Ratatouille - early preview

[JasonEvans]

It does not come out for a few more weeks but I got an early peek at the new Pixar film, Ratatouille. As usual, it is the finest animated thing to come along in quite a while.

First of all, the quality of the computer animation is top notch. The fur on the rats is excellent and they look particularly good when they get wet or other stuff happens to them (an early scene with a couple rats getting hit by lightning is particularly funny).

The story, written by the brilliant Brad Bird of Incredibles and Iron Giant, is never predictible. Oh, it ends up going about where you would expect, but the path to get there has some unexpected turns. It really is clever. The pace is not as breakneck as the usual animated movie, and I would even say it is a little bit slow at parts, but this is a far more complex and interesting story than you usually get in these types of films.

There are several good laugh-out-loud moments, but there is not as much humor as in many animated movies. That's ok, because I think this film is trying to tell more of a story. The human characters are a bit too caricaturish for my taste-- the angry chef, the bumbling wanna-be chef, and the snobby critic-- but the story keeps coming back to genuine emotions (many from the rats) so it all works. The ending takes some awkward turns -- especially a side-note involving a health inspector that is handled a bit too neatly and quite unrealistic, which is not in keeping with the feeling of the rest of the movie -- but on the whole I really liked this flick.

I am not sure if I have prased this film too much. Frankly, I have been so uniformly disgusted with everything I have seen lately that I was desperate for something decent. I don't think Rat is quite on par with the Pixar greats like Toy Story, but I think it is in the same league with Incredibles and Finding Nemo and slightly better than Cars. It is miles and miles better than Shrek 3 and Surf's Up.

-Jason "Brad Bird is a genius" Evans

[3rdgenDukie]

Good to hear. Brad Bird is a genius, so I was looking forward to this one. Iron Giant is an all-time great movie, and Incredibles is close, IMO.

[dukemomLA]

Got to see a screening of Ratatouille this week, and loved it! IMHO, I thought Finding Nemo was better than Toy Story, but....that's another discussion.

And yes, "Rat.." is better than Cars. Since I adore the Pixar genius and insanity, I hope this movie does well. Go see it!

[Lord Ash]

Blech, I found Cars to be so, so boring. And I wasn't so interested in Nemo; a little too little-kid-cute for me. Toy Story was brill, tho.

[JasonEvans]

Early comments from others (reviewers) who have seen Rat--

NY Magazine says: (http://nymag.com/movies/reviews/33977/index1.html) "Brad Bird wrote and directed Ratatouille and tops his previous work. Since his work includes The Iron Giant and The Incredibles, this puts him somewhere between Chuck Jones and Michelangelo... This is a high-water mark for everyone at Pixar."

Variety says: (http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117933921.html?categoryid=31&cs=1) "'Ratatouille' is delicious. In this satisfying, souffle-light tale of a plucky French rodent with a passion for cooking, the master chefs at Pixar have blended all the right ingredients -- abundant verbal and visual wit, genius slapstick timing, a soupcon of Gallic sophistication -- to produce a warm and irresistible concoction that's sure to appeal to everyone's inner Julia Child. After the less than universally admired "Cars," Pixar's eighth feature sees the Disney-owned toon studio in very fine form, and confirms Bird's reputation as one of the medium's most engaging storytellers. Compared to his woefully underseen "The Iron Giant" and Oscar-winning "The Incredibles," "Rata-touille" may be smaller in scope, but in telling the story of a very smart rat striving to enter the very human world of French haute cuisine, it shares with its predecessors an affinity for gifted outsiders seeking personal fulfillment."

The Hollywood Reporter chimes in with: (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=9381) "Brad Bird and Pixar Animation Studios are proving to be an unbeatable combination. Bird, the cartoon writer-director with delightfully off-kilter sensibilities, and Pixar, the cutting-edge computer-animation company that places so very much emphasis on character, have their second hit together in "Ratatouille," a follow-up to the universally popular "The Incredibles." Who would think a rat in a restaurant's kitchen would induce anything other than comic slapstick involving knives and cleavers flying in all directions? Yet Bird builds a comic world in which a rat can become a chef and food can take on an almost unbearable sensuality. Yes, there's something in the kitchen for everyone in "Ratatouille," so the Mouse House should clear a wing in its hall of fame for Cousin Rat. "Ratatouille" might not reach the international boxoffice heights of "The Incredibles" -- then again, maybe it will -- but the film does rep another huge leap in CGI technique and imagination by the Pixar folks."

