Filmmaker Brad Bird has made it clear that he has no plans to revisit the world of the beloved animated film “Ratatouille”, saying the story reached its intended conclusion with the original 2007 movie.
Speaking in an interview, Bird revealed that he has often been approached about the possibility of developing a sequel, but he has consistently declined the idea. According to the director, there have been subtle attempts to gauge his interest over the years, though he has never been convinced that another installment is necessary.
“They’ve made little feints towards that 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,'” Bird said.
Reflecting on Hollywood’s tendency to revisit successful projects, he added, “Any time you do something that ends up connecting with people, they automatically think, ‘How about another?'”
Released by Pixar in 2007, “Ratatouille” follows Remy, a rat blessed with an exceptional sense of taste and smell who dreams of becoming a chef in Paris. Despite the obstacles standing in his way, Remy forms an unlikely alliance with Alfredo Linguini, a young kitchen worker, and together they secretly create culinary masterpieces at the renowned Gusteau’s restaurant.
The critically acclaimed film featured an impressive voice cast led by Patton Oswalt as Remy and Lou Romano as Linguini. Other cast members included Ian Holm, Peter O’Toole, Janeane Garofalo, Brad Garrett, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn and Will Arnett. The movie was both a commercial hit and a critical darling, ultimately winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
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Bird said he has faced similar questions regarding a sequel to “The Iron Giant”, his celebrated 1999 directorial debut. Based on Ted Hughes’ 1968 novel “The Iron Man”, the animated film tells the story of a young boy who befriends a giant extraterrestrial robot during the height of the Cold War.
“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,” Bird explained.
While he remains uninterested in expanding either “Ratatouille” or “The Iron Giant”, Bird indicated that he is more open to revisiting another one of his most successful creations โ “The Incredibles”.ย “I could see another ‘Incredibles’ film,” he said.
Bird wrote and directed the original “The Incredibles” in 2004, which follows a family of superheroes forced to live ordinary lives before reuniting to confront a dangerous new threat. The film earned widespread acclaim and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Its long-awaited sequel, “Incredibles 2”, arrived in 2018 and became a major box-office success. The franchise is now set to continue, with a third installment currently scheduled for release in 2028.
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