From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille - Page 3

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

9 minute video is up at disney.com

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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.

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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.

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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.

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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.

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

Still my most anticipated film this summer.


Word.

(save target...)

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

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL-VeJfaSlY) and the one about Patton Oswalt, who is doing the voice of the rat (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A2tCANjRLE). They have a You Tube channel for the movie, and they're all worth watching!

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

Japanese trailer

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

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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.

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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.

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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.

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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!

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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

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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.

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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.

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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.

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

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.

/

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

I got the chance to see it early as well.

What a stunning film! Both visually and story-wise, I thought that Ratatouille was brilliant. Probably the best movie I've seen this year. I'm actually really looking forward to seeing it again this weekend when it opens, I think it will only look even more gorgeous on a second viewing.

This is some of the best animation I've ever seen. It looks fantastic - vibrant, detailed, so pretty. I can't even imagine how much time they must have put into even the smallest of things.

And I loved the story. I thought it was so funny and heartwarming. The ending was totally perfect and was such a good payoff to everything, I thought. And what a surprise - Peter O'Toole's food critic character is fantastic. Definitely one of the best parts of the whole movie, IMO. I just loved that character to pieces. Of course the movie looks great, it's Pixar, but the thing that always strikes me about their movies is that they aren't just pretty fluff. The stories are what matter, and that's why their movies are so amazing on the whole. That definitely holds true for Ratatouille - you end up loving all the characters.

Absolutely fantastic. Run, do not walk, to see this!

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

I wonder when in the process they decided to Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) a nice sight gag that will be totally lost when the movie is ever seen in pan&scan.

On a down note, there's this: The movie definitely deserves to succeed on its own merit. Unfortunately, box office often has nothing to do with quality.

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

Just read James Bs favorable review...

http://www.reelviews.net/movies/r/ratatouille.html

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

This is probably my most anticipated film this summer. Brad Bird simply rules (either with Pixar or without), however I was a bit discouraged by James Bs rather luke-warm review. Yah, he gave it a three stars, but I guess I was just hoping for more of a rave from him (being the critic I most agree with). EW online also reviewed the film and gave it a "B". They also seemed underwhelmed by it. Great visuals, but a relatively "plain" story and bland hero. However, they also said that the fact that the main character "Remy" was not voiced by a known celebrity hurt the film. They felt that a known voice would make us identify with him more. That I don't agree with at all. One of Pixar's strength has always been their impeccable voice casting. Whomever they choose always fits perfectly within the world the film depicts, and this looks no different.

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While he did say the voice acting was kind of ho hum, I thought that review was pretty favorable, especially in giving Bird praise.

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I actually have to disagree about the voice acting criticism - I think one of Pixar's great strengths is not really relying on "name" actors to carry a lot of their voicework. Sure, they have had some big names do voices for their movies but they aren't afraid to cast total unknowns if they feel their voices are right for the parts. (I actually just watched one of the behind the scenes clips about this and they were talking about how the Linguini and Emile voices were done by totally unexpected people - the guy that voiced Emile was an animator on the movie first - and it was really interesting.) And, for me, i thought that Patton Oswalt was a really great voice for Remy.

I'm looking forward to seeing this again this weekend.

PS - Ken - I didn't catch that particular visual, I am going to be paying attention the second time!!

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

I just saw it and thought it was excellent and one of the best movies that I've seen all year.

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

Probably the first time in some time that a film's visual scope has just knocked me on my ass. Even from the beginning, this is such a step up from the previous benchmark, Cars. It's as if Pixar teases themselves with greater challenges (technical and storytelling) on every film they do.

From the orange colors in the opening shot of the cottage, just beautiful. When they showed bread (I know it sounds silly), but I was just floored. Technically, Pixar is so far beyond it's animation competitors that it isn't even a competition.

As for the film itself...it's pace is decidedly different from most animated films. It's leisurely and often unpredictable (by not going where traditional films would go) in the story. From a storytelling perspective, Remy wasn't completely fleshed out for my tastes. You knew everything you needed to know, but he still seemed a bit distant. But that's really my only complaint.

