Ratatouille

Post by **eddievalient** » August 2nd, 2007, 10:58 am

I saw this a couple of weeks ago. Here, a bit belatedly, is my take on it: In my opinion, there is a difference betwen movies and films, being that movies, like Spiderman, may be enjoyable but are ultimately disposable while films, like The Shawshank Redemption, have something to say and are more likely to stand the test of time. Ratatouille is, without a doubt, one of the finest films I've seen not just this year, but this whole decade. The message that you can do something great with your life no matter who you are or where you came from is a good one that has been seriously missing from recent cinema, which so often puts the emphasis on conformity and fitting in by any means. Also, I believe this is the first truly adult film Pixar has made. Kids may enjoy the slapstick antics of Remy and Linguini, but they won't get nearly as much out of the actual story content as their parents will. In fact, this film remided me very much of the type of film Billy Wilder used to do and I would go so far as to say that I think this is the kind of film he might have done had he worked in animation. I suppose this, more than any other reason, is why I enjoyed the film so thoroughly because I am a big fan of Wilder's work (which I became after taking a class that focused on him). I haven't seen The Simpsons Movie yet (hopefully I'll be going next tuesday), but I will make a call and say that if Ratatouille doesn't win the oscar for best animated feature, something is very wrong. I give the film five stars out of five.

Post by **ShyViolet** » August 2nd, 2007, 12:55 pm

Shrek the Third made a gigantic amount of money however, (more so than Ratatouille) won the Oscar the first year, and has lots of fans. Bee Movie hasn't even come out yet.
I wouldn't count them out.

The following is just my opinions. I didn't want to express them before as I as I know Ratatouille has a hard-core following here but as much as I enjoyed it I did have problems with the plot. I'll try to be as tactful as possible with my criticisms.

Story Spoilers

And the film looks beautiful, really gorgeous. I just wish I had felt more for the characters.

Post by **Ben** » August 2nd, 2007, 2:46 pm

Vi's obviously going to side with the DWs flicks (no, we're NOT going to start that again), but honestly Shrek 3 doesn't have a chance, possibly, of even being nominated...the franchise is creatively bankrupt.

Bee Movie could be good, even great, but Ratatouille just seems to be talking to people on so many different levels. I'm itching to see it.

My worry is that The Simpsons - the only other major contender at this point - has a very big chance of winning, but does not deserve to. But...the almost-annual handing of an Oscar to Pixar for <I>something</I>, and the fact they are now Disney and <I>they</I> usually get something could weigh up the odd against Rat taking away the golden guy, especially when Simpsons is apparently beloved by all, has a ton of recognition in the animation and voice over artists' world, is a critics darling, and is their first movie. Just imaging being able to hand that crew an Oscar after winning everything else?

Plus almost everyone has worked on the show - even Rat's Brad Bird - and it just holds so much sway in Hollywoodland. Plus they went with a leaning towards the Academy's pet "environmental" topic. At this point, it's Rat vs Simps, with Bee Movie and Surf's Up looking like good natured also-rans. But even though Ratatouille sounds like it should be crowned, I'm concerned that those yellow people could walk away with it. Perhaps all too easily.

Post by **ShyViolet** » August 2nd, 2007, 2:55 pm

Plus almost everyone has worked on the show - even Rat's Brad Bird - and it just holds so much sway in Hollywoodland. Plus they went with a leaning towards the Academy's pet "environmental" topic.

True--I forgot about the environmental thing. That will definitely be in the film's favor.

Post by **ShyViolet** » August 3rd, 2007, 2:03 pm

Bee Movie could be good, even great, but Ratatouille just seems to be talking to people on so many different levels. I'm itching to see it.

Yeah....I know this is kind of a sensitive issue as Ratatouille is a big deal in the animation world right now. (and probably will be for years)

I know you have to check every post Ben--sorry about the spoilers.

I hope you get to see it soon!

Post by **Daniel** » August 6th, 2007, 2:07 am

Can we start a new thread for the awards, or use a pre-existing one? Just wondering, since this is like the third time its been brought up in a thread, and I'm starting to get a little confused.

Post by **Ben** » August 6th, 2007, 7:24 am

Yes, we should speak about the BAF Oscar in a new thread.

Like this one:
http://www.animated-news.com/forum/view ... 9599#39599

Post by **spaz** » August 6th, 2007, 2:08 pm

i still contend that this film will be capable of best picture. yeah ,i know, Sicko has everyones shorts in a knot. films like this only win because they get the guilt vote. someone wrote earlier that Rat reminded them of a Billy Wilder film. it's pretty spot on. Bird is in a complete league of his own at Pixar.

