Summaries

Synopsis

The movie opens with a TV documentary featuring Chef Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), the youngest chef in France to receive a five-star rating and owner of the best restaurant in Paris. He's also the author of a bestselling cookbook that proudly bears his mantra, "Anyone Can Cook!"

A rat named Remy (Patton Oswalt) begins talking about his life in monologue fashion. Remy states that he has enhanced senses of both taste and smell, which makes him very meticulous about what he eats. Remy's brother Emile (Peter Sohn) is impressed by this talent, but their father Django (Brian Dennehy) who leads the rats' colony, could care less - until Remy reveals that he can recognize the scent of rat poison in or near food. Django puts Remy to work sniffing and testing food for the rest of the clan. Remy is not happy about the rats having to steal food from the garbage; he would prefer to go to the kitchen and take the "fresh" samples. But Django, who hates and fears humans, forbids Remy (and all other members of the clan) to interact with them.

Despite his father's orders, Remy spends several nights in the home of an old lady, Mabel, (which is where the rats have colonized), reading Chef Gusteau's cookbook and watching television programs about cooking. Before long he has a near-expert level of knowledge about food preparation. One day, Remy takes Emile into the kitchen to get some spices that will go with some other food samples they have gathered. Emile hesitates, but agrees to go with his brother. While inside, Remy sees Gusteau on TV and listens in, but he learns that a famous food critic named Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole), known for having viciously high standards, gave Gusteau's restaurant a less-than-stellar review that resulted in the restaurant losing one of its five stars. A heartbroken Gusteau died soon after, which meant the loss of another star according to tradition.

While reacting to the news of Gusteau's death, Remy accidentally wakes Mabel, who attempts to kill him and Emile with a shotgun. They manage to evade her, but the roof of the house is shot multiple times and collapses, exposing the entire rat colony. Django orders everyone to evacuate but Remy stays behind to grab Gusteau's book. The rats manage to escape on miniature rafts into a river. Remy uses the cookbook as a flotation device but is separated from the group by a rapid current in the sewers.

Hours later, Remy sits, reading the cookbook, waiting for a sign of his friends and family. Through a fusion of grief, loneliness and hunger, Remy begins to hallucinate that the illustration of Chef Gusteau is talking to him. Gusteau encourages Remy to go up through the sewers and find out where he is now. Remy travels along several pipes and finds that he is in Paris - just in front of Gusteau's restaurant!

Inside Gusteau's, the new head chef Skinner (Ian Holm) meets Alfredo Linguini (Lou Romano), the son of Chef Gusteau's recently-deceased old flame, Renata. Linguini gives Skinner a letter written by his mother in the hope of getting a job at the restaurant; He is given the role of plongeur, or garbage-boy, and put to work immediately.

As Remy watches the action in the kitchen, he spots Linguini accidentally knocking over a pot of soup and trying to cover up his error by adding random ingredients. Knowing that the combination Linguini has forged will be terrible, Remy freaks out and accidentally falls into the restaurant through the skylight. He tries to escape through an open window, but catches a whiff of the soup and, revolted by the smell, adds his own ingredients to the mixture. However, inspired by a hallucination of Gusteau, continues to fix the soup, but gets caught by Linguini, who traps him underneath a bowl before he can run away and anybody else notices him. Skinner spots Linguini supposedly messing with the soup and chews him out, but he cannot stop the wait staff from serving the soup. A bowl is served to a food critic, Solene LeClaire, who likes the concoction. Skinner still wants to fire Linguini, but another chef, Colette Tatou (Janeane Garofolo), sticks up for Linguini, stating that firing him for making something a customer liked would go against the restaurant's mantra and heavily affect their reputation for the worst. Skinner relents and allows Linguini to stay.

Remy makes another attempt to escape, but this time Skinner spots him and Linguini manages to catch Remy in a jar. Skinner orders Linguini to take the rat away and kill it. Linguini takes Remy to a river but cannot bring himself to dispose of the rat. Linguini knows that the rat was the one who really made the soup and that Skinner will expect a duplication of the recipe. Linguini, seeing that Remy can apparently understand him, takes the rat home and essentially adopts him.

