Ratatouille
A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family's wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely, and certainly unwanted, visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant, Remy's passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down.
Despite a massive budget of $150.0M, Ratatouille became a box office success, earning $623.7M worldwide—a 316% return. This commercial performance validated the ambitious narrative scope, demonstrating that audiences embrace innovative storytelling even at blockbuster scale.
1 Oscar. 68 wins & 42 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Ratatouille (2007) showcases deliberately positioned plot construction, characteristic of Brad Bird's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 10-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 51 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 2.9, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Remy, a rat with an extraordinary sense of taste and smell, lives in the French countryside with his colony. He watches cooking shows and dreams of becoming a chef, despite being rejected by both his father Django and his role as the colony's poison-checker. His world is defined by limitation and the gap between his dreams and reality.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when The old woman discovers the rat colony in her attic. Chaos erupts as she fires a shotgun at the ceiling, forcing the entire colony to evacuate. In the mayhem, Remy is separated from his family and swept away through the sewers, clutching Gusteau's cookbook. He loses everything: his family, his home, his safety. This external disruption forces him into a new world.. At 10% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The Collapse moment at 75 minutes (67% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Linguini, in front of the entire kitchen staff on the night of Ego's review, confesses that a rat has been doing all the cooking. The staff, including Colette, are horrified and walk out. Linguini is left alone, unable to cook. Remy watches from outside, hurt and separated. This is the "death" of the dream—the partnership is destroyed, the secret is out, the kitchen is empty, and Ego is coming. Both Remy and Linguini have lost everything., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 79 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 72% of the runtime. The finale: Remy and the rat colony take over the kitchen while Linguini and Colette serve. They create ratatouille for Ego—a simple peasant dish elevated to art. The health inspector arrives but is thwarted. Ego tastes the ratatouille and is transported to childhood, experiencing Proust's madeleine moment. He writes a review defending Remy and Gusteau's philosophy. The restaurant is shut down when the rats are discovered publicly, but Ego invests in a new bistro, "La Ratatouille," run by Remy, Linguini, and Colette., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Ratatouille's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 10 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Ratatouille against these established plot points, we can identify how Brad Bird utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Ratatouille within the animation genre.
Brad Bird's Structural Approach
Among the 5 Brad Bird films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 5.6, showcasing experimental approaches to narrative form. Ratatouille takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Brad Bird filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional animation films include The Bad Guys, The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie and Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. Presage Flower. For more Brad Bird analyses, see Tomorrowland, The Incredibles and The Iron Giant.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Remy, a rat with an extraordinary sense of taste and smell, lives in the French countryside with his colony. He watches cooking shows and dreams of becoming a chef, despite being rejected by both his father Django and his role as the colony's poison-checker. His world is defined by limitation and the gap between his dreams and reality.
Theme
Auguste Gusteau (via TV) proclaims "Anyone can cook!" This thematic statement encapsulates the film's central question: Can talent transcend circumstance and social barriers? Remy is captivated by this idea, though his brother Emile dismisses it. The theme challenges both biological determinism (rats can't cook) and elitism (only trained chefs can cook).
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Remy's ordinary world: his refined palate that sets him apart from other rats, his relationship with Emile (who doesn't understand him), his father Django's pragmatism about rats' place in the world, the colony's survival-focused existence. Remy steals a cookbook from an old woman's kitchen and watches Gusteau's cooking show. The section establishes the central conflict: Remy's aspirations versus his nature as a rat.
Disruption
The old woman discovers the rat colony in her attic. Chaos erupts as she fires a shotgun at the ceiling, forcing the entire colony to evacuate. In the mayhem, Remy is separated from his family and swept away through the sewers, clutching Gusteau's cookbook. He loses everything: his family, his home, his safety. This external disruption forces him into a new world.
Resistance
Alone in the sewers beneath Paris, Remy debates whether to pursue his dream or find his family. Gusteau appears as an imaginary guide/conscience, encouraging him to follow his heart. Remy navigates the sewers and emerges in Paris, directly above Gusteau's restaurant. He witnesses Linguini, a clumsy garbage boy, accidentally spill soup and attempt to fix it. When Remy sees Linguini ruining the soup, he can't help himself—he begins to add ingredients. This section shows Remy's internal debate between safety and passion.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
The "fun and games" of a rat cooking in a prestigious Parisian kitchen. Remy and Linguini perfect their puppet-like system. Linguini becomes the toast of Paris as a chef, with Remy controlling every move. They create amazing dishes, impress critic Anton Ego's associate, and Linguini romances Colette. The restaurant's fortunes rise. Skinner, the corrupt head chef, grows suspicious. Remy reunites with Emile and shows him the kitchen. This section delivers on the premise: watching an unlikely partnership create culinary magic.
Opposition
Bad guys close in on multiple fronts: Skinner discovers the truth and threatens exposure. Linguini's ego grows—he takes credit for the cooking and begins ignoring Remy's contributions. Remy feels used and unappreciated. Django appears and warns Remy that humans will never truly accept him. Tension between Remy and Linguini escalates. Remy, feeling betrayed, leads his rat colony in a raid of the restaurant's pantry. The relationship fractures. The health inspector is called. Everything spirals toward disaster.
Collapse
Linguini, in front of the entire kitchen staff on the night of Ego's review, confesses that a rat has been doing all the cooking. The staff, including Colette, are horrified and walk out. Linguini is left alone, unable to cook. Remy watches from outside, hurt and separated. This is the "death" of the dream—the partnership is destroyed, the secret is out, the kitchen is empty, and Ego is coming. Both Remy and Linguini have lost everything.
Crisis
Dark night of the soul: Remy returns to the colony, defeated. Django offers acceptance but also resignation—return to being a rat, give up the dream. Linguini sits alone in the empty restaurant, devastated. Both characters process their lowest point. Remy must decide what he truly believes: was Gusteau right that "anyone can cook," or was Django right that rats and humans can never truly coexist?
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The finale: Remy and the rat colony take over the kitchen while Linguini and Colette serve. They create ratatouille for Ego—a simple peasant dish elevated to art. The health inspector arrives but is thwarted. Ego tastes the ratatouille and is transported to childhood, experiencing Proust's madeleine moment. He writes a review defending Remy and Gusteau's philosophy. The restaurant is shut down when the rats are discovered publicly, but Ego invests in a new bistro, "La Ratatouille," run by Remy, Linguini, and Colette.