Last night, I was lucky enough to catch an early screening of RATATOUILLE, the new Brad Bird movie from Pixar. After THE IRON GIANT, THE INCREDIBLES and now this, I feel it is safe to say that Brad Bird is the closest thing there is to the Miyazaki of America. Of course, each reflects their culture (and Bird has a ways to go to equal Miyazaki overflowing genius) — Miyazaki is truly personal animation, a tone poem of joy that never shies from horror and loss.
Bird is American — the colors are loud, the shapes big, the voices comedic and broad. But his movies are not mere cartoons, but philosophy lessons. THE IRON GIANT was about the Cold War and learning to trust. THE INCREDIBLES was about Ayn Rand and the tyranny of mediocrity. RATATOUILLE doesn’t have quite such a bold log line — it’s about a rat who likes to cook, but it’s also about the gift of the talented, how you need to follow your true calling even if it leads to a lonely path, the destructiveness of mindless criticism and the joy of truly sensing the world. The climax, which made me cry, recalls Marcel Proust.
The story is a familiar one, but its twists and turns always seemed fresh to me. The threat introduced early in Act I simmers on the stove until Act III, while the hero, Remy (voice of Patton Oswalt) fights other enemies and hindrances.
A detailed review should await a second viewing, since I was so caught up in the story that I missed many great lines and bit of business. Suffice to say that after all my moaning about bad storytelling and weak structures in current movies, I cried additional tears of joy at a film that was so obviously made with love and care in every frame. The whole story unfolds from the very first scene, and develops and deepens as it goes along. The details are almost subconscious. Remy is cute and anthropomorphic when seen from his viewpoint, but animated as a real scuttling rat at others. Everything is in the service of the story, and the result truly satisfies, like the round mellowness of a hazelnut biscotti melding with the bold jolt of a cup of coffee. Truly it takes many tastes put together to create harmony and beauty, and Brad Bird has done it.
Brad Bird really is a genius. I can’t help but wonder if Miyazaki just hasn’t had a lot more time to beat back studio interference where really Bird is just finally putting together that string of ‘incredible’ films that will finally get him a little more slack from the money guys.
I’m so looking forward to Ratatouille!
In the same vein I found this today, it’s so good too:
I have been looking forward to this for soooo long. I have had the mad love for Bird since Family Dog.
Having been a friend of many rats for six years now, I was tickled by how well they captured Remy’s rattiness, both in the running about and his appeal otherwise.
I love the way the people look in this. So delightfully stylized and still so human.
Thanks for the heads up, Heidi.
I’ve been looking forward to this for a while.
I’m an easy tear-jerker myself, so reading that it got you is good news.
Ah, yes, the great Brad Bird – first he rips off Iron Man, then The Fantastic Four, and now Mickey Mouse.
This highly original saint of CGI indeed knows no bounds!
I would suggest that his next such project of perfection might feature as the main character a spider, perhaps?
But far be it from me to dare presume that this genius might need any help in that direction. And so I’ll say only bravo, sir! Bravo!
brad bird as Miyazaki. now why didn’t i make that connection.
Bird is definitely a genius. i can’t wait for my chance to see RATATOUILLE.
I have to say that when I first saw the ads for this it looked like the most repulsively stupid thing in the universe. I’m still on the fence, you might say.
I can’t wait to see this film on the 4th of July. My plan is to see two films on that day. It is probably the first totally CGI film since The Incredibles.
Well, this is the first time I’ve heard someone say it made them cry — now I know I have to see it. You would think that after seven films Pixar would be slowing down, I know they have several years to sus out a storyline, but still there are many that have taken longer only to come upw with complete rubbish — I can’t wait to see if they have done it again.