Ratatouille

[RobertR]

Pixar's latest. I saw it today and loved it. After the slight misstep of Cars, Pixar is right back with another polished gem.

 

Along with the always polished animation, Pixar excels at story. And that's largely as a result of an emphasis on character first. Pixar can make a rat's eye's view of a trip across a bustling kitchen floor exciting. Bringing to life engaging characters makes you care. Giving those characters extra dimensions and flaws, a slight arrogance to the main character in this film for example, just adds to the storytelling.

 

There's more of a sense of place than any movie I've seen so far this Summer, and the Paris location and atmosphere adds to the movie. And there's no such thing as a throwaway character, as Peter O'Toole amply proves in this movie where he could just have been a one note plot device, but ends up being a fully filled in character.

 

It's a movie that people of any age can find something to enjoy. Pixar and Brad Bird don't make good animated movies, they make good movies period.

 

Robert

[pitchleague]

I know that I was really turned off by Cars. I thought it was a horrible movie. Dumb story. Preachy. Not funny at all.

 

I know my wife wants to see Ratatouille but she may have to go see it by herself or wait until it's on DVD before I watch it with her.

I've just lost faith in so many movies (especially comedies and the CGI "kids" movies).

[brewers19]

I'll unabashedly admit that I'm a huge Pixar fanboy, and because of this I probably enjoyed Cars a lot more than most people. But in spite of this, I still think that Ratatouille is one of the best movies that you can see in theaters this year. The plot is excellent, the detail of the animation is stunning, and the overall execution is flawless. It's not often that you see a movie that leaves you in such an all-around good mood, but this movie does it.

This is likely to be one of the rare occasions when I go to see a movie more than once when it's still in the theater.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I really don't care for Pixar (or animated "kids" movies in general), but I really thought that this was a good film. We took it in at the drive-in last night, and it definately far exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations.

 

I do have to say that (aside from having Larry the Cable guy) I didn't think Cars was all that bad.

[TerraceReserved]

Quote:

---

We took it in at the drive-in last night

---

 

A bit off topic, but went to a drive in last night and saw it too. Did you go to the HIghway 18 one out in Jefferson? It was my first drive-in movie, I had a great time, and the night was awesome for it. This is a long shot, but I chatted Brewers for about 15 seconds with a guy while in the concession line. Any chance you were that guy?

 

But anyways, I thought it was a solid movie. It wasn't my favorite Pixar film, but still very good. I was hoping for a little more funny, but the story was very, very good. Animation, as always, was top notch. Glad to see them rebound from Cars, which was very sub-par imo.

[fstorm1]

I have yet to see a Brad Bird film that isn't among my all time favorites. The Incredibles, Iron Giant, and now Ratatouille. Absolutely spectacular.

 

I still remember back in '99 how Iron Giant failed to attract a big audience, then, after a re-release, there was a movement of sorts to get folks to see it, which didn't work. I remember a few years later how sad I was to hear WB was dissolving the animated feature film division...I thought about Bird and how Iron Giant could and should have "re-opened" the glory of non-CGI animation. Fortunately the good (and smart) folks over at Pixar came to the rescue with perhaps my all time favorite animated film, The Incredibles.

 

After the release of the Special Edition Iron Giant on DVD, I was proud to have a sig which read, in bold letters:

YOU HAVE TO HEAR: "Halcyon Days"-Bruce Hornsby

YOU HAVE TO SEE: Iron Giant Special Edition

 

I, like many others, was disappointed in Cars. It's the only Pixar film I don't own, and frankly, don't have any desire to see again, much less purchase. My bias against Owen Wilson may be a factor...

 

I also remember reading a review of Ratatouille the day before I saw it where the reviewer stated that this film heralds the "golden age of animation". And while I agree that Ratatouille and literally everything Pixar makes is gold, I still long for the days of "pencil and ink" anmination...or at least the days of Iron Giant.

 

Still (Ratatouille's) a beautiful and rich film. Glorious in every detail. I know that we said went to see it "for our daughter", but I'm not the least bit embarrassed to say I saw it for me as well.

