RATATOUILLE
A sumptuous visual treat about pursuing your gifts.
Should You Watch It?
RATATOUILLE is a wonderful, savory concoction from Pixar. Its food scenes are among the most delightful in cinema, and its story strongly favors individual gifts, freedom, hard work, and the pursuit of happiness.
The film does include cartoon violence that may be intense for younger children. A character is plied with enough wine to become drunk, rats steal despite being told not to, and the dramatic action sometimes ignores moral points the story raises. Still, the movie offers many moral principles, including admonitions against stealing, and presents a light Christian worldview with strong moral elements.
Take the trip if your family includes older children and adults who can handle animated peril. For younger children, use your judgment or choose something gentler.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESRemy is a country rat with an extraordinary sense of taste and smell, a talent for reading, and a dream of becoming a great chef like his hero, Auguste Gusteau.
Separated from his family, Remy winds up in Paris, where Gusteau’s famous restaurant has fallen on hard times. There, he joins forces with Linguini, the new garbage boy who may be Gusteau’s heir. Together, they face a difficult head chef, a fierce food critic, and a determined female chef making her way through a chauvinist world.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a standout family film, and RATATOUILLE earns them. Pixar delivers a delightful exploration of food, fame, France, and fantastic characters who initially seem unpalatable but become richly entertaining.
The movie combines humor, romance, fantastic action, and sumptuous food scenes. It is a near-great movie whose issues come from cartoon violence, a few questionable actions, and moral points sometimes being ignored by the dramatic action. Even so, the overall experience is imaginative, savory, and remarkably enjoyable.
The Worldview
RATATOUILLE strongly supports the idea that a great artist can come from anywhere. It does not claim that everyone is a great artist, but it argues that anyone can become one and that ability is not determined by genetics, culture, or environment. The film is therefore strongly pro-individual, supportive of free enterprise, and favorable toward the pursuit of personal happiness.
The movie also contains strong moral elements. Stealing is often rebuked, although the dramatic action sometimes overlooks those moral points. A character argues with his father but is lightly rebuked. The film includes two vague references to faith: one says that a mother is in Heaven because she believes in Heaven, and another refers to godliness.
The film’s central idea—that people have gifts regardless of their background—fits with the biblical understanding that God gives good gifts. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong moral worldview with light Christian elements including two references to faith, one saying a mother is in Heaven because she believes in Heaven and another talking about godliness, both vague, with very strong pro-capitalist content, but the major message is that a great artist can come from anywhere, not that everyone is a great artist but anyone can be a great artist and their abilities are not genetically or culturally or environmentally determined, so it’s more in line with the Christian view that gifts come from God and so more in line with the Declaration of Independence, and many moral points include admonitions against stealing, but sometimes the moral points are ignored by the dramatic action; one light obscenity and perhaps one light exclamatory profanity; lots of cartoon action violence including knives being thrown at rats, elderly lady shoots at rats with shotgun and almost destroys her house, rat plunges down into sewer, rat scampers under feet of people almost getting squished, etc., angry woman pins chef’s clothes to table with knives as she vents her anger, and chase scene with scary acrobatics and jumping; a kiss; no nudity; character plied with alcohol until he’s drunk; no smoking; and, lots of stealing but often rebuked, and character argues with his father but lightly rebuked.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Remy has gifts that others do not expect a rat to possess. What gifts has God given you, and how can you use them to serve others?
James 1:17 · 1 Peter 4:10The film says that a great artist can come from anywhere. How should that idea shape the way we treat people whose background differs from ours?
1 Samuel 16:7 · Galatians 3:28Stealing is often rebuked in the story, even though the action sometimes overlooks the moral point. Why does Scripture call us to honest work and generous living?
Ephesians 4:28 · Acts 20:35The film strongly favors the pursuit of happiness. How is lasting joy different from simply getting what we want?
Psalm 16:11 · Philippians 4:4The Final Word
RATATOUILLE is a visually sumptuous, funny, imaginative family film with a strong message about gifts, freedom, and pursuing meaningful work. Its cartoon peril and other content make it best for older children through adults. For that audience, it is WORTH THE TRIP.