-Jason "trust me, kids and adults will love this one" Evans

[DevilAlumna]

-Jason "trust me, kids and adults will love this one" Evans

I trust you that it's a great movie, but I just don't see that it's appeal to adults-without-kids will be strong enough to generate box office sales in the same way that Incredibles did.

I actually "borrowed" a co-worker's kids so I wouldn't feel embarrased about seeing The Incredibles in the theater, because 1) it was an adventure movie, 2) it was "new" for animation.

For Rat, I think I can wait until it hits my On-Demand cable (or Amazon Unbox or XBOX360 downloads) because it's more of a feel-good (nearly chick-flick) story that works just fine on a smaller screen, and frankly, I can't imagine that the animation has improved that drastically from The Incredibles. (I still remember looking at the water in Incredibles and being AMAZED that was animation.)

[hc5duke]

I was watching Nemo on the Disney channel (err, I mean my 8-year old niece was watching it... yes, that's it) and at the end they showed a 10-minute or so preview of the movie, and I can't wait! I think all movies should do this if they've got the guts - release the first 5-10 minutes of the movie on BitTorrent or at the end of some related show, and get people hooked on it. Another example of this is Serenity -- I had never heard of FireFly, but when I saw the 10 minute free preview of Serenity, I had to rent the DVD (IIRC it was a box office disaster), and I may purchase the season DVDs soon as well.

[JasonEvans]

I trust you that it's a great movie, but I just don't see that it's appeal to adults-without-kids will be strong enough to generate box office sales in the same way that Incredibles did.


You are aware that there are more than 40 million people in this country between the ages of 4 and 14, right? Also worth noting every one of them only goes to the movies with some adult(s) in tow.

I am willing to bet anyone $100 right now that Rat makes $200 million dollars at the domestic boxoffice.

-Jason "I think the Rat story is strong enough that adults will enjoy it even without kids (but go to a late showing if you don't want to sit in a theater with 250 laughing toddlers)" Evans

[Cavlaw]

I'm sort-of an adult (I even have a mortgage now...), and I'm fairly interested in seeing it. It might be rental material, though, rather than the theater...

[Reisen]

My wife and I (mid 20's DINK's, Dual-Income-No-Kids) will definitely go see it in the theater, and I'm already getting psyched. Pixar just puts out a fantastic product.

[feldspar]

-Jason "trust me, kids and adults will love this one" Evans

Meh. I'm still not sold. Surf's Up looked funnier to me.

[Bostondevil]

With 4 kids, I go see almost everything aimed at them. My biggest test is, do I fall asleep?

Recent films that did not pass the sleep test, Barnyard and Flushed Away. I would have fallen asleep in Surf's Up except my 2 year old decided not to sit still. I took him to Shrek the Third and he sat in rapt attention, eating his popcorn, and squealing with laughter. So Surf's Up didn't pass either my test or my 2 year olds. The other boys liked it though, I think.

Because of the disaster that was Flushed Away, I'm a little reluctant to watch rats again, but I know I'll see it anyway. I saw The Incredibles 3 times in the theater, so, I know I love Brad Bird.

Bound, bound, bound and rebound.

And Jason? No way I take that bet.

[JasonEvans]

Bound, bound, bound and rebound.



Bud Luckey, also the voice of the government agent who "cleans up" after Mr. Incredible and I thin several other voices. He's a legend at Pixar and in the animation world.

-Jason "the short at the start of Rat is --as usual -- pretty good" Evans

[Bostondevil]

I was just trying to get you thinking about jackalopes. Glad to know there's another short out there, can't wait to see it.

Can't wait for the last Harry Potter either.

[Cavlaw]

"For the Birds" remains my favorite short by far.

[JasonEvans]

"For the Birds" remains my favorite short by far.

It is a good one. I really like "Geri's Game" too. I do dnot care for "One Man Band" all that much.

The one that goes before Rat is called "Lifted" and is tremendously clever. It really went places I did not think it would go.

