Many animated works have been transformed into musicals. Some elicit reactions of understanding, like Frozen (2013) or Anastasia (1997); after all, these movies were also musicals in their own right. And then there are some that elicit reactions of confusion, like SpongeBob SquarePants, School of Rock (2003), or even the recent TikTok musical adaptation of Ratatouille.
The 2007 Pixar film followed Remy, a rat living in the sewers of Paris. Through fate, he ended up working in the restaurant of his life-long idol, Chef Auguste Gusteau. He cooks through Linguini, the clumsy garbage boy, and the two end up making a name for themselves in the culinary world with Remy controlling Linguini’s actions.
Despite initial skepticism about its execution as a musical, the collaborative efforts of countless TikTok users—from composition and choreography to set and costume design—have turned the humble idea into a full-fledged theater production. The musical’s star-studded cast boasted the likes of Tituss Burgess (The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) as Remy, Wayne Brady (Whose Line is it Anyway?) as Remy’s disapproving father Django, and Adam Lambert (American Idol) as Remy’s gluttonous brother Emile.
At first glance, one would notice that the full video is only at around 58 minutes, a far cry from the usual 2-hour stage productions. Once you watch the musical, though, you’ll see that they fit the story in that amount of time by using Remy as a narrator to move the plot forward. Admittedly, this method of skimming the plot feels rather lazy and rushed. Remy’s mere narration of his story speeds up the plot to the point where details of the movie are reduced to mentions, or even ignored. This makes for a half-baked experience, especially for those who have seen the movie. It would’ve been nice to minimize narration and utilize dialogue instead.
Nonetheless, the musical’s cast proved to be well-suited for all their respective roles. The ensemble of new faces gave a rather impressive performance, especially Andrew Barth Feldman who personified Linguini perfectly—as if he were a true human copy of the movie’s deuteragonist. While Kevin Chamberlin (Chef Auguste Gusteau), Ashley Park (Colette Tatou), and André de Shields (Anton Ego) portrayed their characters with gusto, the writing failed to showcase their ability to portray their characters par excellence.
Its soundtrack also did not disappoint. Even when compared to musicals written pre-quarantine, Ratatouille’s songs hold up. Its cast elevates compositions originally produced only for TikTok as a platform, like The Life of a Rat and Remember My Name. There’s even a Sweeney Todd reference in Anyone Can Cook for the musical fans out there.
Given the restrictions and parameters of quarantine, Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical manages to deliver a banquet of performance, talent, and resourcefulness; at least, as much as virtual musicals can deliver. The title perfectly fits its roots: A musical born from humble beginnings by common folk, much like the dish it’s named after. It may not be one enjoyed by someone who hasn’t seen the movie—so it has that to fix—but for fans of the film, it is possible they’ll find this musical has much to offer (not the most it can, but much).
If you enjoyed the musical or are disappointed by it, you have every right to be. As Anton Ego puts it, “The work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment.”
Teo A. Ricaforte is an AB Communication junior and a Broadcast News correspondent of The GUIDON. He may be reached at teo.ricaforte@obf.ateneo.edu.