Ratatouille Preview: Cast Info, Trailer and More From Pixar’s Next Hit
Pixar has produced seven feature films. With one exception, each has been an astounding achievement, improving upon the previous release. And with one exception, they’ve all been on my personal year-end Top Ten lists. (The exception: Cars. The writing was too derivative, the characters distant.)
The revolutionary animation studio’s eighth film, Ratatouille, opens Friday. And even without the early raves (AP’s Christy Lemire just called it “advanced” and “sophisticated”) we know one thing: It’s definitely the most challenging name in the Pixar catalog. You’ve probably seen the cute pronunciation help — “rat-a-too-ee” — on the poster.
TRAILER
THE STORY: A Parisian rat has dreams of becoming an accomplished chef. Like Luke Skywalker and Rocky Balboa, this hero’s guided by a ghost, acclaimed food master Gusteau.
THE PLAYERS: Who ordered the CBS comedy reunion? Patton Oswalt (King of Queens) is Remy, the lead rat. And the voice of Gusteau? Everybody Loves Raymond’s Brad Garrett. Other comic actors: Janeane Garofalo and Will Arnett. Acting royalty: Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy and Peter O’Toole. And what would a Pixar feature be without their dependable all-star, John Ratzenberger? (Yes, he’s been in all eight movies.)
THE DIRECTOR: The great Brad Bird, writer-director of The Iron Giant and The Incredibles (shown left, with Oswalt and producer Brad Lewis)
Geek Note: Bird, now a Disney staffer via his Pixar role, started his career at Disney as a teenager. Back then, he found a mentor in Milt Kahl, one of the famed “Nine Old Men.” In a 2004 interview with animationtrip.com, Bird said Kahl “gave me the impression it wasn’t just talent that made good animators great. It was that they didn’t quit.”
QUESTION: What is the greatest Pixar feature film? What is your opinion of Ratatouille? TELL US
(Photos: Disney/Pixar)
Other Posts of Interest
- Disney Announces Animation Lineup Through 2012
- Holiday 2007 Box Office News: Disney “Enchants”
- Review Roundup: WALL-E, WANTED
- Movie Poster Monday: The Assassination of Jesse James
- This Weekend’s Movies: Updates to Ratatouille, Live Free or Die Hard, SiCKO
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Rat controls man, reminds me of Being John Malkovich
The seven feature films link - excellent. Ok, I wouldn’t say that each film improves upon the previous release, but yes there is some advancement at times and they do explore new characters and stories which is truly titillating.
Haven’t seen Ratatoille yet. Close call on the greatest pixar film. Weaker ones are Toy Story 2 and yes Cars. In the end I think it’s the characters that are the main strength of the films- and they are what have even impacted our culture a bit. That said, it’s a photo finish between Toy Story and Nemo, but Nemo by a nose. Admit it: Dory is the best Pixar character ever, and Ellen totally nailed the voice acting. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
How can TS2 be considered “weaker,” when in reality it is the company’s best film to date?!
Ah, opinions. Crazy, aren’t they? My son, who is three, went on a Bug’s Life bender. It was never one of my favorites, but man, so I have a new appreciation for it. I will always love Nemo, and the Toy Storys are damn near close to perfect.
Rat dragged in the middle for me, right around the time I tired of marveling at the exquisite (surprise!) animation. The Chef Skinner subplot did nothing ofr me, but the final 10 minutes - a celebration of teamwork and the rise of Anton Ego - are perfection. I wish the rest of the film had the joyous magic of the final frames. Still, a nice film that isn’t quite transcendental.
(And CARS grew on me in time, Norm. Give it another shot. The neon over Radiator Springs is luminous)
[…] Ratatouille: My filmcritic.com colleague David Levine has given the film a five-star review. I’ll weigh in after the weekend but, for now, here’s our Ratatouille preview. […]
– und3rdog — First, I must say that I’ve had Ellen DeGeneres up to here (hand at hairline). I enjoyed her in Finding Nemo, but I’ve now been clouded by her increasingly annoying, ego-driven shtick. That said, I was really impressed with how classically cinematic Nemo was. But… I agree with…
— Sean — Not only is Toy Story 2 not “weak,” I also think it’s the best feature in the Pixar catalog. I can’t think of a better film about parenthood, live action, animated or otherwise. And Sean, thanks for the tip that Cars is worth repeated viewing. I may give it a try but Owen Wilson’s got too much “Owen Wilson” in his performance, so even if I see the film in a better light, I’d have to get over that hurdle.
Thanks guys. See you back here soon.
-Norm S.
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