By the way, you can watch a little bit of "For the Birds" right here. (http://www.pixar.com/shorts/ftb/theater/short_320.html)

-Jason "Pixar also did a funny TV commerical similar to 'For the Birds' that can be seen here (http://youtube.com/watch?v=4Zv9vRz4QYM)" Evans

[bird]

You are aware that there are more than 40 million people in this country between the ages of 4 and 14, right? Also worth noting every one of them only goes to the movies with some adult(s) in tow.

I am willing to bet anyone $100 right now that Rat makes $200 million dollars at the domestic boxoffice.

-Jason "I think the Rat story is strong enough that adults will enjoy it even without kids (but go to a late showing if you don't want to sit in a theater with 250 laughing toddlers)" Evans

My itch for a classic summertime movie has not yet been scratched, both my kids (15 and 11) love the trailer, so we are going.

[JasonEvans]

Rotten Tomatoes currently has Rat at 94% positive-- that's huge! Among the "Cream of the Crop" who are the really professional reviewers, it is at %100. That's pretty decent ;)

I saw an interview with "Mr. Moviephone" today -- he is usually not a fan of kid flicks -- and he said Rat is not only the best film of the summer but thinks it might be the best movie of the year.

-Jason "I say again, it is not just for kids" Evans

[feldspar]

-Jason "I say again, it is not just for kids" Evans

I want to want to go see Rat-a-tat-tat, but I just can't get myself psyched up for it. The premise seems boring and the animation actually looks more boring.

As a 20-something DINK, though, perhaps that's to be expected. I'm not really the demo they're shooting for.

[hc5duke]

I want to want to go see Rat-a-tat-tat, but I just can't get myself psyched up for it. The premise seems boring and the animation actually looks more boring.

As a 20-something DINK, though, perhaps that's to be expected. I'm not really the demo they're shooting for.

I'm (we're) a 20-something DINK, and I LOVED it... then again, I enjoy anything and everything Pixar makes.
Watch the 9 minute clip here (http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/ratatouille/preview.html). The animation is a LOT better than their previous movies (Cars, Incredibles, and Nemo in reverse-chronological order).

[snowdenscold]

It was appealing enough that 5 of us in our mid 20's (4 guys and a girl) all went to see it tonight and really enjoyed it.

[tecumseh]

I thought it was a good film and my companions of 12, 13, and 16 enjoyed it but the audience was full of 5 and 6 yr olds and their parents who probably did not like it.

In Japan animation is viewed much differently and adults go to see animated films, rarely is this the case in the US. Will this change? I think this is a good film but will have a difficult time with its target audience which should be adults, I mean a 5 yr old does not understand restuarant reviews. A really bold move by Pixar would be to create an explicitly grown up animation film.
I would encourage anyone to see some of Miyazakis brilliant worlk.

[Udaman]

The $200M total is in real, real trouble now. The estimate is that it took in $47M in the opening weekend. Solid...but the lowest for Pixar since A Bugs Life, and $13M less than Cars.

Now, Cars went on to make $244M...but Cars also opened in early June, and had no real competition for the next few weeks. That is not the case for Ratataouille. In two days it gets hit head on by Transformers (which will steal everyone 10 and up), and then in 11 days, it gets hit with Harry Potter, which gets them again (then the weekend after, the next book comes out, which hits them again). I think domestically, $200M is going to be a real, real stretch now. Put it this way...if it only falls 25% per week in attendance for the next 8 weeks (which is a great number), it would still be sitting at only $174M. I predict it finishes around $160M total.

Now, don't get me wrong - I went to see it yesterday with the wife and kids. My wife and I really enjoyed it. So did my 8 year old and 6 year old. My 3 year old, however, got bored. He couldn't follow the story (obviously), and aside from a few chase scenes there was no action to keep his interest. He was not the only one in the theater below 5 with this reaction. Also, I don't know if my 8 and 6 year old liked it enough to want to see it again (something a movie like this must depend on to break $200M). With Cars, they have watched it on DVD about 5 times now.

Fact is, Pixar made a great movie - for people 6 and up, and with the competition ahead for them (and the fact that some people just hate rats), the movie will struggle. Not to toot my own horn...but this was unfortunately easy to see coming. Still, it was a great movie - of that I will not argue. Best I've seen this summer (though still haven't seen Die Hard, which I have heard good things about).

