Composer Michael Giacchino: Ratatouille is timeless

Film composer Michael Giacchino thinks Ratatouille’s continued success is down to its universal appeal.

The Pixar movie was released in 2007 and tells the story of an ambitious young rat living in Paris who has a knack for cooking. The film broke records at the time, winning Best Animated Film at the Oscars as well as scoring four further Academy Award nominations.

Michael composed the soundtrack for the production, and thinks it fully deserved the critical acclaim it received.

“Ratatouille is such a timeless story that has universal appeal,” he told heyuguys.com.

He described his favourite scene as being when lead character Remy climbs to the top of a roof and realises he has been living in the culinary capital of the world.

“It’s such a beautiful moment for anyone who has had a dream that seemed so improbable and yet... there it is, just out of reach, maybe not nearly as impossible to attain as you had imagined,” he continued.

Michael has composed music for some of the industry’s biggest films, including Jurassic World, Star Trek and Super 8. But it’s his work with Pixar that he is best known for, having creating tunes for Up and recent hit Inside Out.

“They (Pixar) are a very special group of people,” he smiled. “I am honoured to be a part of their family and to have been able to contribute in some small way to the Pixar world.”

While Michael is critical of his work, he admits he is able to sit and watch a film and enjoy it for what it is without getting totally distracted by his own input. As for his approach to writing a score for a children’s movie as opposed to an action film, he told the outlet that there is no difference.

“Not at all. Nor is there a difference for the filmmaker really,” he added. “You just want to tell the best story that you can. That’s what I do with my music.”