Movie Review: Ratatouille

by Kevin Cabrera (guest writer)

Ratatouille is a Pixar animated film released in 2007. The idea seemed strange: a rat who dreams of being a chef in Paris. But nearly 2 decades later, the film is seen as one of Pixar’s greatest cinematic masterpieces due to the idea behind the film about creativity, passion, and that with determination, someone will want to see you succeed. In the movie, Remy, a rat who has an exceptional sense of taste and smell unlike any other rat in his colony, sees food only to be used to survive; on the other hand, Remy sees it as art. After being separated from his colony, Remy finds himself in Paris. After stumbling upon Gusteau’s infamous restaurant, which provides the message “anyone can cook”. He works with Linguini, a janitor at Gusteau, to show off his exemplary skills in the kitchen. Proving that talent is found anywhere, big or small. The film’s biggest theme is that “ Anyone can cook”, which shouldn’t be confused with everyone will become a great chef, but that a great chef can come from anywhere. Remy’s passion develops as he works in Gusteau’s restaurant, hiding under Linguini’s hat, essentially controlling him and being able to cook like a real person.

Then Anton Ego orders food, and Remy prepares his childhood dish, which has Anton Ego reminiscing about his childhood. At the end of the day, he finds out that the real chef is Remy. Anton Ego’s perspective of talent changes, contributing to Gusteau’s belief of “Anyone can cook”, and after his credibility gets shot down, he becomes a short-term business partner with Remy Collette and Linguini. Starting a restaurant called Ratatouille. The appeal to high school students is very high and extremely relatable. Many teens nowadays feel pressured to follow certain paths they don’t want to or are told their dreams are unachievable and unrealistic. Remy struggles through that feeling, wanting to pursue something you love when everyone tells you that it’s unachievable. This film encourages viewers to take their passions seriously and to believe that effort and creativity matter in this world and can be appreciated. In the end, Ratatouille isn’t about a rat cooking in a fancy restaurant. It’s about finding your place, taking risks, and respecting creativity wherever it happens to appear. The message of the movie still resonates with the youth today, which is why it is still worth revisiting multiple times.