Accentuate the Negative: Deconstructed in the most pleasant way ever. Ego’s review changed people’s opinions about critics, showing that some can be more than complete assholes who like to complain just for the fun of it.
Accidental Kiss: Tugging on Linguini’s hair while he’s babbling to Colette causes him to dive forward and kiss her. Despite this not being what Rémy was aiming for, it stops Linguini from revealing their secret.
An Aesop: Gusteau’s cookbook establishes the Arc Words of “Anyone can cook” and, while true in a basic sense, the movie tempers that blanket statement with some realistic caveats. “Ghost Gusteau” reminds us that “anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great” and Rémy cautions that “anyone can. That doesn’t mean anyone should.” But ultimately Ego sums up the true Aesop of the movie with “Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere.”
Anchovies are Abhorrent: When Gusteau was alive, he liked experimenting with recipes, but his sweetbread dish with anchovy licorice sauce was a complete disaster. Remy revises the dish without the anchovy sauce and it becomes a success.
Aluminum Christmas Trees: The pest control shop with the dead rats hanging in the window is an actual store in Paris called Aurouze, and it’s been around since 1872. + Removing stars from restaurants in the event a chef dies isn’t unfounded. The Michelin star system (three stars, not five) rates not only the food, but also the location/design and the staff, including the chef. If any of those aspects change, the restaurant has to be reevaluated and often loses a star in the process for a year. The system is designed to ensure a restaurant has truly ”earned” the stars they receive.note In fact Gusteau is partly inspired by the tragic real-life story of Bernard Loiseau, a French chef who was Driven to Suicide in 2003 after rumors emerged that Michelin was planning to remove a star from his rating; Asian-inspired fusion cuisine swept France during The ’90s and Loiseau’s traditionalist style of cooking fell out of favour.
Amazon Chaser: Linguini has this for Colette. She threatens him with several knives to make it clear she doesn’t play around and he better listen to everything she says during his apprenticeship. After she pulls the knives out of his sleeve, he says, “Wow” with an amazed tone.
Ambiguous Criminal History: Horst the sous-chef has done time, but nobody knows what for because he changes the story every time. He’s claimed to have robbed the second-largest bank in France using only a ballpoint pen and killed a man with his thumb, among many other things.
Ambiguous Time Period: Considering the technology and vehicles, it would be easy to assume that Ratatouille is set in the 1950s-60s; however Gusteau’s will is dated to 2004. This does corroborate with Ego’s quick childhood flashback, as this was not how the world looked like, clothing and decorating-wise, in the 1910s-20s.
Amoral Attorney: Talon Labarthe, Skinner’s lawyer, after proving that the young Linguini is the rightful heir to Gusteau’s restaurant, is perfectly happy to advise his client on how to cheat the boy out of his inheritance.
Amplified Animal Aptitude: A swarm of rats can tie and lock up two grown men and cook up gourmet meals for a restaurant full of diners on par with a team of professional chefs. If Rémy is any indication then they can also learn how to read fluently.
Amusing Injuries: As Mustafa bursts back into the kitchen to let everyone know that Linguini’s dish is a great success, he rams the door right into Skinner’s face.
Angel Face, Demon Face: Ego looks cadaverous and evil until the very end of the film, where he appears to have gained some weight and lost his ghastly pallor.
Angrish: Linguini after Rémy has bitten him multiple times.
Angry Chef: Colette is a fierce, tough woman striving to make it in a traditionally male dominated industry and the only woman in the kitchen staff. When saddled with teaching Naïve Newcomer Linguini, she warns him that being a restaurant cook is not like “playing in the kitchen with mommy”; she does eventually soften as they get to know each other and sees that he actually follows her advice, complete with taking notes. + Skinner, the current head chef at Gusteau’s. He is arrogant, ill-tempered, and diminutive, ruling the kitchen with an iron fist. When he catches Linguini adding ingredients to a soup, he threatens to draw and quarter him.
Animals Lack Attributes: Generally, male rats have huge testicles. For obvious reasons this is completely omitted from the character design of Rémy and his family.
Anti-Interference Lock Up: The rats cooking in the kitchen chase after the health inspector and Chef Skinner and toss them Bound and Gagged into the food storage room, so that the restaurant won’t be forcibly closed right in the middle of Anton Ego’s visit. The rats have to let their captives go afterwards, and the restaurant is shut down.
