Research
Ratatouille is a Pixar film about a rat that becomes a chef in a high end French restaurant. It is considered one of the best movie representations of work life inside these establishments. A number of chefs have praised it for how it portrays the atmosphere and activities inside professional kitchens.
This was no accident. Pixar, the popular animation company spent months on the pre-production. During this time researchers visited a number of French restaurants. They took pictures of the interiors and used them as models
for the sets and props in the film.
In The Story
This is the reason that the scenes inside the kitchen and restaurant have such a striking resemblance to their real world counterparts. All the tools and furniture of Gusteau’s restaurant in the movie have a purpose, just like in real life.
When this restaurant is first established it attains a rare five star rating. However, due to a bad review it is bumped down to four. Eventually the original owner dies and the restaurant is passed down to his son. This further decreases the quality of the food. The focus of the film is the eatery once again producing award winning food.