Art

Ratatouille: Much More Than a Rat Chef

By: Mariana Jaiña Toro (10)

What movie should I watch on Netflix? That’s probably a question that we have all asked ourselves. There are so many options, but there is one movie that is never a wrong choice and appeals to people of all ages: Ratatouille.

This iconic 2007 Pixar movie tells the story of Remy, a rat who loves cooking and trying new flavors. He admires Auguste Gusteau, a well-known chef who says, “everyone can cook” and wants to prove he is right. Remy’s dream is to become a chef, but his family doesn’t support him, and neither do the humans. He wants to follow his dream and ends up cooking in secret at a Michelin Star Restaurant, helping his human friend Linguini, who doesn’t know how to cook.

In this adventure, Remy needs to overcome a conflict: should he be what everyone says he is by nature – a food-stealing rat – or be the one he believes he truly is – a creator. While he is discovering his passion, he teaches the viewer valuable life lessons. For example, when he argues with his father about how he wants to become a chef and not be like everyone else, Remy says, “Change IS nature... The part that we can influence. And it starts when we decide.”

The movie also analyzes the role of critics in the cooking world. Anton Ego, the critic responsible for destroying Gusteau’s reputation, shows us probably one of the most significant character developments in an animated movie primarily made for kids. At the beginning of the story, he is skeptical

of Gusteau’s affirmation that everyone can cook. Later, when he tastes the “Ratatouille” dish, he remembers his mom’s cooking and then realizes that Remy was the one who prepared it. That memory drastically changes his perspective about cooking and who can master the art. He starts thinking that maybe the people who we think are our enemies can turn out to be our best friends if we only try and listen to what they have to say.

“Ratatouille” has great animation and the movie does an outstanding job of representing Paris and all of its beautiful sites, sparking an emotional response and making you believe you are a part of the movie and experiencing Paris. The movie is visually enticing; we all have dreamt about traveling to a magical place where we can achieve our aspirations.

Everyone, from a six-year-old boy discovering how to read to an eightyyear-old man adapting to technology, has overcome difficult barriers in order to succeed and accomplish their goals. Furthermore, “Ratatouille” makes us realize that even though where we come from is essential to who we are, our background should not determine who we are going to be. “I’m sick of pretending. I pretend to be a rat for my father. I pretend to be a human for Linguini. I pretend you exist, so I have someone to talk to! You only tell me stuff I already know! I know who I am! Why do I need you to tell me? Why do I need to pretend?” Remy wants to choose who he is and not worry about meeting others’ expectations.

Perhaps our hopes can turn into a reality, and it is never too late to be who we want to be. So remember, “You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul. What I say is true - anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great.”

By: David Ahn (10)

The Books of Babel is about a middle aged man named Senlin, who lives in a magical world based on Ancient Mesopotamia. In this world, there is a blend between modern technology and ancient brutality. There are things like murder, mass poverty, and death everywhere, right next to squeaky clean trains, airships, and clever machines. But all of these things are based on, and are always drawn to one place: The Tower Of Babel. This Tower is the center of this fantastical world. It is split up into floors, with each floor being run by a certain king or queen. Each floor is about the size of a city, and are all radically different to each other. Some are run by tyrant kings, who put all their citizens into hard slave labor, while others are run by graceful and gentle parties, who base their floor’s economies on fashion, water, and other strange commodities.

Senlin, like all the other beings in his world, is attracted to this Tower. So, he decides that he and his wife should go there to spend their vacation. But it starts off very badly. His wife is kidnapped, and taken to one of the floors of the Tower, where she is forced to do very dangerous things. Due to this, Senlin begins his journey to go up the Tower, floor by floor, until he can find his wife. But while doing so, he also finds other, more disturbing secrets about the Tower, about why it was made, and why there are millions of people in it, doing what seemed like useless jobs and tasks.

I would give this book a 4.5/5, because it does a very good job of setting up this very realistic, and fantastical society. While at the same time, giving it a very detailed backstory, making everything come together as the reader starts to understand things. But, I wouldn’t give it five stars, since there is a little more violence than I think was needed, and some things were just down-right dark and disturbing, like the peasant system that is used to run the whole thing.