FROM TOQUES TO TABLECLOTHS:
RATATOUILLE PUSHES THE ENVELOPE IN CLOTH DESIGN

Already renowned for its pioneering work in cloth motion, the team at Pixar went a step further with RATATOUILLE by creating the most complex “wardrobe” ever for CG animated film. For a long time cloth was a sticking point in creating authentic-looking CG animation because clothing, by nature, isn’t static and the laws of physics – from gravity to friction – are subtly operating on it all the time. It was Pixar that first opened up new possibilities for cloth with the life-like rumpled t-shirt in “Monsters Inc.” and then made amazing breakthroughs with the array of credible, retro-futuristic clothing styles presented in “The Incredibles.”

RATATOUILLE features even more complex, multi-layered clothing as well such cloth props as tablecloths and napkins, amounting to the creation of over 190 different models. Much of the task fell to simulation supervisor Christine Waggoner and the simulation team, who were also involved in the simulation of hair and fur. “With RATATOUILLE the technical bar has been significantly raised,” says Waggoner. “The characters have more clothing, with more layers and more motion than ever before. For us to be able to create these chef outfits with double-breasted jackets with buttons, an apron and a pair of pants all layered together, with a chef’s toque on top of their hair, it was really something.”

Some of Waggoner’s favorite costumes are those of August Gusteau himself, who was once a very robust man but has become a ghostly sprite. “We designed the clothes first for the living version of Gusteau, then shrank them down to size for the sprite you see in the film,” Waggoner explains. “But we also wanted his clothing to be very sophisticated and highly tailored. There’s really no precedent for designing clothing for some of the body styles we have in the film, so that made it very interesting.”

Even such simple items as tablecloths and napkins, it turns out, can be quite complex in the CG world. “There’s a lot of details you have to keep in mind, for example the interaction between character’s legs and the cloth hanging off of the tables,” notes Waggoner.

Yet, for Waggoner who is as much an artist as a programmer, the real fun came in putting everything together into a dramatic big picture. “The primary challenge for me was really nailing the look, because Brad likes things to appear both realistic and caricatured at the same time. So it was never just a case of scientifically studying the way different cloth moves and then entering in the numbers. Instead, it was an overall subtle process of fitting every detail into the film’s overall aesthetic,” she says.

The result is that the clothing, along with the sophisticated body designs, for each of the characters brings the world of RATATOUILLE that much more to palpable life. “By simulating all of the clothing and having natural folds and things like that we’re really moving toward more of a live-action feel,” says Waggoner.

Sums up associate producer Galyn Susman: “The beautiful thing about the clothing in RATATOUILLE is that it’s so natural, it doesn’t really call attention to itself. It just looks right, which in and of itself is an exceptional accomplishment.”

NEXT
PARIS FROM THE TWO-INCH TALL PERSPECTIVE:
THE CINEMATOGRAPHY OF RATATOUILLE
Though the easy way to approach the story of RATATOUILLE might have been to start from a human point of view, Brad Bird naturally gravitated towards the less predictable path and chose to tell the story through the eyes of his rodent hero. Bird found cinematic inspiration in some unexpected places, including a classic thriller from Hollywood’s past.