Below is an excerpt of my 6,200 word essay about how the Pixar Animation Studios film Ratatouille revolutionized the thematic use of food in animation through themes unique to the culinary world and an abnormally-frequent amount of “food scenes.” Written in December 2022, this excerpt specifically focuses on the several scenes supporting Ratatouille’s theme of culinary elitism.

Introduction

With the ability to exaggerate colors, textures, and movements, animation has a way of granting enchantment to the ordinary. Food has proven to be the epitome of such a practice, as the detail of water droplets, steam, light, and other elements creates a powerful mouth-watering sensation for viewers. Despite animated food’s ability to captivate audiences in this manner, it was rarely used as a consistent plot device in films until the extraordinary efforts of one of the first animated food films to come from a major American studio: the 2007 Pixar Animation Studios film Ratatouille.

Food Scenes in Animation

Seeing as how animation is commonly aimed toward family audiences, the familiar scenes of loved ones eating together make the characters on screen feel more real to the audience members. For this reason, “food scenes” are an essential staple to the animation genre, as most of those released by major American studios feature them in some shape.

Animated films typically use food scenes for one of three general narrative purposes:

1. Hurting character relationships

In the 2004 DreamWorks film Shrek 2, Shrek unintentionally demonstrates poor table manners, which compels his father-in-law to insult ogre kind and initiate a violent food fight. In this scene, the reminder of Shrek’s differences initiates the fight that leaves lasting damage to their relationship throughout the film.

2. Progressing the plot

The 2005 Aardman Animation film Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit follows a cheese-loving inventor that turns himself into a rampaging rabbit monster in an attempt to adopt a healthier diet. In a plot-progressing food scene, Wallace’s curse is broken with the tempting smell of cheese.

3. Healing character relationships

In the 2007 Walt Disney Animation Studios film Meet the Robinsons, innovative orphan Lewis uses his invention to prepare a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but it fails horribly. Even so, the family he meets celebrates with him, which moves him so much that he states “if I had a family… I’d want them to be just like you” (00:53:14).

Where most animated films would use only feature one food scene with one of these three goals, Ratatouille exceeds expectations by using each of the three listed goals to individually support its several themes.

Additionally, Ratatouille’s use of these scenes is unique in the sense that it relies on food as a consistent method of thematic storytelling. In the few animated food films prior to its release, such as Over the Hedge (2006), the themes were focused on universal messages such as friendship and family. The themes in Ratatouille are each rooted in food, specifically haute kitchens, in a way that films before it do not do.

To make the film stay true to its genre while also expanding its narrative and thematic limitations, Ratatouille asserts each of its themes through numerous food scenes that strengthen character bonds, worsen character tensions, and progress the plot to inspire future films.

Ratatouille’s Theme of Elitism

Though the concept of a rat controlling a man by pulling his hair is humorously ridiculous, it is a direct commentary on silenced voices in elitist haute kitchens. In her article “Ten Years Later, ‘Ratatouille’ Remains a Striking Allegory of Art and Class,” Leah Monson argues that figures like food critic Ego convince the film’s culinary world that only those of the traditional chef background are able to succeed. This belief, as she asserts, is the reason why Remy is forced to “be a human through Linguini” throughout the film (1:27:20).

The film repeatedly asserts that the elitist view on who can and cannot succeed in kitchens is wrong, as the untalented Linguini is later revealed to be Gusteau’s son. When he suddenly appears in the kitchen with remarkable talent and no experience, he says “I am Gusteau’s son. It’s in my blood, I guess,” and that is enough for everyone to believe him (1:16:48).

However, the thought of a rat of a lowly background cooking haute cuisine is laughable to the cooks. Thus, Remy and Linguini’s partnership is the only way the two of them are able to succeed in the culinary world, as Remy is unable to apply for a job and Linguini is unable to admit his disappointing lack of talent. As a result, food scenes continually solidify the film’s primary theme of elitism by referencing each category of narratively-significant food scenes common to animation.

Hurting Character Relationships

…Impoverished chefs like Remy are often not accepted for who they are in haute French kitchens, and they are expected to survive in this environment by hiding their different origins.

The theme of elitism is supported in the film by using food to worsen tensions between characters. Remy denied his cultural upbringing earlier in the film when he decided to make omelets for Linguini instead of stealing his eggs and running. However, after he grew frustrated with Linguini taking all of the credit, Remy returns to his rat roots by stealing food from Gusteau’s kitchen to get back at him. When Linguini catches him in the act, he chases Remy out of the restaurant and says “don’t come back or I’ll treat you the way restaurants are supposed to treat pests” (1:22:45).

In this scene, Linguini is reminded of his and Remy’s differences and no longer feels comfortable cooking alongside him. This reflects the film’s theme of elitism because impoverished chefs like Remy are often not accepted for who they are in haute French kitchens, and they are expected to survive in this environment by hiding their different origins. In doing so, the film supports its themes of elitism through a bond-damaging food scene.

