This week, the wheel landed on a fan-favorite:
Ratatouille! And don't be disgusted at the thought of a rat cooking food - this Disney movie is definitely a heart-warmer and will make your mouth water.
Fun fact! The title refers to the French dish ratatouille, which is served at the end of the film, and also references the species of the main character, a rat. Perfect title for marketing, right?
In short, while set in Paris, the plot follows the rat named Remy, who dreams of becoming a chef and tries to achieve his goal by forming an alliance with a Parisian restaurant's garbage boy.
More fun facts! Ratatouille was later voted one of the 100 greatest motion pictures of the 21st century by a 2016 poll of international critics conducted by the BBC. This just shows that regardless of the main character's species, the film was executed beautifully and inspires its viewers to become professional chefs themselves.
But let's dive in: Remy, a young rat with a crazily perfect sense of taste and smell, dreams of becoming a chef like his idol, the late Auguste Gusteau. The rest of his rat colony, including his brother Émile and his father, the clan leader Django, are interested in food only for sustenance and to survive. The rats live in the attic of an elderly woman's house near Paris, but when Remy and Émile accidentally reveal the colony to the woman, they are forced to flee, especially when she starts shooting at them with her shotgun. Yikes. As a result, Remy is separated from the others and treks the streets of Paris alone. Encouraged by an imaginary Gusteau, he eventually finds himself above the kitchen of Gusteau's Restaurant.
Remy notices the restaurant's garbage boy, Alfredo Linguini (what a name), attempting to fix a soup he ruined. Tortured by the horrors of the garbage boy's reckless actions, Remy jumps in to fix Linguini's mistakes while trying to stay hidden by the staff. Unfortunately, Linguini catches Remy in the act, but does not reveal him to Skinner, Gusteau's former sous-chef and the new owner of the restaurant. Skinner angrily confronts Linguini for tampering with the soup, but when the soup is accidentally served and proves to be a success - thanks to Remy - Colette Tatou, the restaurant's only female chef, convinces Skinner to retain Linguini to uphold Gusteau's motto, "Anyone Can Cook." Skinner demands Linguini replicate the soup to keep his job. Skinner then spots Remy trying to escape the restaurant and orders Linguini to take him outside and kill him. Once they're alone, though, Linguini discovers that Remy can understand him, and he convinces Remy to help him cook at Gusteau's.
To their surprise, Remy and Linguini realize that the rat can guide his movements by pulling on his hair, like a marionette puppet, while hiding under his toque. They then work together day after day and night after night to recreate the soup and continue cooking at Gusteau's - and thankfully, they are successful. Colette reluctantly trains Linguini to be a chef, but comes to appreciate him for heeding her professional advice.
While on an off-day, Remy reunites with Émile and the clan. However, Django, his father, tries to convince Remy that it is impossible to change humans' disdainful nature towards rats, especially by showing him a store dedicated to killing rates, whether it is through weapons or poison. Honestly, this part was pretty scary to watch as a child, but it is needed to make the film a little more "realistic." Regardless of that, though, Remy affirms that "change is nature" and continues being the "little chef" with Linguini.
Suddenly, Skinner learns that Linguini is actually Gusteau's illegitimate son and the rightful owner of the restaurant. When Remy discovers the letter in Skinner's office, Skinner chases Remy around Paris to retrieve it, but Remy gives it to Linguini, who forces Skinner out. Because of this, the restaurant thrives as Remy's recipes become popular. In fact, Linguini's life improves, too, and he develops a romantic relationship with Colette, the female chef.
Meanwhile, Anton Ego, a food critic whose negative review of the restaurant indirectly led to Gusteau's death, learns of its rising success and announces he will dine at the restaurant. After Linguini takes credit for Remy's cooking, he and Remy have a falling out. To seek our revenge, Remy leads his family's rat clan to raid the restaurant's pantries for food. So much for bad timing because Linguini arrives to apologize, but upon discovering the raid, he furiously drives all of the rats out, Remy included.
The next day, Remy is captured by Skinner but promptly freed by Django and Émile. Linguini reconciles with Remy and reveals the truth of the rat controlling his actions to his staff, who feel betrayed and walk out, including Colette. However, having been reminded of Gusteau's motto, "Anyone Can Cook," Colette returns to help, even to help Remy, the little chef. Django and the clan assist, too, cooking under Remy's direction while Linguini waits tables - on rollerskates! What a turn this professional restaurant has taken.
When Skinner and a health inspector attempt to interfere, they are bound, gagged, and locked in the fridge by the clan. Remy then creates a variation of ratatouille, which reminds the astounded Ego of his mother's cooking during his childhood. Asking to meet the chef after clearly enjoying the meal, he is told to wait until the restaurant is empty, mostly due to Remy's secret talent as a rat. Ego is stunned upon being introduced to Remy, but he writes a glowing review stating that he has come to understand Gusteau's motto, and describes Remy — without revealing that he is a rat — as "nothing less than the finest chef in France."
When Skinner and the health inspector are released, the restaurant is shut down after learning about the "rat infestation," stripping Ego of his credibility and job. At the end of the film, Remy, Linguini, and Colette open a bistro, La Ratatouille, to continue Gusteau's legacy, in which Ego invests and frequently visits. The rat colony settles into the bistro's attic as their new home.
As one of my favorite Disney films, Ratatouille holds a place in my heart as a comfort movie for whenever I need cheering up. If you are in a similar place, I'd recommend this movie - it will never disappoint.
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