"Food Story" is an extraordinary movie. The director Brad Bird unexpectedly associates food with mice, turning the rat crossing the street that everyone shouted and beaten into Chef of fine dining restaurant. And instead of the past practice of cartoonizing and beautifying ugly animals in movies, it pursues the realism and texture of images. Therefore, when the group of mice on the ceiling surging out, it will inevitably give people a sense of horror, but this is where the film’s success lies. Brad Bird used a clever way to finally dispel people’s feelings of this group of mice. Disgusted and disgusted, until the little mouse Remy later brought out Provence stuffed vegetables, everyone was already salivating. The united family, unremitting perseverance, sincere friendship, and graceful love make people feel moved. Even the critical and cold-blooded food critic Igo in the film can't help but sigh: "The work of a critic is easy. We take a small risk, but we have incomparable power. People must offer our own works for us to evaluate. We like to be critical because it is fun to read and write. But our family sometimes has to face an embarrassing situation. The fact is that, in terms of value, our comments may not be worth mentioning than the mediocre things that we have criticized." The
film once again shows the superb technology that Pixar can’t match. The character modeling, action design, and scene rendering are all very good. Perfect, cartoon-like humans and realistic mice contrast with each other, and the smooth camera movement complements the magnificent view of Paris. Following "Toy Story", "Insect Crisis", "Monster Company", "Finding Nemo" and even last year's "Cars", Pixar's inspiration and unconventional personality once again conquered the audience. As the film critic RICHARD CORLISS said, "("Food Story") is not only a picture with sound, but also a combination of emotions and dynamic images." The color of the film can be called the best in CGI movies. , Usually rough and ugly animation pictures, this time replaced by the soft and charming Paris dusk. It's so real that you can almost use fake buildings, tools, and scenery, coupled with cartoonized characters, and semi-realistic mice to create a unique fairy tale world.
In terms of style, Brad Bird’s approach is very similar to that of his predecessor director Billy Wilder. The relaxed and charming music, interesting details, the sorrows and joys of small characters, etc., are all gathered in "Food Story" middle. The plot is as memorable as Charlie Chaplin. For example, the communication between Remy and Kobayashi is basically body language that makes people laugh. When Kobayashi talked with Remy by the river, Remy's horror and Kobayashi's panic were portrayed as good as possible. The details of Remy's gone and returned more vividly show the process of the two from doubting, understanding to mutual trust. The moment Igo eats the stuffed vegetables in Provence, the camera turns to the dining table of Igo's mother in childhood, vividly imaged. The director interprets Ai Ge's psychological transformation process in a simple and interesting way.
It is Brad Bird's brilliant creativity to make Remy manipulate him like a puppet and manipulate him to cook on Kobayashi's head. Perhaps Remy and Kobayashi are complete only when they are combined. Remy has genius creativity and culinary skills, but he is a shameless little mouse. Although Kobayashi is a human being, he is clumsy and often worried about keeping his job. They are like people with imaginative thoughts and restricted bodies, living humblely in this world. Not being reconciled to the status quo, striving to break through inhibitions, and pursuing dreams have become the commonality of the two. In terms of character creation, the film breaks through the limitations of general animation's facial makeup, and each character has a distinct personality and is unforgettable. Their personalities are not common either good or evil, but complex and diverse. Although the story is still our familiar pursuit of the "American Dream", the director also presents a realistic side. When the chefs discovered Xiaolin's secret, they did not stay to support him without hesitation, but shook their heads and left. Xiaolin's restaurant was eventually closed down by the health department, and Igo was also fired for publishing articles supporting Xiaolin's restaurant. The film extols bravery and determination, but at the same time it uses Igo's mouth to say: "Not everyone can be a great artist, but a great artist can come from any corner". In this regard, Brad Bird behaved very honestly.
"Food Story" also highlights the importance of family, friendship and love. Remy's dream of being a chef cannot be accomplished on its own. When Remy was imprisoned, Remy's family was the first to come to rescue. When Remy desperately needed manpower to help with cooking, his father led a group of rats. A series of touching details of the family made the audience forget the hatred of rats, and, like Igo in the film, finally accepted the fact that rats cook. In the film, Remy and Kobayashi, Kobayashi and the female chef also have stereotypes ranging from misunderstandings to relief, but through Brad Bird’s ingenious combination, with Pixar’s exquisite pictures and touching music, it still achieves good results. As "The London Paper" said, "You may not like mice, and even hate them, but you have to admire Pixar's production technology." In
general, "Food Story" is an interesting and touching one. Movies are endlessly memorable. Although the film's plot transition is a bit jerky and abrupt, for example, the love development between the female chef and Kobayashi is a bit confusing. But this does not prevent it from becoming an excellent film, perhaps because of its simplicity and innocence, it makes the film more attractive.
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