Ratatouille

If I had to describe Ratatouille in as little words as possible I would call it Pixar’s magnum opus. Disney and Pixar’s Ratatouille is different than most kids films, heck it’s different from Pixar’s whole filmography as a whole, which can be immediately observed from the opening sequences. The film doesn’t start with a catchy song or colourful scenes; it starts with a rainy, gloomy house in France’s countryside, it’s dull colours immediately giving the viewer a sense of depression, the absolute lack of joy or energy that is the life of a rat. The first moment of color is the tasting scene, a moment where Remy’s passion for food is fully sold to the audience. This contrast between the dullness of rat life and the vibrancy that food brings to the protagonist fully separates him from his kind, and this vibrancy is the sole driving force that will eventually make him into one of the “fearless” the film talks about. The sewer scene serves as a catalyst for Remy’s journey; it strips him of everything familiar and forces him onto a path he would never otherwise have taken. The sewer as a whole serves as Remy’s catabasis process, a descent into the “underworld” which in the end leads him upwards. Gusteau’s appearance to Remy is symbolic of his artistic intuition, itself transcending through his hardships, but also serves as an internal guide for Remy, who is able to leave his cookbook behind and needs to rely on his knowledge and passion alone to survive. The rats in this movie are very much an allegory for people, more exactly the mindless masses, with no true goal in the world, their only objectives being survival: eating, sleeping, and above all avoiding humans. This prioritised safety ultimately leads to their downfall. They refuse to experiment, consuming rubbish, leftovers and unwanted food. Where they excel though is their coordination, something which the humans lack on the larger scale. Character development is one of the film’s greatest strengths, the audience actually learns about the characters and sees them evolve at the exact right amount, not too much detail, but one still gets attached to them. While Remy’s initiatic journey is the main focus of the film, Linguini also is going through one on his own. He goes from the bottom, being a trash boy to, in the end, owning his very own restaurant. But he doesn’t do that without hardship, first of all he has to let go of his ego, which is one of the main themes of the film. Ego. Everyone has one to their own extent. Keeping one’s ego in check is the main hardship. This film captures a very important lesson, a person’s passion should always be above their ego. The scene where Anton Ego tastes Remy’s cooking is very emblematic of this, and it’s actually one of my favourite scenes in all of cinema. It’s the moment where his walls begin to crack, as he just starts eating, doing the thing that he loved from when he was just a little child. A key aspect of this scene is what exactly he’s eating: ratatouille, peasant food. The shift from the artificial lighting of the restaurant to the sunlit interior of his childhood house shows the power of food and serves as a reminder of his true passion. This reminder causes a very crucial reaction: he drops his pen, the object that he hid behind all of these years, this is the true moment where he lets go of his ego. There was no reason to write anything, as the taste of the food, and more exactly the passion that was inside him, is a feeling that cannot be put into mere words. Another important character is Colette, last name Tatou, literally meaning armadillo in french. It shows her defensive nature, having been forced to constantly fight for her place in a patriarchy, which also brings about her own ego. Colette’s ego is a different type of ego from the other characters, while she knows her worth and that she is deserving of her place in the kitchen, she only follows Gusteau’s recipes, no experimenting. While Colette’s acceptance of letting go of her ego comes from love, love is the source of another character’s ego, that being Remy’s father. His ego is similar to Colette, as it also leads him to a lack of experimentation, while also having its source from being outcasted from the greater society due to prejudice. His love for his family is also the reason he can let go of his ego, as he finally begins to trust his son after the end of his initiatic journey, which brings a new plan for his colony, the rats finally having a purpose: they work in a restaurant among the humans, showing their ability to coexist, and even prosper. This theme of characters shedding their own ego really ties in very well with the film’s famous quote “Anyone can cook”, but that’s not the full quote. Gusteau says “You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul. What I say is true - anyone can cook... but only the fearless can be great.”. So go on, be fearless, don’t let your ego dictate your life, for it will lead to a lack of evolution. After all, can life even exist without evolution?