Progressing the Plot

Ratatouille further develops its theme of elitism and the plot simultaneously when Remy serves the French peasant dish “ratatouille” to the snooty food critic Ego. For this decision, Remy decides to embrace his humble beginnings in a much healthier way that does not force him to deny his cooking aspirations. Even so, the decision is a bold one that Colette is hesitant to support.

When they deliver the dish to Ego, however, the taste reminds him of his own humble origins in the French countryside with his single mother, which reignites his long-lost love of food. Ego lost himself in trying to pose as a wealthy, snooty critic to compete in this elitist career path, and it is not until Remy embraces his own identity that Ego truly understands the main moral of the film, one that he publicly rejected since the opening scene.

In his review, Ego surprisingly surmises that “not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere” (1:40:25). Therefore, through Remy’s bold decision to reject the persona designed to succumb to elitism, he reminds even the most elitist characters in the film to be open to new talent regardless of origin.

Healing Character Relationships

Finally, Ratatouille strengthens its themes of elitism by demonstrating its positive effects on character relations in the film. This is specifically seen in the characters of Linguini and Colette, as their relationship would not exist without the elitist nature of Gusteau’s kitchen. In one of the most iconic scenes of the film, Colette is tasked to help Linguini learn the ways of the kitchen.

Though she defended him and got him the job, she begins the teachings by stabbing his sleeve with knives and saying she is the only woman in the kitchen “because haute cuisine is an antiquated hierarchy” and the only reason why she got her job despite that is “because [she is] the toughest cook in this kitchen” (00:41:07). As a result, she teaches him with unforgiving hostility, death threats, and personal insults to protect her status and demand his respect.

However, as the montage comes to a close, Colette softens her teaching as she begins to understand that he does not need to fear her to respect her. Therefore, teaching Linguini the ways of the kitchen allowed them to critically bond because she realized that he is an ally to underrepresented voices in traditionally-elitist kitchens.

Influence on Future Films

Ratatouille’s profound use of food in demonstrating historical elitism seems to have influenced a similar approach in future animated food films, such as the 2008 DreamWorks animated film Kung Fu Panda. The film follows the story of a food-loving, geeky Panda named Po who is prophesied to become the next great warrior of China despite having no fighting experience. His fellow warriors and his new sensei, Master Shifu, are incredibly hard on him because they believe he can never amount to anything with his overweight build. It is not until Master Shifu adapts his teaching approach to train him with food as his motivator that Po reaches his potential and Master Shifu realizes how wrong he was.

In the most notable food-motivated training sequence of the film, Master Shifu challenges Po to a light-hearted battle, in which the winner is awarded the last dumpling. In the end, Po wins, and Master Shifu bows to him. Just like Colette in Ratatouille, Master Shifu is extremely critical of Po to demand fear from him until his food training proves to both of them that Po may actually be able to save China. This similarity demonstrates how Ratatouille narrowed the strengthening-relationships-through-food trope to focus specifically on overcoming elitism through training.

Conclusion

Ratatouille is successfully able to achieve its thematic goals by using food scenes that worsen character tensions, progress the plot to a close, and create friendships from rivalries. In doing so, the film proves to viewers that someone’s background does not determine their present talent nor their ability to succeed in the future. Though Remy’s culinary background gets him kicked from the kitchen at one point, his willingness to commit to his origins is what finally grants the restaurant the reputation they have been seeking.

Finally, sympathizing with these underrepresented voices even gives Linguini the chance at love with a figure who once treated him with insecure hostility. Since elitism is a real issue for real haute kitchens, the use of food complicating and progressing this theme is fitting and even an excellent tool for achieving this narrative purpose. It is so successful, in fact, that animated films continue to refer to it for narrative inspiration.

Though Remy’s culinary background gets him kicked from the kitchen at one point, his willingness to commit to his origins is what finally grants the restaurant the reputation they have been seeking.

Works Cited

Kung Fu Panda. Directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, performances by Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman, DreamWorks Animation, 2008.

Meet the Robinsons. Directed by Stephen J. Anderson, performances by Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry, Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2007.

Monson, Leigh. “Ten Years Later, ‘Ratatouille’ Remains A Striking Allegory Of Art And Class.” Substream Magazine, 29 Jun. 2017, https://substreammagazine.com/2017/06/ten-years-later-ratatouille/.

Ratatouille. Written and directed by Brad Bird, performances by Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Brad Garrett, and Peter O’Toole, Pixar Animation Studios, 2007.

Shrek 2. Directed by Andrew Adamson et al., performances by Mike Myers and John Cleese, DreamWorks Animation, 2004.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Directed by Steve Box and David Park, performances by Peter Sallis, Aardman Animations, 2005.