RATATOUILLE DIRECTOR GIVES ACTORS AND ANIMATION FIVE STARS

The director of Ratatouille praises his casting choices and the wonders of Pixar.

In casting the role of Remy, the rat who has a passion for running a five star restaurant, Ratatouille writer director Brad Bird got a hold of Patton Oswalt’s very blue comedy tape and instantly thought he was the guy.

It wasn’t until after he got the part that Brad discovered he had other qualities that fit Remy.

“That he has a deep passion for the good things in life whether they be a good piece of comedy or a good movie. And we learned this after we signed him but he’s a foodie. He is absolutely into great food and totally knows the restaurants to go to and has very strong opinions about food. I responded to Patton’s volatility; the fact that he can go from being very kind of quiet and warm to like exploding through the roof in a very short amount of time. And I think Remy takes full advantage of that.”

Second lead to the actors in Ratatouille is the gourmet food served at Gusteaus, the virtual restaurant. Bird was impressed with Pixar’s realistic touch on the dishes.

“There’s a way that real food looks and there’s a way that doesn’t look appetizing and I think they really nailed the food on this film. With steam coming off the food and how a food looks at different points of it being cooked and how sauces look. I marvel at the work that the people here have done with that.”

Ratouille opening Friday features the voices of Peter O’Toole as the food critic, Brad Garrett as the restaurant owner Gusteau, and Janeane Garofalo as a cook in the kitchen.