Anton Ego – Pixar’s Best Antagonist
Ratatouille is a dish which has not much a history. A meal for peasants made by peasants to enjoy. The movie Ratatouille invokes a similar idea, but broadens the horizon by understanding the value of basics.
Anton Ego is not typical for an antagonist. While menacing and imposing in appearence he lacks the typical power of something like "power" or the intention to kill a person. Yet this is absolutely fitting for the setting of Ratatouille itself. Anton Ego is the personification of a complex that exists: Critics that write slating reviews. While not unbased, they are destroying existences. The advance of the internet even showcases how one bad review can be absolutely terrible for your believability. Existential horror on the lowest level, yet it does not differ much from something like Cthulhu as these seemingly omnipotent critics can destroy all the reputation someone built over the years. Anton Ego not only lives by this ideal, he is the ideal.A person in vain, his name stressing it. Anton for "worthy of praise" and Ego for the narcissistic aspect that someone who holds the position inherently should have.
While certainly impressive in features, Anton is just a regular person
His first appearance shows him a dim lighted room, writing another review only to be informed that he, the omnipotent being, was wrong. His review of Gusteau was harsh and included a clever reference to a cook famous for becoming an icon of the canned dishes industry, Ettore Boiardi. Not being a brute, Anton Ego manages to put his thoughts eloquently into play. He sees the idea of Gusteau that "anyone can cook" as an affront to everything he stands for. Spending so much time reviewing food, sacrificing his life and energy to understand everything about any kitchen and brand. How dare this man defy the whole worth of his life? He himself is the living proof of knowledge that superior meals exist. His life would be in vain. No, this is not right. So once again he starts his crusade against Gusteau, but in this case against the son who had no real opponent yet. Someone that is inexperienced, goes for the stars, but has not earned the right in Ego's opinion without besting him and his perfect taste.
Ego understands this as his life purpose and he is not wrong. Tasting food for years is indeed a task that is difficult to replicate and his appreciation for food in any form shines through in one of his first actions: He is surprised and almost spills the wine, but checks the brand and realizes the monetary price of it and decides that it would be a waste to gulp down. He absolutely understands the monetary value of the bottle and Pixar once again reprimands the idea of Ego’s competence and knowledge. The real deal, if one wants to word it like that.
Anton Ego can dominate any frame he is in
Which causes the direct confrontation betwen him and Linguini to be excellent: Ego declares his intent to fight him evenly, under the typical conditions. He is absolutely assured of the lacking qualities that Linguini has and even calls him to be slow in a fast profession which Linguini conters under pressure (Ego dominates the scene) with Ego being thin for someone who should eat a lot of food. This next line is extremely important: "I don't like food, I love it. If I don't love it, I don't swallow." An anaphor which works as an transitive statement in a parallel construction. Did you ever have the feeling of being outmatched? Not being good enough in any capacity to actually react to what is happening around you? The complete feeling of imminent destruction that is beyond a Damokles sword? Anton Ego has ascended even that concept. Linguini gulps in a moment of utter defeat as he can not compete with someone who is still working in competetive field at his age and stands at the top. Implications of this sentence are clear: There is not much food on this world that can satisfy him. And Linguini will not be able to meet his demand. But there is also an inherent sadness to it. Being so thin suggests that there is not much love for him to be found and his activity as a critic has devoured him. Even his room looks like a coffin and the similarities between him and vampires in design are absolutely intended.
A modern vampire in his coffin
I will use this point later on.
His order for Linguini is probably the strangest scene in the movie: He wants to order perspective. A concept can not be served in a dish, right? This is the general idea behind his order. Whatever Linguini will try, he will fall. He can not change the mind of Anton Ego who has offered his life to the profession with every malnourished fiber of his being. Linguini shall use his best shot, but it will never reach him behind the armor he has created over the years.
And that was his downfall: Getting served a peasant dish, something so much beneath him that one can not fathom the leagues he is above it. And that was exactly what he needed: A reminder from below. Something so much beneath him touched the very core of his soul, pierced through the layers built over the years and sends him back. When he was not a superior critic and suffered personal hurt, but also felt emotional by being reminded of the relationship he had with the food. His mother cooked it for him who he seemingly dearly loved and is deceased, if his age is any indication to go by. Sometimes the worst food in the world in the world can be the best for you, if there is a good intention behind it. Even the best chef of the world can not offer care or love a mother or father has, if she prepares something for you to make sure that you are well (nourished).
When did Ego enjoy his last Ratatouille? He is a critic, eating is his work. But when did he do something for himself and connected again with his best memories and not just to kill another restaurant? Most likely never. This peasant meal is the perspective he needed, but did not know it even existed. Somewhere along the line he lost his humanity, but regained it. In Germany we have the saying "Den Löffel abgeben" (to release the spoon) which means to die. Ego released his pen, killed the cynic critic within him and finally started to love food again. The old Ego is dead and has been reborn.
After enjoying the meal, he loses his cold demeanor and wants to thank the chef. Isn't this quite normal in a family? Thanking for the meal, if somebody took the time to cook? When confronted by the need to wait to meet the chef he stays. It is not important as he finally wants to find new perspective again. His position of absolute authority has been given up. A master is but an experienced learner, because it is never too late to change. He remains calm, curious and leaves like a gentleman. A nice design choice is Anton becoming less pale, revived by his emotions and the intensity of them.
Do you remember the vampiristic design? By definition a vampire is a leech on it's host and what is a critic if not a leech on the people who create something? Whenever criticism comes up we have to remind ourselves that someone at least tried to make anything. Doing and failing is more worthy of praise than standing at the sideline. What does have Ego to offer? If there is anything that he can offer now?
In general he would try criticism and find criteria like the texture or how well the Ratatouille was made. But this is not enough for him as of now. This is one of the most important experiences in his life and he has to be the critic who is enough for the standards and passion that reignited. So he offers his whole being and existence up to this point, something which can not be regained if lost: A lifetime of credibility and authenticity. The passion that Gusteau had for making meals finally sparked within Ego and realized the lack in perspective he had. His interpretation of anyone can cook was stagnant, misguided and did not care for the intention of Gusteau in any capacity. Misguided Anton Ego was, but decided "no more of this". His mother was a cook, Gusteau was a cook and Remy, a mere rat, is a cook. Not at all similar in ability, yet in their own way worthy of the title cook.
Using all of his lifetime achievements to make a statement, he fails because of circumstances that were out of his control. A human is vulnerable, a reality that hit Ego with the subtlety of a railgun. Losing his job as critic, he still had the abilities of a lifetime and found something else, seemingly doing pretty well. Now supporting the new business Remy works at and living a life with less control, but more surprises which mirrors the dishes he want.
Anton Ego is a deeply flawed character, but represents the animosity of society against people leaving conventions. It is easier to destroy than to create, any cook knows that one wrong ingredients or wrong amount of salt ruins the dish. Yet his lifework was not useless as he still had the refinement of a life time and this commands respect. His talent and skill are to be supposed within the movie. A misguided passion that lacked perspective, thinking itself absolute. His redemption is not one brought by great experiences and slow changes.
It was the ability to reflect and the meal of a peasant.
Submitted March 28, 2021 at 05:22PM by Termi855 https://ift.tt/39oH48N
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