Edd Watches Pixar: Ratatouille Review

I’m a grown man who hasn’t seen most of the Pixar movies that people are obsessed with, but I was challenged to check ’em all out and share my thoughts. Join me as I watch ’em all one by one – see if I buy into the hype.

Movie No. 8: Ratatouille (2007)

My guy John Hammontree hit me up right before I watched this one to drop off this gem: “Anton Ego is Mr. Edward.”

I had no idea what that meant at the time but boy was he RIGHT. More on that later.

This is yet another movie that makes no sense in theory. A rat uses his human puppet to become master chef with the guidance of a ghost? Sounds like a wack episode of Rescue Rangers. In fact, of all the Pixar films so far, this feels the most like a traditional Disney offering, but that’s a good thing.

That doesn’t mean this movie didn’t creep me out at times. I swear when that army of filthy rats fell out of that woman’s ceiling my soul would have exited stage left. I hear if you pause that scene at just the right time you’ll get a glimpse of a young Tekashi 6ix9ine making his film debut. #PixarTheories

As always, while the kids laugh at rats running though dishes and vegetables like a diseased episode of Double Dare (the health ratings in France gotta be like negative 37), it’s the smart writing that keeps an old head like me engaged. Who among us can’t relate to doing all the heavy lifting at work while some lazy moron with no skills takes all the credit? And then you have to deal with your family members showing up looking for hookups because you’re the one with the “good job?”

Young professionals in the rat race. I see what you did there, Pixar.

But the main attraction of this movie is the homie Anton Ego, the best animated critic since that guy from the animated show The Critic. “I will return with high expectations …. pray you don’t disappoint me.” – I’m tweeting that next time your favorite rapper claims he or she is dropping a “classic.”

Seriously, Ego’s restaurant review at the end of the movie might be my favorite Pixar monologue so far, speaking both to the power of words and the importance of embracing change. He’s pretty brilliant for a guy who eats food made by rats.

While it doesn’t have the action or personality as my top favorites so far and some of the moral lessons are too on the nose, Master(Splinter)Chef was quite the pleasant surprise.

4 stars out of 5

Edd’s favorites:
The Incredibles
Monster’s Inc
**Ratatouille**
Finding Nemo
A Bug’s Life
Toy Story
Toy Story 2
Cars

Next up is WALL-E, another movie I know next to nothing about. But y’all do know this is just the robot from Short Circuit, right?

Want to see more? Keep up with Edd as he stumbles through the world of Pixar here.