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Someone finally gets what a 'family movie' should be. Total enjoyment and not a bad or bland moment in the whole shebang.
I was reminded a bit of the magic of 'Amelie from Montmartre' and I caught a sniff of 'Delicatessen' in the mix as well. Could be the Paris setting but no matter, a must see.
J.B.
Follow Ups:
and had to look up a recipe for Ratatouille on the Internet. A lot of the humor is subtle, and will go over the heads of kids under 10
These films tend to be better written and produced than animated films from other studios. While obviously intended for a General audience, Pixar animation avoids the pitfalls of dumbing-down their stories or cleverness in order to appeal to a youthful target demographic. Adults, sans kids, can go to a Pixar film without any risk of embarrassment or feeling uncomfortably out of place; Ratatouille is no exception.
What I like best about the studio's product is that each film is a whopping good yarn told with heart through well developed characters displaying emotion and real personality. Pixar's animated heroes employ sound ethics without ever succumbing to boring dialog or preachy narrative. That, in and of itself, is an amazing accomplishment.
Finally, Pixar's animated characters have substantially more depth than those typically found in weaker scripted live action movies with jacked-up, testosterone laden visual effects. This highlights Pixar's craftsmanship and storytelling talent more than it emphasizes egregious failures arising from Hollywood's blockbuster mentality.
Cheers,
AuPh
Also enjoyed it quite a bit, as the audience in attendance seemed to as well. However, most of it went over the head of my five-year-old daughter. One of the better computer-animated movies, certainly. But no Toy Story, or Toy Story II, or The Incredibles (the best of the best, in my estimation), even though it's a creation Pixar and director Brad Bird, who ws also responsible for The Incredibles. The main problem? One of the main characters, Linguine, is a bit of a sot; he's just not a stronge enough presence to carry all the time on screen he given. On the contrary, he is weak and recessive by nature. In Toy Story, you have Woody and Buzz, by way of contrast. And all the characters are strong in The Incredibles. Heck, I know it's just a cartoon, but I still want a strong protagonist. I want the central character to be well-drawn and involving. Linguine is deliberatey drawn as something of a wet noodle, so to speak. I think this was a strategic flaw. It's OK for a character to be weak and illicit sympathy and still be a strong central character. Chaplin and Keaton showed that. This guy borders on the annoying a bit too much for the film's good.
The central character IS the rat and a very well-drawn and strong chap he is. He changed his life for the better through a bit of luck and strong sense of will/purpose.
I saw Linguine as the foil or vehicle (figuratively and literally) for Remy the rats ambitions and drive to be more than he was, that they become friends and both are better off at the end is also pleasant. One of the characters had to be the lesser of the partnership (think Dean and Jerry), that it was the human fits well in this type of film IMO.
Then there was the whole subversive outsider vibe and familial complications sub-plot that Remy was dealing with, the powerful and overbearing father, Rat Society expectations and obligations etc.
Is it a young kids movie? I don't really think so but there is enough slap stick and gags to keep them entertained. I love food and worked in a French kitchen while in school so there were a few familiar faces that brought back memories for me, that might be why I connected the way I did.
J.B.
Agree that the rat was really the central character of the film. And your point about Linguine being a foil for the rat is well taken. I still think Linguine amounts to a somewhat weak main character that prevents the film from being really outstanding, despite the many strong points you make. To me, the film languishes with a bit with him on the screen, and he's on it a lot. Maybe it's just that the foil gets too much attention and kind of diminishes our exposure to the hero himself.
With regard to animation versus real film, I don't think it makes a bit of difference character-wise. The information is conveyed to us differently, by animators rather than directly by actors. But the idea of character and what it means to the cinematic formula is no different. In fact, I find many of the characters in animated movies SUPERIOR to those in some live-action films -- even better acted.
(nt)
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