The Conical Glass: There's a rat in the kitchen

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

There's a rat in the kitchen

TiVo is currently offering a nine-minute, free preview of the forthcoming Pixar film "Ratatouille." I've seen a lot of Pixar films, and Patton Oswalt, my favorite comedian, plays the lead role, so I was eager to watch it. However, the preview didn't do a very good job of convincing me that I wanted to see the entire movie.

The storyline is about a Parisian rat named Remy who longs to be a chef. In one of the TiVo clips, Remy, who had been peering into the kitchen of a fancy restaurant through a skylight, suddenly finds himself in the kitchen, where he saves a dreadful-tasting pot of soup by adding a few selected herbs and spices. I guess Remy is sort of cute, but let's face it, HE'S A RAT! The idea of eating anything that a rat has been touching with his grubby little paws is horrifying to me. I'm sure the film is beautifully animated and the rat's story is inspiring and heartwarming, in the Pixar tradition, but if it proves to be a box-office disappointment, I blame the Rat Factor. Most normal human beings just find them icky. Granted, a lot of folks don't like bugs, but the creepy-crawlies in "A Bug's Life" seem positively adorable in comparison to Remy and his pals.

posted by 125records @ 1:39 PM

4 Comments:

At 6:28 PM, Janet ID said…

Did it have to be a rat? Is rat-ness integral to the story, or just needed for the cutesy title? Because I saw a trailer for this back when I took the kids to Over the Hedge, or Happy Feet, or Open Season or some one of those movies that ought to have a special ticket price (FREE) for adult chaperones. And I felt the same way you do, Sue.
At 9:40 PM, 2fs said…

Wow - what a great idea for a movie! Animated animals, voiced by famous actors? I predict this is a trend that will catch on!
At 12:05 PM, Paula said…

Charlotte's Web would have been nothing without Templeton!
At 3:50 AM, Janet ID said…

Templeton lives under the barn and acts like a rat. He's cool.