Tu amiga la rata

This is an extra from the DVD release of RATATOUILLE. It is a documentary about rats that some might find stuffy--like some sort of public service lecture or an episode of BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY. However, since I am a history teacher, I liked it--particularly the segment on the Black Death. Plus, while the text of the film is indeed dull, the graphics and laughs are excellent (I particularly liked the obscure reference to Francois Truffaut). Interestingly, while the movie RATATOUILLE is pure CG, this features what looks like traditional hand-drawn animation--and very high quality animation it is. So even if you don't like the topic or dialog, you can't help but respect the animation.

Who says learning can't be fun?

Remy (Patton Oswalt) and brother Emile (Peter Sohn) are rats doing a presentation of why rats and people should be friends. It's a Pixar 11 minute companion short to Ratatouille. It explains the Black Rat and the Black Death that came with its flees. They are later pushed out by the Norwegian Brown Rat which came from China. Remy and Emile are Brown Rats. Spreading globally following mankind, they are hunted by humanity.

The chemistry between Remy and Emile is fun. The information is presented in a fun, irreverent way. It's a very nice short and works perfectly accompanying the movie.

I like Pixar very much, and I very much enjoyed Your Friend the Rat. I do prefer the movie Ratatouille, but this short film does compliment it quite well. It mayn't be one of Pixar's very best, I think there are Pixar short films with a little more heart(ie. Geri's Game and Presto), though Your Friend the Rat is not devoid of that quality, and I can see where people are coming from when they say it's a tad stuffy. However, it is one of Pixar's most interesting, mainly for the structure of the story and how much it teaches and the wonderful animation and the techniques used. Your Friend the Rat also has moments where it is funny, the black plague sequence is for me the highlight of the short, the characters are delightful and the voice work is solid. All in all, I personally put other Pixar short films over this one, but it is still very interesting, and not one to be ignored. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Remy and Emile, those two lovable rats from RATATOUILLE, offer a brief course in how rats spread around the world. They divide rats into two species: black rats and Norwegian rats (the latter not coming from Norway). This is false. As I learned at my mother's knee, rats come in three varieties: rats; rats with wings (pigeons); and rats with furry tails (squirrels). I'm sure the Walt Disney Company and their employees would not argue with my mother. No one ever did successfully.

Animated in a a variety of styles, this very amusing cartoon shows what happens when you work on a movie about cuddly rats for years on end.

Or is it year of the Rat? No pun intended - but you will get schooled here (the no pun intended covers this one too, if you were wondering). It has been a minute (way more than that of course), since I watched Ratatouille. But I think this works as standalone too. If you are aware of the bigger picture (again no pun intended).

This is also fairly long for a short movie. And then there is the voice cast - not sure what contracts they have, but I am just glad when they can have the stars do the voices again. You can tell they are having fun too. This takes us on a ride and tells us who is looking at whom and why ... well I won't get too much into it. But of course this is not real life - this is about a fictional world. That may expand parents issues with their kids wanting to have a mouse (or rat) as a pet ... this is the downside when something is so good and/or cute ...