What The Cast Of Pixar's Ratatouille Looks Like In Real Life

With its highly sophisticated adult-friendly storytelling, mellifluous combination of slapstick comedy and small-scale character drama, and expressive artistry, Pixar's "Ratatouille" became a feat of American animated cinema and a touchstone of 2000s pop culture. Written and directed by Brad Bird of "The Incredibles" and "The Iron Giant" fame, the movie earned over $600 million worldwide. It nabbed the Academy Award for best animated feature, alongside four additional nominations for best original screenplay, best sound mixing, best sound editing, and best original score.

The tale of a rat who happens to be an irrepressible culinary genius is as proudly outlandish as it is disarmingly moving, acting as a nod to the trials and tribulations of daring to be an artist in a hostile world. The boisterous cast of human and rodent characters in "Ratatouille" is voiced by a host of incredible actors. Read on to put a real-life face to each of the film's CGI creations.

Remy is a rather offbeat protagonist for a family-friendly blockbuster. He loves nothing more than to cook, but isn't sure where he wants it to occupy in his life. He's smarmy, prideful, and sometimes a bit of a jerk, but only because he's really that much of a genius. He misses life in the colony after venturing to the human world, but, when he gets it back, he resents the rat clan for stifling his passion. Ultimately, "Ratatouille" is the story of Remy figuring out who he is and what he wants.

This delicate character journey is rendered in voice by prolific American actor and comedian Patton Oswalt. While "Ratatouille" was Oswalt's first lead role, he has many other appearances from over the years, including an acclaimed supporting turn in Jason Reitman's "Young Adult." In the 2010s and 2020s, in addition to his massive popularity as a stand-up comic, Oswalt has been a highly sought-after TV star. His subsequent voice acting roles have included playing Marvel's MODOK, Pinky Penguin on "BoJack Horseman," and coach Dennis in "Goat."

Poor Linguini. The guy can't catch a break — first, he loses his mother and can't hold down a job; then, he finally gets employed, and it's under the world's cruelest boss; then, his incurable clumsiness nearly costs him said job; then, just as he's trying stay out of trouble, a rat ropes him into more anxiety than he ever asked for. You can't fault him for being as overwhelmed as he is in "Ratatouille" — nor for being a bit unsure of how to cope with success and prosperity when they finally come his way.

Linguini's pitch-perfect, deeply recognizable voice is provided by Lou Romano, a veteran animator, character designer, and production designer who had previously worked on "Monsters, Inc." and "The Incredibles," as well as Brad Bird's "The Iron Giant," one of the best '90s animated movies that didn't come from Disney. His other voice roles have included Dash's furious teacher Bernie Kropp in "The Incredibles," and road troublemaker Snot Rod in "Cars." Interestingly, Romano has stated that his voice was only intended as a placeholder in "Ratatouille" before Bird pushed to make him Linguini's official voice actor.

Colette is the toughest cook at Gusteau's, and her status as a woman in haute cuisine means that she's had to work harder than anybody else for her place — but it has also rendered her uniquely empathetic enough to stick up for Linguini when push comes to shove. She is both Linguini's and, unwittingly, Remy's mentor in the art of moving through a professional kitchen and handling the bustle, and her refined skill as the restaurant's only remaining human cook ends up proving crucial to the climax of "Ratatouille."

Despite Colette's thick French accent, she is voiced by an American actress of Italian descent: Janeane Garofalo. A prominent stand-up comedian since the '80s, Garofalo shot to mainstream stardom in the '90s with several film roles, a two-time Emmy-nominated turn on HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show," and a stint as a cast member on the 1994-95 season of "Saturday Night Live." She was even reportedly kept out of "Fight Club" by Edward Norton, having almost played the role of Marla Singer. After "Ratatouille," she played Janis Gold on "24," reprised her role as Beth in the two "Wet Hot American Summer" sequel series, and voiced Madame Malin on "We Baby Bears."

The characterization of Anton Ego in "Ratatouille" offers something of a bait-and-switch. He's initially presented as a wicked, lugubrious villain, whose ever-bitter and seemingly joyless critical evaluations are like an insurmountable wall awaiting Remy. But the film's climactic scene clarifies Ego as a true lover and champion of great food, whose dour perspective was merely a result of frustration at the Parisian fine dining scene, and whose icy exterior promptly melts with a single taste of the film's titular dish.

It was a role that required a performer of a certain stature, and "Ratatouille" had just that in the legendary Peter O'Toole. One of the most notorious actors who were nominated for multiple Oscars but never won a competitive statuette, the late O'Toole is known worldwide for the titular role in David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia," but his Academy Award-nominated roles also included King Henry II in "Becket" and "The Lion in Winter," Arthur "Chips" Chipping in "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," and Maurice Russell in "Venus."

