Category: Director: Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird. Pixar. 2007.

    Within Ratatouille, the scene in which Remy figures out that he is able to control Linguini, Brad Bird confounds expectations through undermining the stereotype about the animality of rats, and using the rats as symbols for immigrants. This interaction challenges the human/animal binary and strengthens the anthropomorphism of Remy. The director, Bird, suggests unity within this…

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava. Pixar. 2007.

    Brad Bird’s Ratatotuille challenges how we stereotypically perceive rats through the depiction of the protagonist, Remy. The narrative shows Remy struggling with finding acceptance in human society, despite the exceptional cooking talents he has to offer. In anthropomophising Remy to directly challenge our negative perception of rats, Ratatouille promotes wider messages of hope and perseverance for the underdog, as…

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird. Buena Vista Pictures. 2007.

    Brad Bird’s 2007 computer-animated film Ratatouille uses its mode as animation to estab­lish an alternate logic to the real world, enabling communication between humans and animals. The turning point that establishes this communication is when Lin­guini captures Remy in a jar. After asking a series of aggressive questions, Linguini calms down, and begins to take a more…

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird. Buena Vista. 2007.

    In a world where humans are relentlessly attempting to control and train animals, it is intriguing to see this portrayed in reverse in Brad Bird’s, Ratatouille.[1] Remy the rat is depicted as significantly smarter than the human (Linguini), as he teaches him how to cook and navigate his way around a kitchen; whilst Linguini remains predominantly confused…

  • Ratatouille . Dir. Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava . Walt Disney Pictures. 2007.

    The final shot of Ratatouille, the image of a rat in the restaurant sign, symbolises the fantasy of the rat and human worlds crossing, and the idealisation of a rat chef being accepted by human society. However, this is ultimately impossible, as darker themes lurk beneath this image. The sign features a silhouette of a rat…

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird. Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. 2007.

    Brad Bird’s Ratatouille is a film in which the human community collides with that of the rats, through Remy the rat’s aspiration to be a cook for humans despite his status as animal vermin (assigned to him by those he wishes to cook for). Remy the rat’s first encounter with a compassionate, caring ‘human’ arises from an…

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird. Buena Vista Pictures. 2007.

    In the Ratatouille scene where Remy and Emile enter an old woman’s house, questions of animal invasion into human spaces are raised. The woman’s reaction is to kill the trespassing rats; a reaction which, in reality, we would be unlikely to query.                                                             Fig. 1 As uncaged rats they represent pests, undesirable to find in one’s home. The…

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird . Walt Disney Pictures . 2007.

    Ratatouille’s exploration of human cruelty towards rats is encapsulated in the scene where an old lady discovers that her home is infested by rats.   The old lady is introduced through a static frame that captures her sleeping peacefully whilst highlighting her pink garments, both of which depict her as a stereotypical gentle grandma figure. …

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird . Walt Disney Pictures . 2007.

    Ratatouille’s exploration of human cruelty towards rats is encapsulated in the scene where an old lady discovers that her home is infested by rats.   The old lady is introduced through a static frame that captures her sleeping peacefully whilst highlighting her pink garments, both of which depict her as a stereotypical gentle grandma figure. …

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava. Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. 2007.

    Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava’s 2007 animated family film Ratatouille follows the journey of a rat named Remy who has a dream of becoming a chef.[1] Like most family films, Ratatouille has an underlying moral message it aims to teach its audience. Ratatouille wants its audience to go away from the film with the idea that individuality is a good…