It’s been nearly two long decades since Pixar debuted the foodie joys of “Ratatouille,” the charming story of a talking rat just trying to make it as a chef in Paris (while also hijacking the body of a bumbling human to do his bidding, natch), but we’ve yet to hear even a whisper about a possible sequel. Remember, this is the same animation studio that turned “Cars” into a merchandise-printing powerhouse, gave us long-awaited sequels to both “The Incredibles” and “Inside Out,” and is currently ruling the box-office world with a fifth “Toy Story” movie. “Ratatouille” was a major hit, and star Patton Oswalt has publicly voiced his hopes for another go-around, so what’s the holdup?
Well, as it turns out, there’s a good reason why this particular Disney sequel hasn’t happened yet. Director Brad Bird is currently getting his ducks in a row for the release of his animated film “Ray Gunn” for Netflix later this year, but the specter of a potential “Ratatouille 2” has dogged him for years. In an interview with Collider, Bird was asked if he has any interest in revisiting the world of Remy, his human sock puppet Linguini (Lou Romano), and the rest of the gang. In a moment of refreshing honesty, Bird explained why he considers the book closed on this one:
“No. I don’t. [Pixar’s] made little feints towards [a possible sequel] to see how I would react. They’ll, like, crack a joke, but the joke will be a little bit serious, like, ‘Would you?’ And I’m like, ‘No, we told that story.'”
Say less, Brad Bird, say less. 20 years is a long time to cultivate nostalgia among Pixar audiences. To leave all that money from a potential “Ratatouille” sequel on the table feels like the height of restraint.
Ratatouille 2 may not be in the cards, but what about a sequel to The Iron Giant?
Brad Bird’s right: There’s nothing to be gained — and everything to lose — from undoing such a wonderfully self-contained story like “Ratatouille” in an attempt to make lightning strike twice. Maybe his resistance to this idea has something to do with hearing awfully similar things about another animated classic he’s made. “The Iron Giant” is an incredible work of art that holds up well over 20 years later, but it took some time to actually catch on and gain that reputation. To Bird, that’s just another reason why the idea of a sequel to “The Iron Giant” makes little sense (even beyond its satisfying conclusion). As he told Collider:
“Any time you do something that ends up connecting with people, they automatically think, ‘How about another?’ People have mentioned it about ‘The Iron Giant,’ which is hilarious to me because the film didn’t succeed at all in its initial release. It’s caught up in time, but what would you do to follow that up? He’s lumbering around, still undiscovered? In other words, to me, that story is told.”
Sorry, sequel supporters, but you’re now 0 for 2. That’s not to say Bird is completely resistant to the concept, however. “The Incredibles 3” is happening, as we learned in 2024, and that’s something that the man behind “The Incredibles” and “Incredibles 2” can wrap his mind around. “Now, ‘The Incredibles’ — I could see another ‘Incredibles’ film,” he off-handedly mentioned. While he’s merely writing the script for the threequel (with Peter Sohn set to direct), it’s fair to assume he wouldn’t be involved unless he had a worthy story in mind. Just don’t ask him about “Ratatouille” anymore, yeah?
Leave a Reply