We saw the sneak peak of Ratatouille last night. The theater was about 3/4 full, mainly because I think most people missed the TV spot indicating the sneak preview. But not only did a lot of the general public missed it, it seems that the projectionist at our theater almost missed it. After viewing the trailers, which happened to have been identical to the ones we saw when we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End (including a trailer for Ratatouille), the main feature started and it began to look VERY familiar.... yes, they started to show Pirates!
So of course, several people walked out to inform someone that they goofed. The movie abruptly ended a couple of minutes after that, and we waited for about 5 minutes before they started the show again, this time, with a different set of trailers (yes, it seems that they can't skip or fast-forward over that). Finally the movie started.
Let's get this out of the way, shall we? Ratatouille is FABULOUS! In terms of storytelling, it is one of the best that Pixar has ever produced. Not only that, the amount of details in the movie is astounding. You truly forget that you are viewing an animation. The exception being the animation associated with the human figures when they are cooking or engaging in cooking activities such as chopping, cutting, etc. Being a foodie and an avid fan of cooking shows, I find a few of the culinary actions a bit unnatural. But this is a minor complaint that most people would not even notice.
The main focus of the story is of course Remy, a rat that has a calling to being a chef. He is extremely well-animated, and you do tend to root for him in no time at all. In fact, all of the rats in the movie look good, and how many times can you say something like that? Just look at the beginning of the movie when you finally notice how rat-infested that house is. Makes the hair on the back of your neck stands up.
Now, having said all that, for me, while Ratatouille is definitely a terrific movie, in terms of the degree of "fun", it isn't as high as The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, A Bugs Life, and Toy Story. It isn't even as much fun as Meet The Robinsons (which is a Disney movie, but not a Pixar production). Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing. I'm guessing that they set out to make a great movie, not just a "fun" movie. But in terms of big, laugh-out-loud scenes, Ratatouille does not have it, or as many. You don't have, for example, the big laugh-out-loud "That's Wicked!" scene at the end of The Incredibles, or the "Mine, Mine, Mine" chuckle of Finding Nemo. There are many funny scenes in Ratatouille, but nothing that made me laughed and cheered out loud. I think with the last two Pixar movies (Cars and Ratatouille), they are making a more "mature" animation film. They did not go for the cheap laughs.
I think if you do not expect the same hilarious expectations as previous Pixar hits, you won't be disappointed. It is a movie to behold, and you walk out in awe of the great artists that they have at Pixar. A small part of me misses the stop-all-the-traffic sense of fun that was so prevalent in A Bugs Life.
Zz.
No comments:
Post a Comment