[pogokat]

Ratatouille was brilliant...i saw it today, and it was justa delightful film. I guess I'm not sure why people treat pixar films as childrens movies. There wasnt a single character in the movie under 21 years of age. one of the main characters was massively drunk at one point during the film and the other was a rat. I'm just pointing this out because Children's art---literature, films, music, etc...usually has a younger slant...the only thinkg about ratatouille that made it a childrens film was that it wa animated. I can assure you it dealt with more mature content than any of the other big comedys that came out this summer, and it felt a heckuva lot more developed than any of the sequels...it also has almost nothing in common with the other animated schlock that's coming out right now...i can't see how this movie is the same genre as something like surf's up or Shrek 3.

 

I think it's time that we admit that some cartoons arent really kid movies...and that they aren't good in spite of being animated, but that they are just good...ratatouille was an excellent film and it holds its own against anything released in 2007...

[And That]

I think it's time that we admit that some cartoons arent really kid movies...

 

I'm with you.

[DuWayne Steurer]

A bit off topic, but went to a drive in last night and saw it too. Did you go to the HIghway 18 one out in Jefferson? It was my first drive-in movie, I had a great time, and the night was awesome for it. This is a long shot, but I chatted Brewers for about 15 seconds with a guy while in the concession line. Any chance you were that guy?

 

 

I was there, but I wasn't that guy. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

I guess I'm not sure why people treat pixar films as childrens movies. There wasnt a single character in the movie under 21 years of age. one of the main characters was massively drunk at one point during the film and the other was a rat. I'm just pointing this out because Children's art---literature, films, music, etc...usually has a younger slant...the only thinkg about ratatouille that made it a childrens film was that it wa animated. I can assure you it dealt with more mature content than any of the other big comedys that came out this summer, and it felt a heckuva lot more developed than any of the sequels

 

Very good point Pogo, to be sure. As I said in another thread, I do enjoy just about any movie genre out there, I just seem to have a hard time wrapping my mind around and enjoying most anything disney puts out these days. Their older stuff (in my opinion of course) is so much better written than most of the schlock (shrek, I'm looking at you) that they shove through development. You're right in saying that this was a much more adult oriented story, with enough lighthearted elements that kids would be able to enjoy it as well, without getting into too much "adult theme" material.

[pogokat]

Quote:

---

I'm with you.

---

 

you can go back further than heavy metal...but i'm talking about non-cult type movies that get dumped on us all the time...

 

brad bird is more like spielberg than whoever the hell wrote open season

[endaround]

Shrek isn't Disney though its now being shoveled out in a Disney manner. Disney did now kill off its DTV sequel factory (finally).

 

Funny thing is that as feature length traditional animation has died in the US, TV animation is the best its ever been. From Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon you have stuff that rivals Golden Age WB animation. And its far, far better than the schlock that HB pumped out from the 1960s until the early 1990s. Of course none of the animation is actually animated in the US anymore.

[RobertR]

I'd agree that Ratatouille skews older than the standard Pixar film and animation in general. Heck, one of my favorite gags of the film has a lover's quarrel and a gunshot. The resolution of which is likely to go right over the heads of younger viewers. How many kids movies have the possibility of murder in them?

 

Not to mention, that I think having a more sophisticated palate and knowledge of French culture/stereotypes lets the movie work on another level.

 

Robert

[SoCalBrewfan]

Haven't seen it but probably will with the kiddo before too long.

 

But the discussion is interesting...Pixar movies really do work on a lot of levels for me, as a grown up who watches more 'kids movies' than grown up ones these days. After one of the many 'best movies' threads or discussions somewhere, I pondered why I hadn't included any Pixar movies among my personal favorites, because they are quite good, well-written with characters more vivid than many movies for grown-ups, and really do hold up to repeated viewing. (Anyone with young kids will have an opinion on that, I suspect...)

 

Brad Bird is really really good. The Iron Giant is really really really good....love that movie.

 

And, in the category of animation that works for kids but also succeeds at an adult level, you have to mention Miyakazi. (John Lasseter of Pixar is apparently a huge fan as he's on a bunch of the DVDs introducing .) Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke are too old and a bit scary for my son, though he's liked parts of the former. But Kiki's Delivery Service was just right...

[pogokat]

Miyazaki goes without saying...Castle in the Sky is one of my all time favorites...but there's been others...Monster house was essentially a mid 1980's horror movie right down to the old style mountain dew 2 liter...that had to be more aimed at 25-35 year olds than crap like madagascar...

[DuWayne Steurer]

I liked Monster House. The ending was sorta lame, but didn't take away from another wise good movie.