Karen Paik - The Art of Ratatouille

Robert Kondo, 2003, digital

Color study, Harley Jessup, 2004, digital

End Credit Exploration, Nate Wragg, 2005, digital

Copyright 2007 by Disney Enterprises, Inc./Pixar. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Paik, Karen.
The art of Ratatouille / by Karen Paik ; foreword by John Lasseter ; introduction by Brad Bird.
ISBN: 978-0-8118-5834-2 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4521-4754-3 (epub, mobi)

Designed by Laura Lovett

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107

www.chroniclebooks.com

PAGESReference photographs and artwork, Harley Jessup, Randy Berrett, Robert Kondo, Daniel Arriaga, Sharon Calahan, Brad Lewis, Jan Pinkava, Cathy Carmean, Debby Coleman, and Becky Neiman

Harley Jessup, 2002, colored pencil and marker, 7 x 4"

A nimation loves extremes, and the premise of Ratatouille might be the ultimate fish-out-of-water story. What could be more unlikely than a rat with tastebuds sophisticated enough to cook in an elite French kitchen? Brad Bird beautifully built on Jan Pinkavas great idea to make a movie that is full of the sort of action, feeling, and unique character detail that would make any animator drool.

The extreme contrast is a great setup from a storytelling point of view; it makes for juicy and heartfelt drama and comedy. But when it comes to visualizing the world, it creates a huge challenge for the artists. Paris is so beautiful and immediately appealing; the idea of a rat in a kitchen is not. How do you make a rat really a ratenough of a rat to stay true to the actual animalbut at the same time make him appealing enough so that youre not nauseated at the thought of him cooking? How can you make the humble hero of your movie visually engaging enough to compete with the legendary beauty of Paris?

Its a testament to the incredible talent of the artists working on this project that even the grungiest characters in this film are as charming as the most gorgeous Parisian environments. From the inspiration art all the way through to the finished film, their work has been nothing short of phenomenal. They made it all look easy.

JOHN LASSETER

executive producer

Harley Jessup, 2002, pencil and marker, 10.5 x 5"

A rat wants to become a chef.

I was impressed by Jan Pinkavas inspired premise for Ratatouille long before I knew I would become involved with it. It is an idea tailor-made for animation, one that takes advantage of all the things the medium does better than any other.

As excited as I was by the cinematic possibilities of the idea, I was apprehensive when I was first asked to join the film. I felt awkward about coming in to work with the story and characters when I hadnt been there from the very beginning.

I also felt a little out of my element as a screenwriter and director. This was a film about Paris, gourmet cooking, and rats... none of which I knew anything about. As a moviegoer, however, Ratatouille was the kind of film that, if done well, I would very much like to see. So I threw myself not only into learning what I could about Paris, gourmet cooking, and rats as quickly as possible, but also into finding an emotional connection to the story.

What did I have in common with a rat who wants to cook? Remys dilemma is basically the same as any artists. In many countries, certainly this one, art is considered extra, something you do after real work is over. The idea of doing it for a living is widely considered impractical at best. But for our rat Remy, artexperiencing it, trying to create itis one of the biggest reasons there is to get up in the morning. Its the same for meI cant think of a better way to celebrate life than by trying to add something new to the world.

I found myself relating to Remy, a character that sees the seeming impossibility of his dreams and pushes forward anyway, believing that hell find a way past all the obstacles. Id guess that many of the people working at this rare studiogainfully employed in the most happily surreal jobs people could havefeel the same way.

This is a gorgeous film, and the credit for its unique style goes to Jan, Harley Jessup, and our talented crew, who put their formidable talents into establishing the films look long before I climbed aboard the train.

I hope youll find the art in this book as inspiring as I did. I couldnt have asked for a more beautifully created world to enter, a more promising cast of characters to work with, or a better crew to bring it all to cinematic life.

BRAD BIRD

director/screenwriter

Daniel Arriaga, 2004, digital and pencil

Lighting study, Ernesto Nemesio, layout by Robert Kondo, 2005, digital

Shading study, Dominique Louis, 2003, digital paint over sculpt by Greg Dykstra
Harley Jessup, 2005, digital and pencil

Lighting study, Sharon Calahan, 2006, digital paint over set render
Dominique Louis, layout by Robert Kondo, 2002, digital

Sculpt, Greg Dykstra, 2002, oil clay, 5.1 tall

Storyboard, Doug Frankel, 2002, digital

People always want to know where the idea came from. The real story is that one day I was standing in the kitchen with my wife, and it suddenly came to me out of the blue: What about a rat who wants to become a chef? When you tell people that one line, everyone laughs; its a really silly idea.

JAN PINKAVA

P ixar has become known for telling stories that reveal the hidden life of a world whose outlines are familiar to ustoys, bugs, fish. But Ratatouille is the first to collide a hidden world with our own and examine the results. More than any other film the studio has made so far,