Ratatouille Is Delicious Film Fare Posted By : Steve Collins

Ratatouille, the eighth Pixar production, is a scrumptious treat. The irony of the kitchen's most horrifying menace, a rat, becoming a culinary hero is too ironic to resist-at least, that is what Pixar thought of the idea when it was introduced in 2001. The name comes from a French recipe and translates literally to "toss food." It is difficult to imagine a more fitting title for this film.

The hero of the film, Remy, is a rat with unique dreams of becoming a chef, and he has an undeniable talent. Washed ashore in the sewers of Paris, he observes a gourmet restaurant's trash boy boggle soup destined for a critic. Remy jumps in and saves the day. When the soup turns out to be a success, the garbage boy (hilariously named Alfredo Linguini) finds himself stuck with the overwhelming task of recreating the soup. Thus, an unusual team is born. Remy, hidden beneath Alfredo's toque hat, proceeds to direct the hapless boy's movements by tugging at his hair, not unlike a puppeteer would work a marionette. Consequently, Alfredo gains a reputation for being a genius with food.

As in all the Pixar productions, the animation is spectacular, and the creators found themselves doing some pretty strange homework to create their effects. For months, caged rats lived in the studio hallway as movement models. Fruits and vegetables were photographed in various stages of decomposition. One man was elected to go swimming in a chef's coat and toque to see where the articles would stick to his body when wet. The most challenging assignment? A week in Paris studying the finest restaurants of Paris!

Ratatouille is a culinary tour de force which many critics, among them A.O. Scott of the New York Times and Scott Foundas of the L.A. Weekly, count among the top ten films released in 2007. Nominated for five Academy Awards, Ratatouille is a rich, film you will want to watch many times

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