#8 – The Music
In an early scene in Ratatouille, Remy finds himself alone in Paris and is told to travel from the sewers into the Parisian world above. While there is some stunning animation in this sequence, its true success is showcasing the fantastic work of composer Michael Giacchino. Introduced to us as J.J. Abrams’ favourite son with his fantastic work on Alias and Lost, Giacchino entered into feature films with 2004’s The Incredibles from Pixar. And, Brad Bird has employed him again on Ratatouille, and what he delivers is perhaps his best score yet.
Link: Ratatouille Official Web Site
[On the website, a continuous loop of part of Michael Giacchino’s score plays]
As Remy travels through the walls of Parisian homes, nimbly stepping around mousetraps, the music echoes his pace and his footsteps. As he enters out into the world, the music shifts to reflect the leaves on the trees and the vines growing up the side of the wall. As we get lost in the film’s setting, it’s hard not to also get lost in the music itself. The entire film follows the same pattern: Giacchino’s music reflects the physical comedy, the emotional drama, the frantic action all at the same time, flowing freely with his usual sense of style. Writing most of his music on his electric piano and having others orchestrate it, Giacchino has an acute sense of rhythm and setting within his music.
In a film so reliant on establishing its concept and its setting that its western audience may not be familiar with, Michael Giacchino’s score is a major part of this. A lushly beautiful film visually, the similar care has gone into the film’s aural delights. More diverse than his Incredibles score but containing the same rhythmic genius, Ratatouille’s music is the #8 reason you should see this film when it releases on June 29th.
Cultural Learnings 