From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille (1 Viewer)

[Chris]

Holy Crap! The entire trailer was stunning. This just jumped to must see material for me.

 

[BrettB]

9 minute video is up at disney.com

 

[Edwin-S]

Man, I watched that clip 4 times. It is amazing that Pixar can keep pushing the limits on what computer animation can do. The textures, lighting, and movement of the camera are something to watch in the clip. The background work in this film is what really catches the eye. Backgrounds in computer animation always looked a little plastic and video game like to me, but the backgrounds in this film look very natural. They are approaching, if not exceeding, some of the very best background work that was done when Disney animation was in its prime.

From a technical standpoint the work Pixar is doing is looking and feeling like the best traditionally animated Disney work, but with a dimensionality and freedom of movement that would have been impossible to create in a cel animated feature. The fact that their stuff is looking more and more like the Disney animation of old is the best compliment I can think to give.

It is going to be hard to wait and see the rest of what looks to be like another amazing film from the talented artists at Pixar.

 

[Sam Davatchi]

Apparently they say that the backgrounds are paintings and not 3D models.

 

[Chris]

Incredible to look at. But seeing the longer clip, I really appreciate where this story is going. Looks to be a winner to me!

 

[Jerome Grate]

The 9 minute cllip is stunning, it's almost creepy to the extent to have a rat running around in the kitchen. When he falls into the roast with the veggies gave me a ugh feeling. Very, very well done with the movements and even the sound of the nails on the floor as he scurries around. The kids like it too, so we are there when it comes out.

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

Am I the only one that had a rat as a pet growing up? They are usually even cleaner than hamsters or gerbils. I think he looks cute. This film is looking pretty good overall. I really like the animation style. It doesn't look like anything else that has been done which is a good thing in this day and age with some very bland looking CGI animated features.

 

[Edwin-S]

I wouldn't doubt that certain backgrounds are paintings such as the cityscape in that high rez still posted earlier in the thread. However, the kitchen sequence in the 9 minute clip had to be largely done with 3D modeling, given the camera moves.

 

[MikeRS]

Still my most anticipated film this summer.


Word.

(save target...)

http://progressive.totaleclips.com.e...10098_b2a1.mov

 

[Abby_B]

That nine minute clip is amazing. I love that it gives you a good handle on the characters and the story without giving anything huge away. Plus it looks SO beautiful - the animation! You can see the little hairs on the rat move individually! Stunning.

They are doing a series of video podcasts to promote this as well - they're all really interesting, about various aspects of the characters and some technical things and how they came up with some ideas for various things.

I've especially liked this one about some of the technical challenges of the animation (here: ) and the one about Patton Oswalt, who is doing the voice of the rat (. They have a You Tube channel for the movie, and they're all worth watching!

 

[BrettB]

Japanese trailer

Very different tone from what we've seen thus far. Lots of setup and Gusteau.

 

[Abby_B]

That Japanese trailer is SO lovely. I can already tell that I am going to love the friendship between the boy and the rat to itty bitty pieces. It looks like it's going to be so sweet.

And how beautiful does the food look? All the shots of the chefs cooking, etc.... It looks real, almost.

Totally can't wait for this.

 

[Shawn.F]

I was lucky enough to have caught this last night in Boston. I loved it. The animation was excellent as were the characters and the story. It wasn't quite on the same level as Bird's previous two films, but it was close enough. If you get the chance, check it out in DLP.

 

[BrettB]

Apparently there are pretty extensive sneaks this Saturday. It's showing at 3 different theaters in the OKC metro. I got tickets at movietickets . com.

Almost 2 weeks early.

 

[Jim Ogilvie]

Just saw Ratatouille tonight.

Overall, very well done. Lots of fun! I thought the second act was a little on the weak side, but it picked up at the end.

Lots of usual Pixar magic going on.

The movie was preceded by a new Pixar short called "Lifted" that was hilarious!

 

[ChrisBEA]

Saw this tonight, thought it was brilliant. They knocked it out of the park!

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

That's the one about the alien, isn't it? I remember hearing about that one, but had completely forgotten about it. I'm even more excited now.

 

[Ken Chan]

Also caught the sneak. Best movie I've seen in a long time. Some of the gags were so funny, my eyes were tearing up!

Not knowing who was doing the voices -- other than Pixar's "lucky charm" -- I was able to recognize two of them.

 

[BrettB]

It played in a smaller theater that ended up being about 90% full. The only preview was for the next Pixar which is Wall-E, set it the future, about a robot, that looks more than a little like Number 5, in search of his purpose. The thing that most struck me about the teaser is that was one hell of a productive lunch. I wonder what they ate.

Next up was the short (as is typical with Pixar) Lifted. This is basically an extra-terrestrial trying to pass his abduction test to get his license I suppose. I was looking for possible Spielberg homages but didn't notice anything. Written and directed I believe by Gary Rydstrom.

Ratatouille. I really didn't think it was possible with a rat but Remy is incredibly adorable and a truly great character. Linguini calls him "little chef" throughout and I think that's sort of what happens, at some point you stop thinking of Remy as a rat.

Lots of good French-related humor.

Peter O'Toole is great as the restaurant-killing food critic.

Lots of good action/slapstick. One of my favorite scenes is the first time that Remy and Linguini are shown cooking extensively. The direction is masterful.

Good amount of humor.

On the technical side, as is expected at this point, there is simply nothing to nit pic.

I liked it very much but was a bit surprised that I wasn't completely blown away. But then I walked out of The Incredibles feeling about the same and now after repeat viewings hold that in much higher regard. I think my left brain was caught a bit off guard. There is more going on in Ratatouille than is typical of a general audience animated film. Brad Bird doesn't own a cookie-cutter.

Looking forward to seeing it again. Reading the rave reviews has me thinking there's something wrong with me.

 

[Chris]

Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.

I think sometimes people undervalue pixar's incredible craftmanship. But if you've seen Shrek 3, and then you watch this, it is like looking at a Child's drawing and then a Monet. This isn't saying that Shrek 3 isn't technically proficient, it's that there are moments of technical merit within this film that are jawdropping for their artistry.. not just as a technical effect, although there are two mind boggling ones (the moment in the sewer pipes with water is incredible) but because of how well it feeds the story.

The story is both simple and endearing. It is probably one of the more adult Pixar stories told. But it tells it so well that it's hard to look away. I was eager for the film, but very surprised with how sophisticated and thoughtful the storytelling was.

I thought the second act was incredibly strong.. though very different from the way you would expect, and I felt as though some of the characters, particularly the female chef, were so well played that you were rooting for them. Peter O'Toole as the critic was both sinister at moments, and in the end incredibly sympathetic.

I said in another thread that so far, this year has brought very few movies that I thought were truly "Great" ("Once" is probably one of the few, with "Knocked Up" as a very good film) but this film is "Great". Solid storytelling. I say that again: Solid Storytelling. It's what made "Knocked Up" good, that the story itself, beyond the effect or media, was involving.

Forget the format or the way it's told. For all the fame Pixar gets for animation quality, and they deserve it, what makes these films work so well is that the tell a story the audience feels truly involved in. And that's worth the price of admission.

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