I first heard of the Ratatouille TikTok musical via an episode of the BuzzFeed podcast News O'Clock. That's also where I first heard of the grocery store musical. When I heard the music, I thought it incredible that this pandemic could bring out so much creativity, and also, why hasn't Disney and Pixar's lawyers stepped in?
So anyhoo, after this musical was released, I gave it a standing ovation from my couch! Every single song was incredibly written, the performances were standouts, most notably Ashley Park as Colette, Wayne Brady as Django, Adam Lambert as Emile, Andrew Barth Feldman as Linguini, Mary Testa cross-cast as Skinner, and, of course, Tituss Burgess as Remy. I also really love all the cute references to other Broadway musicals. I also have to applaud the Broadway Sinfonietta Orchestra for making this sound like a true Broadway musical.
Of course, this isn't exactly perfect. One of my biggest criticisms is with the book and its reliance on Remy's narration. Also, because of the short runtime, a lot of subplots fall by the wayside, and as a result, Ego's appearance is a little too brief and the character development comes too quick.
But other than that, this was definitely a perfect way to begin the New Year after the dumpster fire that was 2020. It's a shame that this is only available to view for a limited time. I only hope that this continues to live on in some form or another, whether it be a cast recording, a show at the Disney parks, or even a full-fledged two-act Broadway musical. (Well, one can dream, can't they?)
