Another megahit from Disney-Pixar
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Ratatouille
Certification: G
Cast: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holme, Lou Romano, Janeane Garofalo, Peter O'Toole, Brad Garrette
Director: Brad Bird
Genre: Animation, Adventure
RATATOUILLE is gathering a lot of buzz wherever it goes. Who would have thought? A rat? But if anyone can make a rat lovable, it's Disney and Pixar. Move over, Mickey Mouse! There's a new rodent in town!
The rat Remy, voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt, is an aspiring cook and has a natural talent for sniffing out ingredients and making them into delicious cuisines. His hero is the world's renowned chef, Gusteau, and Remy is an avid follower of his TV programme. Perhaps that's why he can understand the human tongue.
Set in France, when Remy got separated from his family and spent time in solitude, his rich imagination created an imaginary Gusteau, who has recently passed away. Gusteau to Remy is like Genie to Aladdin. He guides Remy to his restaurant where he befriends a young man by the name of Linguini (Lou Romano) who also aspires to becoming a cook but lacks the culinary talent. As Remy needs a place to hone his talents and Linguini needs to keep his job as a cook, they both come up with a plan to benefit everyone.
But it isn't as simple as that. Both of them will have to satisfy the curiosity of the cartoon's two nemeses. The angry little head chef who has an agenda of his own, Chef Skinner (Ian Holme); and the negative and condescending food critic, Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole).
If you remember the fun action sequence in The Incredibles, then you can expect something similar here as both movies are from the same director, Brad Bird. Bird has brought some of that whirlwind flare from the fast-paced action in The Incredibles into the kitchen of Ratatouille. Especially in the beginning, where Remy faces a shotgun wielding senior citizen, or when he fell from the ceiling into Gusteau's kitchen and tries to manoeuvre his way out; the action is fast and continuous and when you think it's about to end, it just starts all over again. You will not want to blink.
This movie sets the bar up again for animated movies. Every bit of the animation is dazzling and vibrant. The rats look as real as any cartoon rat can ever look. Not to mention the food they prepare! What a feast for the eyes! They look more delicious than real food. Better go into the movie with a full stomach or it may start grumbling half way through.
The creators of this animated movie have travelled to famous restaurants' kitchens in Paris to develop their storyboard, nailing every little detail right down to the kitchen setting and arrangements.
And no more of the little lost cub which got lost running away from home and makes new friends along the way while waiting for his parents to come rescue him. There's nothing cliche{aac} here as the story is most original and fresh that you just want to take the biggest breath in, almost as if you're trying hard to smell those delicious looking food.
There were a few times I couldn't tell if the story has moved a day or a month. Most evidently was how quickly Linguini fell in love with the only female chef there, voiced by Jeneane Garofalo, who acted as his mentor. It was a little too sudden for me as there wasn't much build-up to it.
The voice talents were also incredibly well-suited for each character. No one so famous that you would recognise their voices straight away and perhaps that's why the characters are so believable. When listening to them speak, you won't think it as there's someone behind the scenes doing the voices, but the characters themselves that are speaking.
This is another mega-hit from the marriage of Disney and Pixar. With Pixar bringing in the fantastic visuals and Disney providing the moralistic story-telling, this is another movie for the whole family that both young and old will enjoy.
Reviewer's Rating: 8 / 10
The Brunei Times
Certification: G
Cast: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holme, Lou Romano, Janeane Garofalo, Peter O'Toole, Brad Garrette
Director: Brad Bird
Genre: Animation, Adventure
RATATOUILLE is gathering a lot of buzz wherever it goes. Who would have thought? A rat? But if anyone can make a rat lovable, it's Disney and Pixar. Move over, Mickey Mouse! There's a new rodent in town!
The rat Remy, voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt, is an aspiring cook and has a natural talent for sniffing out ingredients and making them into delicious cuisines. His hero is the world's renowned chef, Gusteau, and Remy is an avid follower of his TV programme. Perhaps that's why he can understand the human tongue.
Set in France, when Remy got separated from his family and spent time in solitude, his rich imagination created an imaginary Gusteau, who has recently passed away. Gusteau to Remy is like Genie to Aladdin. He guides Remy to his restaurant where he befriends a young man by the name of Linguini (Lou Romano) who also aspires to becoming a cook but lacks the culinary talent. As Remy needs a place to hone his talents and Linguini needs to keep his job as a cook, they both come up with a plan to benefit everyone.
But it isn't as simple as that. Both of them will have to satisfy the curiosity of the cartoon's two nemeses. The angry little head chef who has an agenda of his own, Chef Skinner (Ian Holme); and the negative and condescending food critic, Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole).
If you remember the fun action sequence in The Incredibles, then you can expect something similar here as both movies are from the same director, Brad Bird. Bird has brought some of that whirlwind flare from the fast-paced action in The Incredibles into the kitchen of Ratatouille. Especially in the beginning, where Remy faces a shotgun wielding senior citizen, or when he fell from the ceiling into Gusteau's kitchen and tries to manoeuvre his way out; the action is fast and continuous and when you think it's about to end, it just starts all over again. You will not want to blink.
This movie sets the bar up again for animated movies. Every bit of the animation is dazzling and vibrant. The rats look as real as any cartoon rat can ever look. Not to mention the food they prepare! What a feast for the eyes! They look more delicious than real food. Better go into the movie with a full stomach or it may start grumbling half way through.
The creators of this animated movie have travelled to famous restaurants' kitchens in Paris to develop their storyboard, nailing every little detail right down to the kitchen setting and arrangements.
And no more of the little lost cub which got lost running away from home and makes new friends along the way while waiting for his parents to come rescue him. There's nothing cliche{aac} here as the story is most original and fresh that you just want to take the biggest breath in, almost as if you're trying hard to smell those delicious looking food.
There were a few times I couldn't tell if the story has moved a day or a month. Most evidently was how quickly Linguini fell in love with the only female chef there, voiced by Jeneane Garofalo, who acted as his mentor. It was a little too sudden for me as there wasn't much build-up to it.
The voice talents were also incredibly well-suited for each character. No one so famous that you would recognise their voices straight away and perhaps that's why the characters are so believable. When listening to them speak, you won't think it as there's someone behind the scenes doing the voices, but the characters themselves that are speaking.
This is another mega-hit from the marriage of Disney and Pixar. With Pixar bringing in the fantastic visuals and Disney providing the moralistic story-telling, this is another movie for the whole family that both young and old will enjoy.
Reviewer's Rating: 8 / 10
The Brunei Times
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