Michel Gagne: Ratatouille Taste Visualizations

If you’ve seen Ratatouille, then you’ve marveled at the expressionistic motion graphics sequences that accompany Remy (and later Emile) as they exalt the subtle pleasures of tasting food. The sequences were the product of animation black belt Michel Gagné, who’s also worked on The Incredibles and The Iron Giant, where he collaborated with director Brad Bird for the first time.

Gagné has posted his creative process for the Ratatouille taste visualizations on his site. Some of the Quicktimes can be a little slow to load, but they’re worth the wait.

This type of work always reminds me of Oskar Fischinger’s beautiful animations from nearly 80 years ago. The marriage of abstract visuals and music is, for me, a simple and compelling combination that gets at the core of motion graphics. As such, I think Michel’s work is worth studying with more than just passing interest.

Via the excellent resource, Drawn.ca.