The true villain of "Ratatouille" is Skinner, who has taken over as head chef of Gusteau's following its founder's death, and used his tenure to push the restaurant towards increasingly artless commercialism. He is also, as it happens, a vivacious comic figure, whose big eyes, short stature, and mean demeanor make him the perfect catalyst for many of the film's funniest slapstick sequences.

Like the other members of the Gusteau's staff, Skinner's outrageous French accent is provided by a non-French voice actor — in this case, Ian Holm. An enormously prolific British film and theater actor, Holm was a BAFTA and Tony Award winner whose most recognizable onscreen roles include Bilbo Baggins in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Ash in "Alien," and his Oscar-nominated turn as Sam Mussabini in "Chariots of Fire." In addition, Holm is known as Mr. Kurtzmann in "Brazil," Mitchell Stephens in "The Sweet Hereafter," Tom Frost in "Naked Lunch," and Vito Cornelius in "The Fifth Element." His performance as Skinner in "Ratatouille" netted him an Annie Award for voice acting in a feature production.

Although the great Auguste Gusteau is long dead by the start of "Ratatouille," his genius echoes throughout the whole film, inspiring Remy to believe in his own prerogative of wanting to be a cook despite being a rat. Following glimpses of him we get through a TV, Gusteau continues to appear as a figment of Remy's imagination, acting as a spiritual guide whose advice is really a manifestation of Remy's own inner voice.

Gusteau is voiced by Brad Garrett, who had previously teamed up with Pixar to provide the voices of Dim in "A Bug's Life" and Bloat in "Finding Nemo." Known as possibly the tallest Hollywood actor in real life, Garrett began as a stand-up comedian in the '80s before becoming TV royalty for his role as Robert Barone on "Everybody Loves Raymond," which netted him three Primetime Emmy wins. He has also starred on shows like "'Til Death," "Single Parents," and "High Desert," and resumed his collaboration with Pixar by voicing Lord Grigon in "Elio."

Émile may not share Remy's abilities when it comes to cooking or blending in with human society, but he's certainly a loving brother. In the colony, he's the only other rat Remy can be himself around, and the only one who accompanies him unquestioningly on his dangerous adventures. Then, when Remy settles down in Paris, Émile runs into him again, and becomes his primary link to his old life. Though Émile's impulsiveness and lack of sense ultimately spell trouble for his brother, he's right back there at the end when Remy needs him.

Like Linguini, Émile is voiced by an animator: Peter Sohn, the same Pixar legend who also voiced Sox in "Lightyear," Ciccio in "Luca," and Scott "Squishy" Squibbles in "Monsters University." A longtime story artist who also worked on "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles," "WALL-E," and "Up," Sohn has directed "The Good Dinosaur" and "Elemental" for Pixar, and is currently slated to take over from Brad Bird as the director of "Incredibles 3."

Like a lot of artists, Remy struggles to be understood by his father Django, who insists that he stick to the colony's traditional ways and steer clear of humans. They ultimately have a falling-out in one of the movie's darkest scenes, but Django still shows up for Remy when he's in trouble, and, though he never quite understands his son's love of cooking, he learns to respect the gumption and gets the whole colony to lend a hand when Gusteau's finds itself sans-staff.

Django's gruff voice is supplied by Brian Dennehy, an American film and theater actor who became notorious on stage for his work in Eugene O'Neill plays, and won two leading actor Tonys for his performances in "Death of a Salesman" in 1999 and "Long Day's Journey Into Night" in 2003. On the screen, Dennehy was primarily known as a character actor, and his vastly underrated oeuvre includes Sheriff Will Teasle in "First Blood," Romeo's father Ted Montague in "Romeo + Juliet," Dominic Wilkinson on "The Blacklist," and an award-winning performance as Del in the Andrew Ahn-directed 2019 indie "Driveways."

One of the waiters is the mild-mannered Mustafa, who, despite his extensive experience in the battlefield that is the front of house, is still left exasperated by the various challenges the restaurant faces throughout the movie. His perpetual expression is a cordial but anxious grin, with which he braves the patrons' unexpected demands for creativity in the wake of "Linguini's" soup, and later the skeptical impatience of Anton Ego himself.

Mustafa's voice actor, John Ratzenberger, is known for having voiced a character in every Pixar movie. The streak wasn't broken until 2020's "Soul," after which Ratzenberger only came back to voice Fritz in "Inside Out 2," and is now slated to reprise the role of Hamm in "Toy Story 5." In addition to these and innumerable other voice acting credits, Ratzenberger also starred as Cliff Clavin on all 11 seasons of "Cheers," and as Walter Nugent on "Legit."

The battalion tasked with churning out dishes at Gusteau's is peppered with eccentric larger-than-life figures, and none are more inscrutable than sous-chef Horst. His short-tempered, tough-as-nails personality holds the kitchen together under Skinner's disinterested command. And, as revealed to Linguini by Colette, he has done prison time for unknown reasons, changing the story every time he's asked — culminating in the iconic "I killed a man with this thumb" line.

