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you all about the important role in Pixar history that this particular animated feature was originally intended to play.

This article was never posted. Did Pixar/Disney crack down on Jim again?

Post by **Kinoo** » June 28th, 2007, 1:42 pm

ShyViolet wrote:
Speaking of Mr. Bird: If you want to know why Brad replaced Jan, the real reason that John Lasseter, Ed Catmull & Steve Jobs called Bird (While he was on vacation after promoting the release of "The Incredibles" DVD, no less) and insisted that he immediately take over as director of "Rat!" / "Rats!" / "Ratatouille" / whatever ... Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you all about the important role in Pixar history that this particular animated feature was originally intended to play.
This article was never posted. Did Pixar/Disney crack down on Jim again?

Please be serious

I can already guess the topic of this article: Rats would have been the first PIXAR only movie without Disney, that's the role !
Don't expect any conspiracy you like!!

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 28th, 2007, 9:54 pm

Well, you're.....

right!!

It got posted today.

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/ ... -film.aspx

Post by **James** » June 29th, 2007, 12:23 am

Amid has a cool anecdote at Carton Brew:

I was talking to my good friend Victor Haboush yesterday and he had an endorsement for Ratatouille that I just had to share. He says, and I quote, “It’s the best animated film since Pinocchio.” That’s a pretty bold statement but Vic is somebody whose taste I trust. And that’s not just because he’s worked on classics like Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians. Or because he worked on Brad Bird’s first feature The Iron Giant (and which he doesn’t share the same enthusiasm for as he does Bird’s latest). It’s because Vic knows what he’s talking about and because he’s always frank about what he thinks of things. If Vic says it’s good, then it probably is.

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/cgi/ratatoui ... film-since

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 29th, 2007, 12:40 am

I'll probably see it tommorow.

Post by **Daniel** » June 29th, 2007, 12:49 am

"It's the best animated film since Pinocchio"

Wo'h!

Post by **Kinoo** » June 29th, 2007, 6:46 am

ShyViolet wrote:Well, you're.....

right!! It got posted today.

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/ ... -film.aspx

Soooo predictible!!!
Now that Ratatouille is released, Jim Hill will turn to Wall-E and how it will be difficult to market ! But hey! Original movies are obviously more difficult to market than endless cheapquels and franchises ! Gotta get used to it with Pixar's originality in movie making !

Post by **droosan** » June 29th, 2007, 7:20 am

I saw Ratatouille at a midnight screening here in Burbank .. I'm far too tired to give a 'full-length' review at the moment, but I will say this:

For many years, I've wished to see an american animated film whose storytelling style is equivalent to Hayao Miyazaki's 'quiet' classic films, like Kiki's Delivery Service or Porco Rosso .. subdued in tone, yet rich with detail; a (deceptively) simple story grounded in basic human emotions, with a liberal sprinkling of magic.

I no longer have to 'wish' to see this film. It exists, now. It's Ratatouille.

Post by **Ben** » June 29th, 2007, 7:32 am

Why did they struggle to come up with a good marketing plan?

What the heck is that guy Hill on about today!?

I've seen MUCH, MUCH more advertising - all of it positive - for Ratatouille than I did for Disney's own in-house feature Meet The Robinsons, most of it reaching back two months or more to Robinsons' couple of week, last minute push.

Then he goes on about the international posters? EVERY SINGLE FILM released has different posters for different territories...NOT because the company is really "split" on how to best promote it!

It wasn't supposed to be released by WDS? Is that <I>news</I> to anyone? And does anyone <I>really, honestly, truly</I> think that either Roy Disney, Dick Cook or a couple of other, high placed people/friends of The Lamp, didn't have a peek into the early stages of Ratatouille's genesis? If a deal HAD been worked out between The Mouse and Pixar, Ratatouille was always hanging in the balance...there was never a question that Disney wouldn't be touching it unless a deal fell through completely. Someone at Disney knew about this before most of the Pixar animators, I'll bet, and a greenlight was given in such a was as to say, "if we work out, this'll be great; if it doesn't, it's another studio's problem".

"To come up with the best carrot on a stick"...and you really think they're going to go with a movie about Rats from a first time director rather than another blockbusting star turn from Lasseter, Stanton or Bird? Again, see my comments above.

"...doesn't scream of box office success, at least to me"... Doom and gloom, Jim, doom and gloom. For a movie starring rats, set in Paris, and with a weird central concept, if Ratatouille makes $55m this weekend, that's a success my friend, and its legs will carry it way past that.

What a non-article!

Post by **Meg** » June 29th, 2007, 10:01 pm

Just got back from it...Gotta say, I really, really enjoyed it! Great animation, entertaining story, lovable characters...A truly fantastic film. I think what really surprised me most was how artsy-fartsy it was, as the people I went with didn't like it, or 'get' it, as much as I did - some of their nitpicks about it were the same reason that I enjoyed it! Watching it reminded me of old Disney films, especially 101 Dalmatians for some reason. It also seemed aimed at older audiences, much more than I've seen with previous Pixar flicks, except maybe The Incredibles - I think some bits of the story went way above the heads of younger kids, and the pacing didn't seem to sit well with them either, but hey, it's a breath of relief for me from the amount of super fast paced kids movies we've been flooded with lately. Like with Brad's previous movies, I sort of forgot I was watching a 'cartoon' - it was almost like watching a live-action flick. Although it's hard to find a live-action movie as pretty as this one was!

I'm going to see it again as soon as I can, as my liking tends to grow with every viewing of Brad Bird's films. At the risk of sounding cliché, two thumbs up!

Post by **James** » June 29th, 2007, 10:48 pm

Wow.

Just, wow.

Shades of 1991...