Disney and Pixar go together like peanut butter and jelly, like spaghetti and meatballs. Their latest effort, Ratatouille, follows in the footsteps of other great animations, such as Cars and The Incredibles.
Ratatouille is actually sometimes known as “Peasant’s Stew”. It is a vegetable soup that is made in a precise order, and can be enjoyed both hot and cold. Ironically, the movie of the same name, features a gourmet French restaurant. Another fun linguistic pun is the fact that the fabulous gourmet chef is actually a rat named Remy.
Remy is a misunderstood rat, who only dreams of becoming a famous French chef, in the tradition of his idol Chef Gusteau. Remy’s father finds Remy’s talent for sniffing out ingredients in food only beneficial for protecting the rat clan from accidental poisoning in the trash that they regularly consume. When Remy gets separated from his family in a mass evacuation, he is ecstatic to find himself at his idol’s own restaurant. Unfortunately, Gusteau died after receiving a scathing review from Paris’s toughest critic, and thus dropping to a four-star rating from a five-star, and the restaurant is a shadow of its former self.
Remy ends up meeting Linguini, who is a garbage boy with absolutely no cooking talent. Linguini has received credit for a scrumptious soup that Remy has actually concocted. Linguini ends up providing the body for manipulation and presentation, and Remy provides the brains behind the creations. The two work together to help pull Gusteau’s back out of the gutter.
At the same time, Remy continues to face opposition from his family. Linguini faces sabotage from Skinner, who is currently running Gusteau’s restaurant. He is also struggling to impress his new love in life, Colette, the hard-core only female chef in the joint. Will the new dynamic duo be able to continue to impress Paris and the critics? Will Remy ever receive recognition from his father? Will Linguini find true love?
The DVD has has something for everyone. There is a special Disney/Pixar short-film featuring Remy and his brother Emile, entitled Your Friend the Rat. which is supplemental to the actual story, by giving a “history” of man’s relationship with the rat. Another short, entitled Lifted about a couple of aliens attempting to abduct a human, which sounds scary, but is actually comical. After enjoying the movie, adults can put the kids to bed and enjoy some behind-the-scenes looks at the French food world as well as some black-and-white deleted scenes from the movie. You also have a chance to win a trip for four to France and get coupons for some cooking necessities. Target shoppers also receive a free bonus disc that has character profiles, an extra deleted scene, a behind-the-scenes look at Remy’s trip down the “rapids”, Remy’s cookbook Incredible But Edible, and a fun look at movie trailers from around the world.
