2026-27 Capstone

Ratatouille

Remy the Rat

Ratatouille is a well-known movie watched by many people all over the world. It was released in 2o07 and won an Oscar the following year in 2008. It follows the unlikely story of a rat who falls in love with cooking and accidentally ends up in Paris, France after being split up from his family in the sewers. It is through this separation he follows his dream with the help of Chef Gusteau, a ghost of the five-star rated restaurant Gusteau, which he owned prior to his passing. Remy meets Linguini (Chef Gusteau's son) and instantly helps the restaurants become a success off of a po of soup, regardless of him being a rat.

"You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul," (Ratatouille, 2007).

Remy controlling Linguini's actions by pulling his hair

“Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great,” (Ratatouille, 2007).

"Cooking is not for the faint of heart. You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work," (Ratatouille, 2007).

"You must try things that may not work. And you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from," (Ratatouille, 2007).

Bradford Lewis and Thomas Keller, *Photo by Deborah Coleman*

Reflection

Ratatouille is one of my all-time favorite movies from my childhood. I feel it is such a unique take on the potential of a movie. Imaging a rat in a kitchen sounds crazy, but at the end of the movie it is a true representation of the potential of an individual. If we look pass the barriers of stereotypes, there is a deeper meaning behind lots of things instead of surface level. Can there be a product design that is unique and doesn't appear to fit in the context of a user's everyday car? Can it be versatile or stand out?

References

Bird, B., Pinkava, J., Capobianco, J., Bird, B., Cook, E., Greenberg, K., & Peterson, B. (2007, June 28). Ratatouille. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382932/

Lewis, B. (2007). Ratatouille [Movie]. In Pixar Animation Studioes.

Watson, M. (2024, September 24). 113 Best Ratatouille Quotes (with Commentary) - Burning For Success. Burning For Success. https://burningforsuccess.com/ratatouille-quotes/

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