5) Ratatouille
The Production:
Dreamt up by Oscar-winning Pixar animator and director Jan Pinkava in 2000, Ratatouille remained in development under Pinkava until 2005, when The Incredibles director Brad Bird stepped in to replace Ratatouille‘s creator and nail a story that all told hadn’t up to that point been working to its full potential.
2007 was when this one was released, which means that Brad Bird took over production, changed the story and the script, redesigned characters, and had the film fully voiced and animated, all in just 18 months. The total time usually required to make a film like this is around three years.
The Film:
Acclaimed across the board, Ratatouille raked in over $600 million in box office receipts. Heartwarming, effortlessly charming, and visually luxurious, Ratatouille also crucially feels like Brad Bird’s own, personal project. It’s sad to say there’s not much of Jan Pinkava’s personality felt or much of his visual sense observed in the final film, but the movie that does exist is a winner all the same. Remarkable for something that was a relative rush job, Ratatouille could even be Pixar’s best.