Ratatouille (2007)
A Pixar original story.
Remy, a young rat with heightened senses of taste and smell, dreams of becoming a chef like his human idol, the late Auguste Gusteau and author of the book Anyone Can Cook, but the rest of his colony, including his older brother Émile and his father, the clan leader Django, only eat for sustenance and are wary of humans. The rats live in an elderly woman's attic outside Paris, but when the woman discovers them, they are forced to evacuate, and Remy is separated from the others. Encouraged by an imaginary Gusteau, he explores until he finds himself on the roof of Gusteau's restaurant.
Remy notices the restaurant's new garbage boy, Alfredo Linguini, attempting to fix a soup he ruined, and jumps in to fix Linguini's mistakes. Linguini catches Remy in the act, but does not reveal him to Skinner, Gusteau's former sous-chef and the new owner of the restaurant. Skinner confronts Linguini for tampering with the soup, but when the soup is accidentally served and proves to be a success, Colette Tatou, the restaurant's only female chef, convinces Skinner to retain Linguini and uphold Gusteau's motto, "Anyone can cook". After demanding that Linguini replicate the soup, Skinner spots Remy and orders Linguini to take him outside and kill him. Once they are alone, Linguini discovers that Remy can understand him, and he convinces Remy to help him cook.
Remy learns to control Linguini's movements like a marionette by pulling on his hair while hiding under his toque. They recreate the soup, and continue cooking at the restaurant where they meet the other chef and staff: Horst (sous chef), Lalo (saucier and poissonnier), Pompidou (pâtissier), Larousse (garde manger) and Mustafa (chef de Salle). Colette begrudgingly trains Linguini, but steadily comes to appreciate someone heeding her advice. Linguini and Remy are put to the test when they are instructed to make one of Gusteau’s “failed” recipes, Sweetbread à la Gusteau.
Later, Remy finds Émile and reunites with the clan. After Remy tells Django that he intends to stay at the restaurant, Django shows him a group of exterminated rats in an attempt to convince him that humans are dangerous, but Remy ignores his warnings and leaves.
Meanwhile, Skinner discovers through a letter from Linguini's late mother that Linguini is Gusteau's illegitimate son, and the rightful owner of the restaurant. Skinner is shocked and enraged about this revelation, as Gusteau's will stated that he would inherit ownership of the restaurant, only if no biological heir appeared two years prior to the latter's death. After his lawyer verifies that Linguini is Gusteau's heir, Skinner hides the evidence in an envelope, but Remy finds it and runs away, showing the documents to Linguini, who then forces Skinner out. The restaurant thrives as Remy's recipes become popular, and Linguini's life improves as he develops a romantic relationship with Colette (“Le Festin”). Food critic Anton “The Grim Eater” Ego, whose previous negative review of the restaurant caused the restaurant to lose one of its star ratings and indirectly led to Gusteau's death, announces to Linguini that he will dine at the restaurant. After Linguini takes credit for Remy's cooking at a press conference, he and Remy have a falling out. As revenge, Remy leads his clan to raid the restaurant's pantries for food. Linguini arrives to apologize, but upon discovering the raid, he furiously kicks Remy and the other rats out.
The next day, Remy is captured by Skinner but is promptly freed by Django and Émile. After returning to the restaurant, he and Linguini reconcile, and Linguini reveals the truth to his staff, who all immediately quit. Reminded of Gusteau's motto, Colette returns to help Django and the clan cook to Remy's directions, while Linguini waits tables. Skinner and a health inspector attempt to interfere, but are locked in the pantry by the rats. Remy creates a variation of ratatouille which reminds Ego of his mother's cooking. Ego asks to meet the chef, and is stunned upon being introduced to Remy after the restaurant closes for the evening. The next day, he writes a review titled "France's Finest", stating that he has come to understand Gusteau's motto—not that anyone can cook but that a cook can come from anyone. He goes on to describe Remy—without revealing that he is a rat—as "nothing less than the finest chef in France”.
After Skinner and the health inspector are released, they inform the authorities and the restaurant is shut down, stripping Ego of his job and credibility. Remy, Linguini, and Colette open a bistro, called La Ratatouille, which a now-happier Ego invests in and frequently visits, and the rat colony settles into the bistro's attic as their new home (“End Creditouilles”).
TRIVIA
Visual Style
Gusteau’s hushed, luxurious resturant is almost like a theater on one side and the clattery intensity of the kitchen on the other side with the doorway into the dining room like a stage proscenium.
Producer Brad Lewis Lewis interned at Thomas Keller's The French Laundry restaurant, where Keller developed the confit byaldi, the “ratatouille” dish used at the end of the film.
Much of the shots are from the perspective of Remy as if a tiny rat cameraman were filming.
Rat expert Debbie Ducommun was consulted on rat habits and characteristics. Along with Ducommun's insight, a vivarium containing pet rats sat in a hallway for more than a year so animators could study the movement of the animals' fur, noses, ears, paws, and tails as they ran.
Technology
The same sub-surface light scattering technique that was used on the skin in The Incredibles was used on fruits and vegetables, while new programs gave an organic texture and movement to the food.
Completing the illusion were music, dialogue, and abstract imagery representing the characters' mental sensations while appreciating food. The visual flavor metaphors were created by animator Michel Gagné inspired by the work of Oscar Fischinger and Norman McLaren.
To create a realistic compost pile, the Art Department photographed fifteen different kinds of produce, such as apples, berries, bananas, mushrooms, oranges, broccoli, and lettuce, in the process of rotting.
A 2007 Pixar short Your Friend the Rat follows Remy and Emile as they recount the illustrious history of humans and rats through the ages.
Attraction(s)
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (Walt Disney Studios Park, Epcot Disney World)