Remy is an irregular rat who lives in the attic of a French country home with his brother Emile and a pack led by his father Django. Gifted with a keen sense of smell and taste, Remy aspires to be a gourmet chef, inspired by France's recently deceased top chef, Auguste Gusteau, but instead he is put to work sniffing for rat poison. When the pack is discovered by the home's occupant, they flee into the sewers; Remy is separated and ends up aground underneath Gusteau's restaurant in Paris.
Led by his imagination of Gusteau, Remy goes to the kitchen skylight to watch the kitchen in action during a service. There, he observes Alfredo Linguini, the son of Gusteau's former lover, being hired as a janitor by Skinner, the restaurant's current owner and Gusteau's former sous-chef. When Linguini spills some of the soup and attempts to recreate it using random ingredients, Remy is horrified and falls into the kitchen; instead of escaping, Remy attempts to correct the soup. Remy is caught by Linguini just as Linguini is caught by Skinner, but before anyone can stop the serving staff, the soup is served and found to be a success. Colette, the staff's only female chef, convinces Skinner to retain Linguini, believing him to be the success behind the soup. Linguini takes Remy home, realizing he cannot kill him as instructed by Skinner as Remy was the "little chef" that made the soup.
Remy discovers that he can control Linguini's movements by pulling on his hair.
Remy and Linguini find a means to overcome their language barrier, with Remy pulling Linguini's hair under his toque blanche to control his limbs like a marionette. The two work together to successfully cook in the kitchen, even overcoming challenges placed by Skinner. Skinner, suspicious of Linguini's talents, discovers that Linguini is actually Gusteau's son and by Gusteau's will, is the rightful owner of the restaurant; this revelation would ruin Skinner's plans to use Gusteau's name to market a line of microwaveable meals. Remy discovers Skinner's documents and retrieves them, bringing them to Linguini, who subsequently fires Skinner and takes control of the restaurant, much to the staff's delight. Linguini and Colette even begin to develop a romantic bond, with Remy feeling that he is being left behind. Remy finds Emile in the restaurant's trash, and is reunited with the pack. Django warns Remy that humans and rats will never get along, but Remy insists that it will all work out. Meanwhile, Remy begrudgingly feeds Emile and his growing group of friends from the kitchen's pantry as the nights pass.
Anton Ego, a food critic that had cost Gusteau's one of its star ratings, announces he will review the restaurant again the next day based on its rising success. Linguini, under pressure of Ego's pending arrival, has a fallout with Remy, causing Remy to retaliate by leading a raid on the kitchen's foodstocks that night. Linguini catches the rats stealing the food and chases them all out, including Remy, telling the rat he never wants to see him again. Remy, dejected, is captured by Skinner who recognizes Remy was the real talent behind Linguini, but is later freed by Django and Emile. Remy returns to the kitchen to find a frantic Linguini apologizing for his actions, and asking Remy back to help. Linguini then reveals the truth to the rest of the staff about Remy, causing them all to walk out, but Colette later returns after recalling Gusteau's motto: "Anyone can cook." Django, recognizing his son's determination, organizes the rest of the pack to help out in the kitchen to serve the other customers along with Linguini, while Remy and Colette work together to prepare a variation on ratatouille for Ego. Ego is amazed by the dish, bringing back memories of his mother's cooking, and asks to see the chef. Linguini and Colette wait until all the other customers leave to reveal Remy and the rats to Ego. Ego leaves the restaurant deep in thought, and writes a glowing review of the meal the next day, declaring Remy to be "nothing less than the finest chef in France".
Gusteau's restaurant is closed a short time later after a health inspector discovered the rats in the kitchen. Though Ego's reputation is tarnished on reviewing a restaurant plagued with rats, he eagerly funds a popular new bistro, "La Ratatouille", run by Linguini and Colette, featuring diner areas for both humans and rats and a kitchen designed for Remy to continue to cook in.
