Rating: 9/10

Directed by: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava (co-director)

Starring: Brad Garrett, Lou Romano, Patton Oswalt

Release Date: June 29, 2007

MPAA Rating: G

Practice makes perfect. Surely, everyone has heard this phrase at least once before. One can’t help but wonder if it actually holds true, and if talent really does come from experimental experience, or if it’s just a gift people are born with.  Along with this, prejudice and disdain may cause some to think only certain people can have talent, while others cannot and never will.

The animated Pixar and Disney movie “Ratatouille” tackles both of these issues in a charming, fun, and incredibly realistic way – despite its fantastical elements. 

Although being thirteen years old, it skyrocketed back into modern culture thanks to Gen Z’s efforts on TikTok to workshop the tale into a Broadway musical.

In “Ratatouille,” we are introduced to Remy (Patton Oswalt), a rat who lives in squalor with his brother Emile (Peter Sohn), his father Django (Brian Dennehy), and the rest of his rat clan. His acute senses of smell and taste inspire him to pursue cooking, but Django despises Remy’s longing for the finer things in life and his love for humans. 

Remy then ventures into Paris to arrive at the declining restaurant of famed French chef, and his role model, Gusteau (Brad Garrett). There, Remy meets awkward and newly hired garbage boy Linguini (Lou Romano) and, after Linguini accidentally jeopardizes a soup, Remy brings himself to fix it, is caught, and nearly killed. 

However, Linguini, being talentless and still credited as making said soup better despite Remy being the one to do so, and Remy, who has incredible talent but is despised as the world for being a rat, agree to work together and help each other. A friendship soon blossoms between them.

As the story progresses and Linguini is shot into the spotlight with help from Remy and ferocious Chef Colette (Janeane Garofalo), the duo run into more conflicts. 

For Linguini, newfound fame, expectations, and rivals like the head Chef Skinner (Ian Holm) and the “Grim Reaper” of critics Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole) weigh on his usually quiet life. 

For Remy, he fights between his identities of being a hated rat that has to hide away to do what he loves and a talented chef that wants to be recognized for his work. 

But, by the end of the movie, Remy realizes that, as Gusteau said, anyone really can cook–with enough patience, courage, and support.

First off, the film’s visuals are gorgeous, especially in scenes where Paris’s bright lights and pinks and yellows drape across the screen and where gourmet food is displayed in its most delectable, delicious form in almost any 3D animated film of its era. Plus, its character designs are spunky and unique.

The film won multiple awards; it was nominated for five total Oscars in 2008, and won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year. It also won Best Animated Film in the Golden Globes, BAFTA Film, and Saturn Awards. 

“Ratatouille” earned its Oscar nominations for music composition, as the French-inspired original soundtrack beautifully garnishes the film with fast excitement in songs like “Colette Shows Him Le Ropes,” swelling melodies in songs like “Special Order,” and hopeful harmonies in songs like “Anyone Can Cook.”

Another strong point of this film is its realistic and charming characters. Whether it’s Remy’s struggles in being himself in a world that hates him, Linguini struggling when new pressures force him to be great, Colette feeling success slip from her fingers as she’s about to lose everything thanks to another male chef, or even Skinner and Ego’s believable motives, these lifelike characters feel refreshing in a world of animated cinema where predictable developments and tiring storylines reign supreme.

Finally, “Ratatouille” masterfully develops its moral of how, although anyone can try a skill, only those, no matter where they’re from, who are fearless and willing to go the extra mile, can become great artists. Despite the film being quite old, is applicable to today’s world of instant gratification and success.

My only complaints are with the film’s humor and romance. “Ratatouille”’s use of embarrassing, awkward situations and a handful of innuendos to get laughs can be unsavory for some audiences and incredibly entertaining for others; I myself am part of the former. Along with that, the romantic subplot of this film leaves more to be desired, as it feels rushed and underdeveloped.

However, these two critiques barely scathe what this film succeeds with, and I grant this film a 9/10 review.

I highly recommend this classic movie of following one’s dreams for families, teenagers, and adults alike, as its characters, animation, soundtrack, and storyline make this film worthy of five Michelin stars.