The next morning, Linguini sees that Remy (who he has nicknamed "Little Chef") has apparently stolen food and bailed, but in reality has cooked breakfast for them both, which is short-lived when Linguini notices that they're late for their first day. When they arrive at the restaurant, Linguini tries to find a way to have Remy cook but without anyone else seeing. After a few tries, they find out that Remy can manipulate Linguini like a puppet by pulling on the boy's hair. Deciding that this is their best method, Linguini and Remy spend the next few days practicing cooking in their spare time. Before long they are able to make a perfect duplicate of the soup that captured the critic's attention. Skinner appoints Colette to teach Linguini about the finer points of haute cuisine. Colette does not relish the task at first; she's the only female chef, worked very hard to obtain her position and sees Linguini as a possible threat to her status.

Later that night Skinner meets with an agent. We learn that since Chef Gusteau's death, Skinner has been making a profit by selling out the Gusteau name and image to a line of cheap frozen food. Taking a moment to read the letter from Linguini's mother, Skinner panics and calls his lawyer. The lawyer (Teddy Newton) explains that Gusteau's will stipulates that if no heir can be found after two years (a deadline which expires in less than a month), Skinner will inherit the restaurant. Apparently the letter from Linguini's mother states that Linguini is Gusteau's son, and should be the rightful heir! Skinner refuses to believe it while the lawyer suggests doing a DNA test as well as a background check.

Colette begins training Linguini (with Remy also paying rapt attention) about the fine art of cooking, and a rapport develops between the two.

One night, a group of guests, sick of ordering Linguini's soup time and time again, asks the head waiter Mustafa (John Ratzenberger) about what is "new". The staff panics, but Skinner decides to have Linguini prepare an old Gusteau-style recipe for sweetbreads. Skinner knows that Gusteau considered that recipe a "disaster" and hopes that it will be Linguini's downfall.

Colette begins to follow the recipe but Linguini (under Remy's manipulations) alters it severely, which angers her. But a few minutes later, Mustafa bursts in and declares that the customers love the new concoction and there are several more orders for it! The other chefs toast Linguini's success later that evening. Skinner, knowing about Remy, brings Linguini into his office and pulls out a bottle of rare '61 Château Latour in an attempt to get Linguini to talk about his "secrets" but gets nowhere.

Meanwhile Remy, resting outside, spots a mysterious figure in the garbage pails. He is stunned to find that it is his brother Emile! Overjoyed, Remy runs inside to steal some ingredients to fix food for his brother. Afterwards, Emile brings Remy to the new colony. Django is overjoyed to find his second son alive, but grows furious when Remy says he wants to leave the colony (and return to Linguini). Remy lets slip that he's "observed" humans and has found that they're not as bad as Django made them out to be, but Django, in an attempt to change his mind, brings Remy to a storefront that specializes in rat-killing, stating his belief that humans and rats must always be enemies. Remy, however, feels differently. He leaves the colony and goes back to Linguini.

The next morning, Remy finds Linguini still at the restaurant, exhausted from spending overnight cleaning. He notices Colette pulling in and attempts to hide Linguini's drowsiness with a pair of sunglasses. Colette, annoyed at Linguini for seemingly using her advice to impress and get in closer with Skinner, mistakes his fatigue for snobbishness and slaps him. She confesses to a now-awake and startled Linguini that she thought he was not like the other chefs and had romantic feelings for him, and leaves in a huff. In an attempt to apologize, Linguini tries to confess his secret to Colette, but Remy, desperate to remain hidden, forces Linguini forward so that he ends up kissing Colette. After a few seconds of hesitation, she reciprocates and a relationship between the two is formed.

Meanwhile, Anton Ego is in his study when he hears news from his butler of Gusteau's renewed popularity. Stunned, he vows to return there and find out what is truly going on.

Skinner's lawyer returns to confirm Skinner's worst fear - Linguini is indeed Gusteau's son. Skinner decides not to tell Linguini and let the will's deadline (a mere 3 days away) pass - after which he can fire Linguini and suffer no ill effects.