As usual, Pixar is king at story. It's remarkably well-crafted and builds on itself, level after level. It's honestly like watching a master (even if it's plural) at work. The film doesn;t feel short, but it never outstays it's welcome, nor does it stay mired in a story point. It just shifts gears quite a bit.

I found the voice acting above average. Pixar never relies on the famous voice for star power, just as their stories never rely on slapstick surrounded by pop culture jokes with a few grown up references thrown in. It's not as good as The Incredibles (which I consider a benchmark for voice acting), but it's probably much better than the alternatives.

In the infamous rating of the Pixar films, Ratatouille is...is...needs to be seen again It's tremendously worthy of the Pixar name, and that says it all. It's certainly not without a few flaws, but remarkably less than most films. And it's a technical milestone. It's like Pixar animation is also working off of Moore's Law.

I enjoyed Lifted. Smiled when I saw it was Gary Rydstrom, sound wizard extraordinaire. Not as good as some past shorts...it was still good.

Anyways, the first great summer film has arrived. But you already knew that.

9.5/10,
Chuck

Re: From Pixar in 2007: Ratatouille

Saw it today, liked it, but at this point I'd put it as second-tier Pixar along with Cars, Finding Nemo, and A Bug's Life (first tier are Toy Story 1 & 2, Monsters, Inc., and The Incredibles). It was a fun movie with some great moments and the animation was absolutely incredible, but there were flaws too, and big ones. I thought the middle drug horribly, and also found Colette's transition to be too abrupt (she goes from stabbing knives through Linguine's robes to being crushed when he doesn't thank her far too quickly). I also would have liked to see more development for Remy, Linguine, and Colette. For the three-cornered center of the film, all three characters were sketched in surprisingly broad strokes, especially for Pixar who usually are terrific at their character development. Most of all though the pacing just felt off. The movie seemed to take its time when it needed to hurry through a scene, and was rushing right when it needed to slow down and let things happen.

That said, as usual, even second-tier Pixar is better than 90% of the drek out there, and the movie did have some astonishing moments. Seeing the huge number of rats swarming the kitchen all doing different things simultaneously was astonishing. The story was great, and the ending was unexpected but fit perfectly. Loved some of the jokes (Gusteau's frozen foods), and was there even a small penis joke? That one surprised me.

Overall I'd say it's very good, but not quite great, although repeat viewings may lead me to upgrade that. The pacing is unusual enough that I could easily see myself liking the movie more once I know how and when things are happening.

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For me, after 3 features (not to mention a ton of pivotal creative work on "The Simpsons"), Brad Bird transcends a "Pixar feature". He is as much a distinct cinematic voice as any filmmaker in history. There is no mistaking "Ratatouille" as anything but:

By the maker of "The Iron Giant" and "The Incredibles".

More than the company as a whole, Brad Bird feels like the true heir to Disney (And it excites me that I still get the feeling he's just getting started).

But Pixar is obviously an awesome company to work with because they foster a creative atmosphere that is the antithesis of corporate Hollywood meddling (I'M LOOKING AT YOU, SHREK). Creative decisions like never allowing the humans hear the voices of the rats sticks out as one of those type of choices that a studo board meeting would have poo-pooed. It's definitely not the conventional route in terms of Hollywood storytelling - but it plays so right in this narrative, allowing big chunks of the film to be much more creative on a visual/emotional/cinematic level.

Of course, Pixar are also sublime craftsmen. Wow, those Paris shots.

Thematically this is an interesting mate with "The Incredibles". One film focusing on the idea of not hiding one's specialness, uniqueness and greatness - while the other meditating on how greatness can be found in the most unassuming places (Heh, typing that now makes me think of thematic connections with Iron Giant!)

The whole film is a pleasure to experience just on the level of that extra special Brad Bird TLC that clearly goes through every last piece of character animation. Such soulful and endearing work.

Favorite two moments...

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)