[edit] Production
Jan Pinkava came up with the concept and directed the film from 2001, creating the original design, sets and characters and core storyline.[3] Lacking confidence[4] in Pinkava's story development, Pixar management replaced him with Bird in 2005.[5][6][7] Bird was attracted to the film because of the outlandishness of the concept and the conflict that drove it: that kitchens feared rats, yet a rat wanted to work in one.[8] Bird was also delighted that the film could be made a highly physical comedy,[5] with the character of Linguini providing endless fun for the animators.[9] Bird rewrote the story, with a change in emphasis. He killed off Gusteau, gave larger roles to Skinner and Colette,[10] and also changed the appearance of the rats to be less anthropomorphic.[11]
Because Ratatouille is intended to be a romantic, lush vision of Paris, giving it an identity distinct from previous Pixar films,[5] director Brad Bird, producer Brad Lewis and some of the crew spent a week in the city to properly understand its environment, taking a motorcycle tour and eating at five top restaurants.[12] There are also many water-based sequences in the film, one of which is set in the sewers and is more complex than the blue whale scene in Finding Nemo. One scene has Linguini wet after jumping into the Seine to fetch Remy. A Pixar employee (Shade/Paint Dept Coordinator Kesten Migdal) wearing a chef uniform and apron jumped into Pixar's swimming pool to see which parts of the suit stuck to his body and which became translucent from water absorption.[13]
[edit] Food design
A challenge for the filmmakers was creating computer-generated food animations that would appear delicious. Gourmet chefs in both the U.S. and France were consulted [11] and animators attended cooking classes at San Francisco-area culinary schools [14] to understand the workings of a commercial kitchen. Sets/Layout Dept Manager Michael Warch, a culinary-academy trained professional chef prior to working at Pixar, helped teach and consult animators as they worked. He also prepared dishes used by the Art, Shade/Paint, Effects and Sets Modeling Departments.[15][16] Celebrity chef Thomas Keller allowed producer Brad Lewis to intern in his French Laundry kitchen. For the film's climax, Keller designed a fancy, layered version of the title dish for the rat characters to cook, which he called "confit byaldi" in honor of the original Turkish name.[14] The same sub-surface light scattering technique that was used on skin in The Incredibles was used on fruits and vegetables,[17] while new programs gave an organic texture and movement to the food.[18] Completing the illusion were music, dialogue, and abstract imagery representing the characters' mental sensations while appreciating food. The visual flavor metaphors were created by animator Michel Gagné inspired by the work of Oscar Fischinger and Norman McLaren.[19] To create a realistic compost pile, the Art Department photographed fifteen different kinds of produce, such as apples, berries, bananas, mushrooms, oranges, broccoli, and lettuce, in the process of rotting.[20]
[edit] Character design
According to Pixar designer Jason Deamer, "Most of the characters were designed while Jan [Pinkava] was still directing... He has a real eye for sculpture."[21] For example, according to Pinkava, the critic Anton Ego was designed to resemble a vulture.[22] Rat expert Debbie Ducommun (a.k.a. the "Rat Lady") was consulted on rat habits and characteristics.[23] A vivarium containing pet rats sat in a hallway for more than a year so animators could study the movement of the animals' fur, noses, ears, paws, and tails as they ran.[17] The cast members strove to make their French accents authentic yet understandable. John Ratzenberger notes that he often segued into an Italian accent.[12]
To save time, human characters were designed and animated without toes.[24]
Led by his imagination of Gusteau, Remy goes to the kitchen skylight to watch the kitchen in action during a service. There, he observes Alfredo Linguini, the son of Gusteau's former lover, being hired as a janitor by Skinner, the restaurant's current owner and Gusteau's former sous-chef. When Linguini spills some of the soup and attempts to recreate it using random ingredients, Remy is horrified and falls into the kitchen; instead of escaping, Remy attempts to correct the soup. Remy is caught by Linguini just as Linguini is caught by Skinner, but before anyone can stop the serving staff, the soup is served and found to be a success. Colette, the staff's only female chef, convinces Skinner to retain Linguini, believing him to be the success behind the soup. Linguini takes Remy home, realizing he cannot kill him as instructed by Skinner as Remy was the "little chef" that made the soup.
Remy discovers that he can control Linguini's movements by pulling on his hair.
Remy and Linguini find a means to overcome their language barrier, with Remy pulling Linguini's hair under his toque blanche to control his limbs like a marionette. The two work together to successfully cook in the kitchen, even overcoming challenges placed by Skinner. Skinner, suspicious of Linguini's talents, discovers that Linguini is actually Gusteau's son and by Gusteau's will, is the rightful owner of the restaurant; this revelation would ruin Skinner's plans to use Gusteau's name to market a line of microwaveable meals. Remy discovers Skinner's documents and retrieves them, bringing them to Linguini, who subsequently fires Skinner and takes control of the restaurant, much to the staff's delight. Linguini and Colette even begin to develop a romantic bond, with Remy feeling that he is being left behind. Remy finds Emile in the restaurant's trash, and is reunited with the pack. Django warns Remy that humans and rats will never get along, but Remy insists that it will all work out. Meanwhile, Remy begrudgingly feeds Emile and his growing group of friends from the kitchen's pantry as the nights pass.
