374-2
Disney Toybox- Disney Classics: Maui
Rating of worst to best of the a the Pixar movies continued; see review 205-2, 219-2, 231-2, 240-2, 264-2, 270-2, 285-2, 292-2, 297-2, 303-2, 313-2, 320-2, 325-2, 333-2, 341-2, 347-2 & 360-2 for the previous instalments:
3. Ratatouille.
There are a number of reasons why Ratatouille is number 3 on my list. First it reminds me of a time in my life when things were easier. Not to sound too melodramatic, but my life back in those days were (seamingly) a lot more carefree; never underestimate the power of nostalgia folks! Secondly, I think it fantastically exemplifies how great Pixar is at storytelling and once again proves that characters do not need to be “live action” inorder for the viewer to care about them. Thirdly, I think the story is brilliant in a lot of ways and has a great message. Sure, it's not like a rat is going to start cooking, but might strike a chord with someone who doesn't exactly fit in and eventually breaks down barriers to do what they love. And lastly it has one of my favorite lines of all cinema, spoken by Anton Ego, that I feel perfectly exemplifies how consumers / critics work to effectively ruin the very art that they appratenly love:
In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.
Pros: Overall Maui is a fantastic figure that I feel does the character justice. He has a great sculpt with a massive amount of detail that captures not only his size and personality, but also his tattoos. The figure itself is sizable, but still has a decent amount of articulation and he also comes with a separate necklace and his giant majical hook.
Cons: Toybox tends to limit some of the articulation on these lager figures so some of the possibility is limited. Also, his hard atic hair gets in the way of him moving his neck.
