Audrey Roeder
Staff Writer
April 12, 2024
Welcome back to another movie review written by an uncultured sixteen-year-old who’s seen barely any Disney movies. Last time I watched and reviewed “Tinker Bell” (go read that story after this one) and this time I watched “Ratatouille.” I should preface this by saying before today I’ve seen parts of Ratatouille, but never the whole thing.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie and I would give it an 8/10. I think the graphics were artistic and beautiful. Whenever Remy tried new foods, different shapes and colors would fly around his head. I thought this was an excellent way to show what Remy was feeling without him having to say it.
Remy trying cheese and strawberries: these graphics make me wonder if Remy is experiencing synesthesia every time he tries new foods.
I was also intrigued by the amazing food graphics along with the scenes of the city. The artists did a fantastic job, they added countless amounts of little tiny details, and they did a great job making the food and locations look so realistic. Their talent made me feel like I was in Paris myself. I specifically loved the scene where Remy saw the Paris skyline for the first time. Not only was it Remy’s first time seeing Paris, but it was also a great transition from Remy’s old life to his new one.
Although “Ratatoullie” is a coming-of-age film I appreciated the action scenes included in the movie. The first big action scene, in my opinion, is the saddest. Once the old lady discovers the rats in her house she chases them out. There’s a big chaotic scene where all the rats are scrambling around the backyard, trying to escape the old lady. While his family is boarding their makeshift rafts, Remy sneaks back into the house to steal the Gusteau cookbook. This causes Remy to get separated from his family. Younger me would’ve been bawling during this scene and she probably would’ve stopped watching the movie altogether. However, I persevered and watched the rest of the movie.
My favorite action scene in the whole movie was when Remy snuck into the kitchen for the first time. After seeing Alfredo Linguini messing with the soup Remy snuck into the kitchen causing the start of an action-packed scene of Remy scurrying across counters, ducking behind pots, and jumping in the water to stay out of sight of the humans. I thought this scene was well put together. All the components of a busy kitchen were a great addition to the scene. Not only was it intriguing it also introduced the viewers to the kitchen, and gave us more background on the restaurant and employees as a whole.
The creators of the film not only did a great job with the animations but they also did an excellent job with the storyline. The unusual meeting between Linguini and Remy, blooming into a wonderful friendship and a flourishing business was truly heartwarming. Although I felt like their relationship was a bit rushed, I liked the added romance between Linguini and Colette. From the start, it was obvious that Linguini had feelings for Colette, but I felt as if those feelings were not reciprocated. That is until Remy guided them into their relationship, like a puppeteer to his puppets. Speaking of Remy being like a puppetmaster in Linguini’s life, I thought the way Remy controlled Linguini was very interesting. It’s quite animated and childlike for Remy to be able to control everything Linguini does with just two strands of hairs. That being said, I must add that I rather enjoyed that whimsical aspect of their relationship.
However, one aspect of the movie that left me confused was everyone’s accents. To my understanding, most of the characters have lived in France their whole lives, specifically the rats. If it is true that Remy’s family lived in France their whole lives and talk to each other like humans, why don’t they have French accents (I also wondered why they didn’t speak French, but I quickly realized it was due to “Ratatouille” being an American movie)? Most of the rats, including Remy, have basic American accents, however, there is one rat that specifically stuck out to me. The largest rat, Git, seemed to have a thick New York or Boston accent. If Git had lived in France his whole life, where did he pick up a New York accent? Similarly, Linguini, to my understanding, has also lived in France his whole life, but he too has an American accent. By the end of the movie, I was still left confused and without answers to these questions, so I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s simply just a Disney movie thing we aren’t ever supposed to get the answers to. I also have to realize this is a movie targeted towards kids who probably aren’t paying attention to the accent of the rats.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie. There were a few twists I wasn’t expecting, such as Linguini being the heir to Gusteau’s restaurant, but I liked that it kept me on my toes. Although the movie was pretty entertaining and action-filled, I felt like it was a little bit long. There were a few times when I found myself checking to see how much longer I had rest in the movie. I’m not saying the movie was bad or boring by any means, I just feel like some parts of the movie were a little dragged on, especially for a kid's movie. If I watched this movie when I was younger I know I wouldn’t have been able to sit through the whole thing. Other than that I thought it was an excellent movie, and I loved it.