Anton Ego, a food critic that had cost Gusteau's one of its star ratings, announces he will review the restaurant again the next day based on its rising success. Linguini, under pressure of Ego's pending arrival, has a fallout with Remy, causing Remy to retaliate by leading a raid on the kitchen's foodstocks that night. Linguini catches the rats stealing the food and chases them all out, including Remy, telling the rat he never wants to see him again. Remy, dejected, is captured by Skinner who recognizes Remy was the real talent behind Linguini, but is later freed by Django and Emile. Remy returns to the kitchen to find a frantic Linguini apologizing for his actions, and asking Remy back to help. Linguini then reveals the truth to the rest of the staff about Remy, causing them all to walk out, but Colette later returns after recalling Gusteau's motto: "Anyone can cook." Django, recognizing his son's determination, organizes the rest of the pack to help out in the kitchen to serve the other customers along with Linguini, while Remy and Colette work together to prepare a variation on ratatouille for Ego. Ego is amazed by the dish, bringing back memories of his mother's cooking, and asks to see the chef. Linguini and Colette wait until all the other customers leave to reveal Remy and the rats to Ego. Ego leaves the restaurant deep in thought, and writes a glowing review of the meal the next day, declaring Remy to be "nothing less than the finest chef in France".
Gusteau's restaurant is closed a short time later after a health inspector discovered the rats in the kitchen. Though Ego's reputation is tarnished on reviewing a restaurant plagued with rats, he eagerly funds a popular new bistro, "La Ratatouille", run by Linguini and Colette, featuring diner areas for both humans and rats and a kitchen designed for Remy to continue to cook in.
[edit] Production
Jan Pinkava came up with the concept and directed the film from 2001, creating the original design, sets and characters and core storyline.[3] Lacking confidence[4] in Pinkava's story development, Pixar management replaced him with Bird in 2005.[5][6][7] Bird was attracted to the film because of the outlandishness of the concept and the conflict that drove it: that kitchens feared rats, yet a rat wanted to work in one.[8] Bird was also delighted that the film could be made a highly physical comedy,[5] with the character of Linguini providing endless fun for the animators.[9] Bird rewrote the story, with a change in emphasis. He killed off Gusteau, gave larger roles to Skinner and Colette,[10] and also changed the appearance of the rats to be less anthropomorphic.[11]
Because Ratatouille is intended to be a romantic, lush vision of Paris, giving it an identity distinct from previous Pixar films,[5] director Brad Bird, producer Brad Lewis and some of the crew spent a week in the city to properly understand its environment, taking a motorcycle tour and eating at five top restaurants.[12] There are also many water-based sequences in the film, one of which is set in the sewers and is more complex than the blue whale scene in Finding Nemo. One scene has Linguini wet after jumping into the Seine to fetch Remy. A Pixar employee (Shade/Paint Dept Coordinator Kesten Migdal) wearing a chef uniform and apron jumped into Pixar's swimming pool to see which parts of the suit stuck to his body and which became translucent from water absorption.[13]
[edit] Food design
A challenge for the filmmakers was creating computer-generated food animations that would appear delicious. Gourmet chefs in both the U.S. and France were consulted [11] and animators attended cooking classes at San Francisco-area culinary schools [14] to understand the workings of a commercial kitchen. Sets/Layout Dept Manager Michael Warch, a culinary-academy trained professional chef prior to working at Pixar, helped teach and consult animators as they worked. He also prepared dishes used by the Art, Shade/Paint, Effects and Sets Modeling Departments.[15][16] Celebrity chef Thomas Keller allowed producer Brad Lewis to intern in his French Laundry kitchen. For the film's climax, Keller designed a fancy, layered version of the title dish for the rat characters to cook, which he called "confit byaldi" in honor of the original Turkish name.[14] The same sub-surface light scattering technique that was used on skin in The Incredibles was used on fruits and vegetables,[17] while new programs gave an organic texture and movement to the food.[18] Completing the illusion were music, dialogue, and abstract imagery representing the characters' mental sensations while appreciating food. The visual flavor metaphors were created by animator Michel Gagné inspired by the work of Oscar Fischinger and Norman McLaren.[19] To create a realistic compost pile, the Art Department photographed fifteen different kinds of produce, such as apples, berries, bananas, mushrooms, oranges, broccoli, and lettuce, in the process of rotting.[20]
[edit] Character design
According to Pixar designer Jason Deamer, "Most of the characters were designed while Jan [Pinkava] was still directing... He has a real eye for sculpture."[21] For example, according to Pinkava, the critic Anton Ego was designed to resemble a vulture.[22] Rat expert Debbie Ducommun (a.k.a. the "Rat Lady") was consulted on rat habits and characteristics.[23] A vivarium containing pet rats sat in a hallway for more than a year so animators could study the movement of the animals' fur, noses, ears, paws, and tails as they ran.[17] The cast members strove to make their French accents authentic yet understandable. John Ratzenberger notes that he often segued into an Italian accent.[12]
To save time, human characters were designed and animated without toes.[24]
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