Ratatouille

It took a few weeks of watching in small chunks, but I finished watching Ratatouille with my daughter. It’s my second time seeing this film, and my biggest takeaway is that it doesn’t really feel like a kids movie. My daughter tolerated it, but with no songs, minimal action sequences, and only one type of animal, it is unlikely to be one she requests to watch a second time.

On the other hand, I enjoyed Ratatouille more than I remember liking it the first time around, which surprised me. My issues with the movie remain the same – the story is simple and absurd, as it is about a rat using a famous chef’s son as a meat puppet. The voice acting is fine, and the characters are all one dimensional.

On the other hand, the writing does an excellent job of creating interesting character dynamics. Remy and Linguini go through a quick, yet well done, arc of taking Remy for granted and then showing appreciation. Skinner does a good job as a villain, both with regards to the restaurant as a whole and Linguini in particular. There’s a cute yet believable love interest, and a second potential antagonist in Anton Ego that is also handled near perfectly.

So, the premise and building blocks are all pretty mediocre, but the final product is good. I give it a 7 out of 10.