Post by **Meg** » August 7th, 2007, 10:31 am

As much as I would love that to happen, I don't think an animated movie will ever be nomated again for Best Pic now that they have a category specifically for animation.

Post by **YCougar** » August 7th, 2007, 12:18 pm

^ And while I love that the new category showcases some animated films every year, that is my biggest problem with it.

Post by **Ben** » August 7th, 2007, 2:46 pm

Meg wrote:As much as I would love that to happen, I don't think an animated movie will ever be nomated again for Best Pic now that they have a category specifically for animation.

...and now that we have a DEDICATED THREAD to discuss this:
http://www.animated-news.com/forum/view ... 9599#39599

Thank-you.

Post by **bawpcwpn** » August 8th, 2007, 4:11 am

I finally get to see this on Sunday at a preview screening.

Post by **ShyViolet** » August 9th, 2007, 2:31 pm

This has probably already been posted somewhere, (apologies if so) but I thought it was a very interesting interview with Brad Bird. (from the Luxo site)

(Worth repeating,anyway.

)

The original article, in full, is unfortunately no longer available.

Pixar Cooks Up A Story
Ratatouille Logo

The Reporter (Vacaville, California) recently published an article on how Ratatouille's designers, including Mark Andrews, conducted their research for the animation studio's latest film:

"It was fun, but not in a recreational sense. We didn't have a whole lot of time to just hang out," Andrews said. "It was very structured. You're really trying to put on your observer's hat because what you retain goes back into the movie."

The trip included a motorcycle tour of Paris, visits to the city's sewer system and an exterminator's shop, as well as a few gut-busting gourmet meals. It also became a shared experience for the director and his story supervisor - and aided the creative process of making a great movie.

"Brad would go, 'You know this part where Linguini is going to kill Remy. We need someplace really moody and we need to get out into Paris,' " Andrews said, recalling a collaborative story session. "I'm like, 'What if we do it down by the Seine? Remember there was this bridge that we rode under during our motorcycle tour? And remember how the mist came off the river?' And Brad was like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah! Let's put it there.' "

"We could pick locations because we had been there," Andrews said.

Research for "Ratatouille" continued inside Pixar's Emeryville studios with live rats and cooking lessons for the nine members of Andrews' storyboarding team and many of the film's animators.

"To really observe how rats move, you got to be with them 24/7," Andrews said. "To know how to chop correctly or put stuff in a bowl correctly, or prep your food correctly, you have to learn how to do it."

The article also goes on to discuss how the film went from Jan Pinkava's tale to Brad Bird's direction:

While most everyone liked Pinkava's wildly inventive idea of this plucky little rat who aspires to be a great chef, Bird was brought on board to spice up a story that wasn't quite working. Unfortunately, the clock was ticking and Bird was facing a tight 18-month deadline. The preferred production schedule for an animated film is three years.

One of the things Bird had to do in taking over "Ratatouille" was to make it his movie, Andrews said.

"(Pinkava) had got 'Ratatouille' up to this point where we had all these assets," he said. "We had sets, we had characters, we had all this stuff, so that helped greatly. But we didn't have a lot of time. We had to get the story to Brad and get it working solid."

It was a bit of a struggle at first. But after enjoying a break for the Christmas holiday, Andrews said both he and Bird came back inspired.

"Brad says, 'I have some radical ideas,' and I say, 'I've got a radical idea,' " Andrews said. "I tell him mine and he's like, 'That's perfect.' And then he tells me his and I'm saying, 'That's fantastic.'

"(Bird) cut out most of the rat family. Remy had more brothers, sisters, a mother, an uncle. There were, like, eight storylines. We cut it down to one: It's Remy's story.

"I killed off the rat family when they go down the sewer drain and Remy gets separated. That was my radical idea - get the rats out of the picture and then bring them back at the most inopportune time. It put the focus on Remy and worked out great.

"Then Brad killed Gusteau (a chef Remy idolized who believed that anyone can cook). Gusteau's dead; he's a figment of Remy's imagination."

The plot and the structure were basically the same, but the whole story sort of transformed.

So be sure to head over to The Reporter to read the rest of the informative article.

Post by **ShyViolet** » August 9th, 2007, 2:35 pm

Also, love this Remy pic!

(From New Jersey art exhibition)

http://pixaranimation.blogspot.com/

Post by **Meg** » August 9th, 2007, 5:29 pm

Nice - I hadn't seen that before.