Ratatouille
I actually saw this movie over the summer, so this is a bit of a delayed musing. However, “Ratatouille” is a movie that deserves mention. Pixar and Brad Bird have proved that they can deliver animated movies that aren’t “kids movies”, while still being loved by pretty much every age group out there. The stories are rather easy tales, but have a surprising amount of depth for the medium they’ve been embedded into. They recently delivered “The Incredibles” and we as an audience loved it. So, how do you top that? Easy, you make a rat want to become a chef…
From the onset you’d think, geeze, this is disturbing, disgusting and distasteful. And yet, somehow, it’s not only pulled off, but it’s done with a huge amount of success. The (voice) cast deserves more than honorable mention, but let’s face it, the animators deserve a medal for the work. No, I’m not going to argue how technically brilliant the movie is (and trust me, it is), but rather let it be sufficient to say that you don’t catch yourself thinking of it as an animated movie. It just transcends the format and comes alive like nothing else.
The opening sequences are stunning and set the stage for a fantastic journey of men and mice. Bird grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go until the final curtain, having you laugh, weep, smile, smirk and clap with joy as the story unfolds. If you ever thought “it’s animated”, do yourself a favor, go see “Ratatouille”. It’s been said before, but honestly, if you avoid “Ratatoullie”, you’re doing yourself a great injustice. This is a movie to be experienced by everyone, small and big rats alike.