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Old 2007-09-01, 13:39   Link #17
innominate
hiatus almost permanent
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Hey hey hey didn't you guys find this show extremely machiavellian? Quite elitist in some sense. I think it was a rather interesting effort on Pixar's part, and quite ironical that a disney show should parody the disneyfied world of 'perseverance over talent' notion.

Although some may find some parts quite subtle, here are some of my thoughts:
  1. The show seems to suggest that talent is innate.
    • Here's the point that caught my attention: Remy states at the very beginning of the show that he was 'born with a talent for smell'. Immediately he gains some respect from those around him as they offer him a job.
    • On the other hand, linguini has no talent, and he ends up as a garbage boy at the start and a servant at the end. Remy gains credit and his talent gives him the power to feed his entire colony.
    • Furthermore, ego's quote intrigues me slightly, that 'not everybody can cook, but that a cook can come from anywhere.' This seems to suggest the antithesis of the aforementioned 'perseverance over talent' notion, which I find very reflective of today's society.
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  2. I find it quite subtle, but I find that the director tries to propound that it is necessary to be harsh in dealing with people, and that it is necessary to exploit people and relations for success, so much such that a facade is even necessary
    • Simple clues like: tying up of the health inspector and the short chef (guy with darker skin, forgot his name), linguini's and remy's relation, exploitation of manpower, etc
    • p.s. the idea of cruelty vs mercy is also put forth in the short, lifted, whereby the reverse of the harsh methods of dealing with people (benevolence!) would lead to disastrous results.
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  3. The yearn for power and recognition is an extremely machiavellian ideal (similar to point 6)
    • Firstly, the show seems to suggest that in order to gain recognition, one must let people hear what they want to hear. This is quite apparent from the concealing of remy.
    • Furthermore, we see a change in remy's reaction in two almost similar scenarios. The first being the part where linguini tries to tell colette about remy. Here remy tries to stop him from saying the truth. This is opposed to later, where when linguini was questioned by the press and remy tried hard to get linguini to speak about him.
      I believe this can be attributed to two factors: a change in ego for remy, and a change in reputation for linguini. The former propounds that when one is given talent, one wishes for credit, or some form or repayment. The latter puts forth that the credibility of one's statements are defined by reputation rather than by common sense.
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  4. It's a sad reality that eugenics plays such an important role in our lives but exploiting it is fun
    • We see that when linguini was discovered to be the son of gusteau, he was showered with fame and wealth. This is opposed to the 'talent' part of my review, but it just shows that talent is a 'harder route to take' to build a reputation.
    • The significance of ego's childhood seems to allude to this theme. Upon tasting the um, ratatouille, he relives his childhood for a split second and begins to realise that while he was enjoying his success as a critic, he had to throw his past aside. When he did decide to relive his past (through patronizing ratatouille), he was shunned as a critic and lost his job.
      I find this rather quaint, yet very ugly. Who knows.
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  5. Ego
    • Well, there's that significance of his name. o-o
      Here's one irony of the film: Upon losing his ego as a critic (by writing his critique and exposing the humble side of himself), ego loses his name (recognition). I think the show is hence trying to suggest that recognition defines a person, while ego remains essential in defining personality, and that personality contributes to recognition.
    • Apart from that, we see an egocentric side of gusteau: that when he was owned by ego in a critique that caused the five star restaurant to drop to a four, he underwent a period of depression then died.
    • Lastly, if you can remember where this quote came from: A chef, does not eat junk.
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  6. While the 'rise to the top' notion is apparent in many disney-esque films, I think this show came from quite a different direction. As much as we find remy's 'I want to make a difference to this world' motivation cliche, we see that this is evidently not a theme of the story because other characters like ego try to make a difference too but get owned by a 'larger power' such as Remy. This owning is also apparent in the ego-gusteau critique.
    • I find this notion a consequence of the aforementioned point about self-ego.
Overall, the film seems to suggest two factors that are necessary to lead one to success: In-built talent and genetic makeup. The only reason why I'm reviewing this as such is because of the increasingly prevalent signs in the media that suggest that our society would eventually fall into one that hold these two factors in high regard.

I find it extremely decadent. But I liked the show a little for expounding on this idea anyway, and how they make a parody out of most things.

I liked the filmography too, pixar has quite a good sense of balance: between the inconsequential & the not;

p.s. I only watched this show in the cinema once. Pardon any factual errors. Also pardon the bad formatting and incoherence: I am quite sleepy. 2:40am ^^"

Do tell me what you people think, though xD.

<3~innominate
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