Later that night, Linguini goes out on a spin with Colette on her motorbike, leaving Remy behind. He finds Emile with a few other rats outside the restaurant. Remy is frustrated that Emile snitched on him, and heads in to get food to keep the other rats from telling the rest of the colony. He sneaks into Skinner's office to find the key to the food locker, and in the process finds and reads the documents describing Linguini's parentage. Remy tries to take the documents, but Skinner spots him escaping again. Despite a thorough chase, Remy gets away and Linguini learns the truth. Skinner is fired, Linguini takes charge of the restaurant and the Gusteau frozen-food line is halted.

At a press conference a few days later, Linguini tries to explain his "genius" without exposing Remy, much to the latter's frustration. Anton Ego then walks in and introduces himself to Linguini, promising to come by the restaurant the next night to review Gusteau's once more.

After the conference, Linguini vents to Remy about how he's inhibiting his focus and, in his growing arrogance, decides to try and work without Remy's help. In anger, Remy arranges for the rest of his rat-clan to raid the restaurant that night. Linguini finds out and throws all the rats out, including Remy, warning him not to come back or else he'll be "treated the way restaurants are supposed to treat pests". Remy retreats into the night, dejected.

That evening, Remy is found by Emile near the restaurant observing Linguini's poor leadership. Emile then tries to grab a piece of suspiciously placed cheese, but Remy notices that it's a trap and gets caught trying to save him. It turns out that the trap was set by Skinner, who wants Remy to work for him creating new frozen foods.

Ego arrives at the restaurant, and instead of ordering off the menu he challenges the chef to "hit [him] with your best shot." Skinner, eager to see the downfall of Linguini, asks to have the same dish that Ego is served.

Remy, still caged, is freed by his father and brother. Thankful, he returns to the restaurant to help Linguini. The chefs spot him returning and try to kill him, but Linguini steps in and protects Remy, confessing the truth to everyone. The chefs, stunned, walk out - even Colette. Linguini retreats to his office believing there to be no hope for Gusteau's.

Django comes in and admits that he was wrong; seeing Linguini stand up for Remy has changed his attitude about humans. Django recruits the entire rat colony to help out - they will follow Remy's orders to prepare the food.

Just then, a health inspector arrives and sees the kitchen full of rats. A group of rats led by Django swarms the inspector, tying him up and locking him in the pantry.

Before long, after a thorough cleaning in the kitchen's dishwasher, the rats form an intricate system under Remy's supervision and are preparing all the meals for the restaurant. Linguini, knowing that someone will have to wait tables, puts on a pair of roller skates and begins serving the guests.

Colette, having had a change of heart, returns to the restaurant to help Remy and Linguini. She asks what Remy wants to prepare for Ego. Remy selects ratatouille, an older-style recipe not traditionally up to the standards of Gusteau's (Colette calls it a "peasant dish.") Soon enough, the entrée is prepared and served to Anton Ego.

Ego takes a bite of the ratatouille, and immediately has a flashback to his childhood where his mother prepared the same dish to brighten his spirits after a bicycle accident. He is overwhelmed with emotion for the dish. Skinner, furious, storms into the kitchen - and is tied up and thrown into the pantry alongside the health inspector.

Ego's heart is warmed by the fantastic meal and insists on thanking the chef, but is told that he must wait until all other customers have left. That evening, Ego learns the whole truth from Linguini, Colette and Remy. After leaving the restaurant, Ego writes a fantastic review for Gusteau's - proclaiming the chef to be "the finest in Paris", while neglecting to reveal the chef's true identity.

Unfortunately, the good fortune does not last. The health inspector and Skinner are eventually freed, and word gets out about the inner workings of the kitchen which leads to Gusteau's being shut down. Ego loses his job and a great deal of credibility for promoting a rat-infested restaurant.

Remy, telling this story to his family and a few friends, states that Ego is now working as a small-business investor. It seems that Ego (along with Colette, Linguini and Remy) has opened a bistro named "La Ratatouille" where humans and rats (in a hidden, separate chamber) are both welcome, and Gusteau's legacy lives on.