Ratatouille: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Rat

     In the Pixar film, "Ratatouille," writer/director Brad Bird begins with what appears to be a simple and quirky story of a rat in France who dreams of being a great chef.  Remy, the aspiring cook/rat, befriends a clumsy and innocuous human named Linguini whose movements Remy can control by tugging his hair, thus giving Remy a vessel to pursue a career in cooking.  When Remy's father learns of Remy's job cooking with Linguini at a Parisian restaurant, he warns his son of the potential dangers of interacting with humans.  His father takes him to a pest control shop which displays dead rats in its window, explaining that rats will always be seen as vermin, first and foremost, and no matter how comfortable Remy becomes in his new surroundings, he "can't change nature."  Remy then defiantly refuses this notion, responding, "change is nature."  He refuses to accept that being a "rat" and spending his life with his rat clan is all he can hope to be.  The film's main theme now becomes evident with Remy's search for identity, unsatisfied with the potential of searching for food in the garbage, he wants to create something, he wants to cook.  Remy's frustration with his role in society is in full view when he confronts Gusteau, his imaginary chef who acts as his mentor, "I'm sick of pretending. I pretend to be a rat for my father. I pretend to be a human through Linguini. I pretend you exist so I have someone to talk to! You only tell me stuff I already know! I know who I am! Why do I need you to tell me? Why do I need to pretend?"  What Remy learns in the end is he doesn't have to be one or the other, he can be both a rat and a cook.  The film stresses we don't have to be defined by a specific role, that each individual is complex and unique unto him/herself.  A.O. Scott of the New York Times wrote that "Ratatouille" is "one of the most persuasive portraits of an artist ever committed to film," not only for showing Remy's initiation into the cooking process, but also his journey through self discovery to find his own success and going beyond his designated role in society.