[JasonEvans]

The $200M total is in real, real trouble now. The estimate is that it took in $47M in the opening weekend. Solid...but the lowest for Pixar since A Bugs Life, and $13M less than Cars.

Now, Cars went on to make $244M...but Cars also opened in early June, and had no real competition for the next few weeks. That is not the case for Ratataouille. In two days it gets hit head on by Transformers (which will steal everyone 10 and up), and then in 11 days, it gets hit with Harry Potter, which gets them again (then the weekend after, the next book comes out, which hits them again). I think domestically, $200M is going to be a real, real stretch now. Put it this way...if it only falls 25% per week in attendance for the next 8 weeks (which is a great number), it would still be sitting at only $174M. I predict it finishes around $160M total.


Oh it will fall more than 25% each weekend-- probably more like a 35-40% drop next weekend, which would still be very strong as most movies drop 50% their second weekend.

But, just in case you were not aware, people go to see movies Monday - Thursday in addition to the weekends. Ratatouille will make about $4 million a day over the next 4 days before next weekend.

I stand by my prediction that it will get to $200 million. I think it may come up short of $250 million, which is a real pity and surprises me quite a bit. I think word of mouth will help it a lot though and it will remain strong for a long time -- well into August when kids go back to school. This is the kind of flick that will do repeat business.

Check back with me in a month and we'll see if it is going to make it to $200 mill. I think you'll be surprised.

-Jason "word of mouth on Rat will be BIG" Evans

[JBDuke]

Went to see "Ratatouille" tonight, and I'll have to admit I was disappointed. IMO, Pixar has been on an absolute roll ever since "Toy Story". I have enjoyed and ultimately purchased for repeat viewings every one of their releases to date. "Ratatouille" certainly falls short of the standards I'd come to expect from this studio, and may just be their weakest feature to date.

Now, given Pixar's record, bringing up the rear isn't necessarily all that bad, and I would say Ratatouille is worth seeing. The animation is probably the best I've ever seen in an animated feature. Just the rats' fur alone is amazingly well done. But, IMO, Pixar's signature characteristic in their film library, aside from the state-of-the-art computer animation, is their clever scripts. Some, like "Toy Story" or "Monsters, Inc." were wonderfully clever in concept. Some, like "A Bug's Life" and "Finding Nemo" were stupendously clever in execution. Unfortunately, "Ratatouille" is definitely lacking in cleverness quotient.

What you do get here that is maybe the signature of this movie is you see things from the rat's perspective. As Remy, the protagonist, scurries through sewers and inside walls and along drainpipes, the "camera" angles are used to take the viewer along with him, and it's a spectacular job. There are several intense stretches where Remy is dodging traffic, or running around in a kitchen full of hazards, or just caught up in a storm drain that are amazing bits of film. But, there is little magic.

For the first time I can remember in a Pixar film, I thought to myself, "Is this EVER going to get going?". It's a slow start to the plot, although it finished on a strong note with an ending I did not see coming. However, I never found myself all that caught up in Remy's life or fate. I don't have a particular distaste for rats, but maybe another poster had it right when he suggested that rats are just hard to love.

Another area where I think Ratatouille falls short of its Pixar brethren is in the voice work. In previous films, the actors cast for their voice work tended to either be very recognizable voices (Tom Hanks, Owen Wilson, Albert Brooks) or they had very distinctive voices that fit their characters exceptionally well (Alexander Gould as Nemo, Spencer Fox as Dash, Joe Ranft as Heimlich). Ratatouille is often missing this distinction. I had to watch the cast list to pick out some of the voices, and the talent was definitely second-tier, in comparison to previous efforts.

So, I feel like I'm running "Ratatouille" down more than I should. It's still fun, it's still high-quality filmmaking, it has a great ending, and the animation is just stunning. It just commits the unpardonable sin of not living up to its Pixar brethren.

[blublood]

That was more or less my opinion as well. It's a fun movie, but the story and the characters just don't grab you like those in previous films.

SPOILERS



If the moral of the story is supposed to be that "anyone can cook" i.e. anyone can triumph over the odds, then how come Linguini can't? If it's supposed to be about friendship, then why do we get the scene at the end with Remy going his own way separate from both his family and his human friend? It's a children's movie so obviously no one is expecting deeply masterful storytelling, but there wasn't enough consistency in the themes for me to really, really love it.