RATATOUILLE
RYAN: It is a banner day for us, and me especially, since I have just seen an animated children’s film with Caroline, who is vehemently against seeing them.
CAROLINE: Yes, I’m not a big fan of animated films; I never see them in the theater, and now I remember why.
RYAN: Oh stop. It wasn’t that hellacious.
CAROLINE: No, but it was very long for a kids’ movie. Eighty or ninety minutes should be the max, but this one was close to two hours. And when did children’s movies get so complicated? I mean, obviously I followed the plot, but there was a lot going on and I could see how a kid would get confused or lose interest after a while.
RYAN: Well, the children’s film industry has gotten wise to the fact that in order to have a successful box office run, they have to entertain the adults that are accompanying kids to these films. So most kids’ films today are more intricate because they’re trying to entertain both children and their parents.
CAROLINE: The film has a cute premise – a rat that aspires to be a chef – and I liked it for the first hour. But after that, I really got bored.
RYAN: I liked the whole movie, though I was quite irritated by the two people, both adults, sitting next to us who found several laugh-out-loud moments in this movie. I was like, “Seriously? Does this really merit a guffaw?” Because it wasn’t that funny.
CAROLINE: No, it was merely cute. And the animation was great.
RYAN: The animation is outstanding. There are some things in the film that actually look real.
CAROLINE: Some of the food in the kitchen looked like real food. It’s pretty amazing what Pixar is doing.
RYAN: Hey, anything that makes you look at a rat and think, “Oh, he’s cute!” must be doing something right.
CAROLINE: Bottom line?
RYAN: It’s definitely too long, but it was never boring.
CAROLINE: Please.
RYAN: Well, I can only speak for myself, and I wasn’t bored. It’s very cute in terms of climax and story, and the animation is brilliant. It’s better than some animated movies I’ve seen but nowhere near as good as classics like “The Little Mermaid” or “Aladdin.”
CAROLINE: This is the last animated movie I’m going to. I just don’t like them. I don’t have fun at them. They bore me and they’re for children, and I just can’t into them. I’m sure this movie will have a lot of success, as all Pixar films do, and kids will love it. But personally, I can’t do it again.
RYAN: Never say never!