Ducks got newspapers?
The delivery bill is substantial, but it lands on your porch at the quack of dawn.
We judst saw this last night, finally. Forgive me if I repeat what someone else has said – haven’t read the entire thread.
This is a unique Pixar film in one way. I’ve noticed a trend with Pixar’s subject matter very early on, and every film until now has stayed close to this basic idea. Here it is:
The subject matter is one that plays to computer animation’s sttengths – they concern brightly colored, generally smooth and shiny objects. Bright colored plastic toys. Bright colored chitinous instects. Toys again. Monsters. Superheroes in spandex. Cars.
It used to be that computer animation did these things really well, because they were simpler to render and shade that something as complex as, say, human skin. Or complex textures like cloth and hair and tree back. I was a little confused as the way Pixar continued to zero in on such objects, since they long ago passed the point where they were limited by such technical concerns. I suspect it’s in part because these projects have a long time in the development pipeline, and a conservative trend to play to your strengths. Heck, the ability to convincingly animate fur and individual hairs in Monsters, Inc. goes strikingly against this choice.
But in Ratatouille there doesn’t seem to be such a choice. The only bright and shinies appear to be the lights (especially the neon lights) illuminating “The City of Light” by night. most of the other colors are relatively dull by comparison. There’s nothing instrincically colorful or simple about the texture of cartoon rats or cartoon people. It’s a significant change.
And well done, too.