Ratatoing (2007)

This week, we’re doing something a little different.

Instead of discussing what makes films great, we’re uncovering the dark side of the industry.

Rip Offs.

This week will be fun (hopefully), but you’d better believe it won’t be as fun as pausing Zootopia to make out what Duke Weaselton was selling!

Let's start with the obvious: Pixar has made a lot of great movies.

As such, it’s easy for some films in their filmography to get pushed aside and forgotten because so many others of their films are more iconic or are a part of a franchise that gets more attention.

Think of The Incredibles or Toy Story.

But just because these films are more recognizable doesn’t mean they are the best.

Ratatouille is the perfect example of this. It’s not just a solid story for kids with silly visuals and fun kitchen action.

It goes above and beyond to deliver a tale about the pursuit of one’s chosen craft, a message encouraging anyone to live their dreams, and perhaps one of the greatest arcs for an antagonist on film.

That’s why it’s such an abomination when movies like this are made, their sole purpose to catch the coattails of a superior artistic endeavor and trick grandmothers into buying their movie instead of the real one.

Ratatoing was made by Video Brinquedo, a company who’s sole existence is to rip off popular animated movies.

The animation is grotesque, the voices are annoying, and it contains what can only be described as a rat orgy in a human restaurant.

Plus, because it’s only a whopping 44 minutes long, the credits take up 10% of the film. And the credits are somehow more boring than usual!

If you want to take a deeper dive into this film (but why would you), there is an excellent video by Schaffrillas Productions that gives an amusing review of the film as well as a fascinating political take on the film’s message.

Guess Monday’s Film