Between Meet the Robinsons and Ratatouille I have been anxiously awaiting the latest slew of Disney and Pixar releases. I can honestly say that kids are going to love both films. Which will be the winner will largely depend on the child, but kids will love both of these films, and in many cases so will the adults in the household. Meet the Robinsons is all about an orphan who longs for a family. Ratatouille, on the other hand, is all about a rat with a passion for food who longs to become a chef.
Release Info:
Ratatouille will be released on DVD by Disney and Pixar on November 6, 2007. The DVD offers a world of animation so advanced it is an incredibly new sensation. The world offered in Ratatouille appears so real it is astounding. Ratatouille has some special features, but not enough to bog down an already good DVD. For more information on that, keep reading.
The Ratatouille Plot:
Ratatouille follows the story of a rat named Remy. Remy (Patton Oswalt) is not like other rats. While most rats will put anything in their mouth, rotten or not, Remy has the gift of scent. He can tell you what’s good and what’s not. He can also pick out foods and put them together to make the perfect concoction. The only problem is that he’s a rat. Naturally, people resist the idea of a rat cooking a meal in their kitchen. Still, Remy has hope.
In his clan, Remy is not looked upon too highly. After all, he’s a dreamer. Remy’s brother Emile (Peter Sohn) is a fat rat who eats anything that Remy gives him and anything he can find when Remy isn’t feeding him. His father, Django (Brian Dennehy) appreciates that he has a gift and makes him the clan poison tester. Poor Remy sits and sniffs each morsel of food to make sure it’s good. Then one day fate comes calling and through a series of events, Remy ends up in a sewer in Paris, the city where he had dreamed of becoming a famous and esteemed chef.
Remy ends up right underneath the restaurant that was formed by the culinary master, Remy’s hero, Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett). While Gusteau recently passed away, he appears to Remy offering advice when it is needed the most. Before Remy can blink, he finds an opportunity to live his dream thanks to Linguini (Lou Romano), the well meaning garbage boy at Gusteaus.
Linguini wants to make an impression, but he’s better at making a mess. Linguini has no cooking skills or experience, but Remy helps him to make dishes that are out of this world. From there, the little chef and Linguini take Paris by storm. Linguini gets the credit and Remy gets to live out his fantasy in harmony.
Of course, harmony isn’t always easy when you have a crazed head chef (Ian Holm) on your back. Not only that, but as Linguini develops feelings for his partner, Colette (Janeane Garofalo) things become more complicated, though they also become funnier as the moments roll on. If that wasn’t enough, the true challenge will come in the form of the pickiest food critic in Paris, Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole), who has never given Gusteau’s a five star rating despite it being one of the area favorites for so many others.
Remy’s passion will need to be secure enough to impress Ego in any way he can. To say Ratatouille turns the culinary world on its ear would be a modest statement. When a rat’s in the kitchen you better watch out, because there is at least one little chef that means business!
Audio/Video:
Ratatouille is available in anamorphic widescreen that is presented with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The picture is so crisp and clear that it’s the closest thing to high definition without actually being HD. Every frame comes through perfectly. This movie visually stunning to watch. The only thing I can say, and this is specifically for people that do not like rodents, is to be a little careful with this one. The animation is so stellar that these rats seriously appear to be more lifelike than any other cartoon rat in previous movies. Every now and then I got the willies by watching all of these rats in the kitchen. Of course, when it comes to visual quality and the fact that I had to remind myself that it was just a movie, I suppose that is a good thing.
Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Ex. Subtitles are available in English, but no other languages. Like the video, the sound is absolutely perfect. As with the animation, the technical aspects of this DVD shine in all of the best ways possible.
Special Features:
There are four special features included on the Ratatouille DVD, but all of them are decent enough to see why they were added. Each of the special features runs for a minimum of five minutes and a maximum of fifteen minutes. You get to check out three deleted scenes, two shorts, and a behind the scenes featurette. Surprisingly commentary has been left out of Ratatouille. Of course, I never turn it on so this little issue did not affect me in the least.
The deleted scenes are the longest of all of the offerings. To save yourself some trouble, when you turn them on just hit play all and you can see all of the deleted scenes in a row. While there is no commentary, they do explain prior to the scenes why each was cut from the final film. The shorts include “Lifted” and “Your Friend the Rat”. Finally, the featurette is “Fine Food and Film: A Conversation with Brad Bird and Thomas Keller”.
Bottom Line:
Ratatouille sells for around $15 at most online (and offline) retailers. The story is cute, the voiceovers are hilarious in all the right spots and the quality is fantastic. There are some adult jokes hiding in there, but they aren’t obvious enough for the little ones to pick up on. The end result is a movie that is enjoyable for the entire family. This one is well worth picking up.
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Technorati Tags: Ratatouille, Remy, Rats, Paris, Gusteau, Disney, Pixar, Animated Movie, Childrens Movie Reviews, Brad Garrett, Patton Oswalt
Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
