Ratatouille

[emperor26]

Is anyone looking forward to the latest Pixar movie that's coming out on June 29th?

For those who don't know the story, it revolves around a rat name Remy who wants to be a cook, who befriends a desperate cook in-training in the process, as these unlikely duos try to achieve their dreams.

Here's the trailer for the movie, if you're curious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FFoK...elated&search=

[AerostarMonk]

I'm so there for that movie. Bird is a genuis when it comes to film. And this one seems to be filled with heart, which I love to see in animation.

Too often animation comes off very sterile and cold. Although funny, a lot of stuff is lost when the emotion goes away and the laughs come in. I hope that made sense.

[Voxxyn]

Originally Posted by AerostarMonk

Too often animation comes off very sterile and cold. Although funny, a lot of stuff is lost when the emotion goes away and the laughs come in. I hope that made sense.

That makes perfect sense to me. I personally wish there were more heart to go along with the humor and gags in current animated films/shows. That's what makes Pixar so wonderful.

So, of course, I'm definitely seeing this when it comes out.

[jekylljuice]

Originally Posted by AerostarMonk

Too often animation comes off very sterile and cold. Although funny, a lot of stuff is lost when the emotion goes away and the laughs come in. I hope that made sense.

I agree with everything you said there, AerostarMonk. It's probably at the forefront of reasons why Dreamworks haven't a raindrop's chance in hell of achieving Pixar's glory, until they learn that smarmy, calculated gags and pandering pop culture references do not a satisfying movie make.

As for Ratatouille, I really can't wait. If all the buzz I've been hearing about this movie is correct, then this may well have the potential to go in with Pixar's most elite. Plus, when I was a kid I went through this peculiar phase in which I was utterly obsessed with rats. It'll be nice to be able to relive those days.

[Ditchy McAbandonpants]

I agree with this topic.

I wouldn't call myself a DreamWorks hater - I perhaps was in the past, but I try to be a lot more mellow and open-minded now - but I nevertheless still feel there's something tangibly corporate about the way they make movies. Don't get me wrong - at their best, they can still produce witty, entertaining and well-crafted material, but the end result always feels slightly more akin to a product than a creative work. Never do I feel that there was a story that the writer really wanted to tell, or a theme that they were desperate to express; the driving force is always seems to be the desire to create the next Big Hit Comedy, and to check all of the boxes that it might need to succeed in that respect. Big name cast members for the posters? Check. Hip licensed soundtrack? Check. Pratfalls and gross-out gags for the kids? Sly innuendos and sneaky pop-culture gags for the adults? Well-worn but wholesome moral message for the parents? Check, check, check. At best, this eager-to-please formula can produce some really slick populist crowdpleasing entertainment, like the Shrek movies; much more commonly, however, it produces bland and soulless fare that palpably feels like it's trying to pander to every possible demographic.

This is the crux of why I love Pixar so much - they remain a company (like Britain's Aardman, who I hold as being Pixar's spiritual cousins) dedicated to art for art's sake. It goes without saying that their craftsmanship on a technical level is totally unparalleled; what's less immediate, but perhaps ultimately more impressive, is their total commitment to story and characters. Everybody is aware of their "Story Is King" mantra, but they're more than just words; you can see it just from watching any of their movies. Action sequences are incorporated according to the demands of story and character, rather than vice versa; humour and jokes come primarily from the development of well-defined personalities, rather than cheap one-liners; voice actors are cast according to their suitability for the part, rather than their marketability (can you imagine DreamWorks allowing Craig T. Nelson or Albert Brooks to headline a film?). As such, we get proper films with coherent creative visions behind them; watching a film like The Incredibles, there's never a hint of conflict or contradiction between the humour, the emotion or the action, because they're all part of a unified whole.

Above all else, they're great stories, told from the heart by real storytellers, and as such have a real genuineness and honesty behind their messages that many other films lack. One of the most disappointing aspects about last year, movie-wise, was the lukewarm critical reception afforded to the wonderful Cars. Certain criticisms of it I can accept - its narrative was more familiar than past productions, and it was certainly a change of pace for Pixar, especially after the zenith of The Incredibles; I think some people went into it with the wrong expectations, not helped by a marketing campaign which misleadingly emphasised the racing aspect of the film. However, other criticisms (that it didn't have enough jokes, didn't have enough action, that it was "too slow") struck me as a refusal to accept and evaluate John Lasseter's vision on its own terms, and when you start to criticise the film for its choice of central theme and message - apparently, its life-in-the-slow-lane moral and nostalgic yearning for the heyday of Route 66 isn't something kids can relate to - well, you'd better start being careful what you wish for. The day that Pixar starts making films that they think we want them to make, rather than the films they actually want to make, will be a very sad day indeed.

...

Uh, so, yeah, in answer to the actual question the topic was asking, I am looking forward to Ratatouille. Very much so. The Incredibles was one of the best films I've seen in my life; my friends still tease me about how ridiculously hyperactive I was as I exited the theatre after seeing it, because I was so overwhelmed by how good the film was. Brad Bird's name alone is enough to get me there on opening day (which, for me as a UK resident, is October 5th!! ), especially since having watched the magnificent Iron Giant as well, and from the trailer it looks funny and fresh, as well as being the latest in a long line winners of the "Most Unbelievably Gorgeous-Looking Film Ever Until The Next Pixar Film" Award. Normally, I'm someone who tries to guard themselves against setting their expectations too high for a movie, but as far as I'm concerned, Pixar are seven-for-seven so far - there's no way they will let me down.

[AerostarMonk]

I found Cars to be just to creepy. I know others have said it, and it may sound tired. But it seems like a post-apocalyptic world where cars have taken over. It was a huge letdown, for me anyway, after the awesomeness that was The Incredibles.

I will say this though. It had some of the best animation I had ever seen.

[Wendi]

I hope this isn't considered "BUMPING" in anyway BECAUSE I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!

This saturday, in about 800 theaters they are having a sneak preview of Ratatouille. I am definitely going :] I am so excited, too! I love Pixar. so I have no doubt that this movie is going to be great! :]

I watched the nine minute preview thing on my TiVo, and I played it about 4 times LOL. The animation looks really good. I love it when facial expressions play a BIG part in the comical bits.

[Medikor]

I'm really looking forward to this movie. It looks really cute and heart-felt. It reminds me of Mouse Hunt.

[WiltFan]

This looks like a super awesome movie. I will definitely be seeing it.