That line is delivered by Will Arnett, who has racked up numerous voice credits in thanks to his expressive low-pitched tone; he also voices the titular protagonist of "BoJack Horseman," Batman in "The Lego Movie" and its subsequent spin-offs, and Sweet Tooth on "Twisted Metal." In live-action, meanwhile, Arnett is similarly prolific, having played Gob Bluth on "Arrested Development," Devon Banks on "30 Rock," Nathan Miller on "The Millers," Mr. Quagmire on Netflix's "A Series of Unfortunate Events," and Vern Fenwick in the 2014 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" reboot and its sequel.

The saucier at Gusteau's — i.e., the chef responsible for sauces, stews, and sautéing — is Lalo. Despite the constant mayhem and boiling tempers surrounding him, Lalo maintains a perky and chipper personality, even going so far as to try to reason with Skinner during one of his outbursts. While explaining each cook's past to Linguini, Colette explains that Lalo ran away from home at 12 years old to join a circus as an acrobat, from which he was kicked out for "messing around with the ringmaster's daughter."

Lalo is voiced by Julius Callahan, a longtime American actor and extra who had numerous uncredited roles in films and TV throughout the early 2000s. "Ratatouille" was his first credited project, and it saw him play two roles right off the bat: In addition to Lalo, he also voices marketing executive François, who is seen in Skinner's office discussing the upcoming Gusteau's microwaveable food line. Callahan later made his credited live-action debut on an episode of "Big Time Rush," and appeared in the 2021 independent comedy "The Marshmallow Mystery Tour."

Larousse is the chef garde manger (a.k.a. pantry keeper) of Gusteau's. Frequently seen carrying items around the kitchen and walking in and out of the pantry, he is responsible for salads, charcuterie, and cold appetizers — which might explain why he's so eager to use a blowtorch when the staff first catches sight of Remy. He introduces Linguini to Skinner early on, and his is one of the most intriguing pasts later revealed by Colette: He used to run guns for "the Resistance," though he won't say which one, as they apparently lost.

Larousse's voice actor is James Remar, a veteran of the big and small screen known for playing Dexter's father Harry Morgan on "Dexter," Richard Wright on "Sex and the City," Peter Gambi on "Black Lightning," and General Francis Shaw on "It: Welcome to Derry." As a voice actor, his work also includes Vilgax in the "Ben 10" franchise, Tonraq on "The Legend of Korra," and the announcer of multiple Lexus ads.

Skinner's attorney Talon Labarthe has to put up with a lot in "Ratatouille." First, he's the one who breaks the news to Skinner that Linguini may be Gusteau's son. Then, when the DNA test confirms Linguini's parentage, Talon deals with Skinner's subsequent meltdown and seemingly arbitrary rat obsession. Before exiting the movie, he gets a little fun out of the whole situation by telling Skinner, with clear amusement, that the initial DNA test identified the sample in Linguini's hat as rodent hair.

Like many other "Ratatouille" characters, Talon Labarthe was voiced by a then-staff member at Pixar. His voice actor, Teddy Newton, is best-known for later helming the studio's innovative Oscar-nominated short film "Day & Night." He's worked as a storyboard artist on shows and films like "Freakazoid!," "Dexter's Laboratory," and "Anastasia," and was a character designer on "The Iron Giant," "The Incredibles," and "Ratatouille" itself — in which he was also the design lead for the closing credits. As a voice actor, he has had minor roles in various Pixar projects, most prominently as Chatter Telephone in "Toy Story 3."

Imagine being in the shoes of health inspector Nadar Lessard in "Ratatouille." You get a call from a desperate claimant, he refuses to listen when you explain that your next opening is in three months, but you still slot in his case when an earlier opening presents itself. You find the kitchen absolutely overrun with rats. The rats chase you, tie you up, and throw you in the pantry when you attempt to escape. And then, the same impolite man who pestered you earlier gets thrown in there with you. He can't really be blamed for shutting Gusteau's down the moment he was let go.

Lessard is voiced by Tony Fucile, who also voices Gusteau's pastry chef Patrick Pompidou. Fucile is an animator who has worked in a wide range of capacities, from character designer to layout artist, since the '80s. He was an additional character designer and end titles animator for "Ratatouille," and has also worked on several other Pixar films. His additional voice credits can be found in "Up," "Inside Out," and "The Good Dinosaur," and multiple characters on the '90s MTV animated series "The Maxx."

If you've seen "Ratatouille," you may not have realized it, but you heard the voice of its director Brad Bird. He plays Ambrister Minion, the butler who skittishly breaks the news to Anton Ego about Gusteau's becoming popular again. Stepping into the recording booth was nothing new for Bird, who famously voiced Edna Mode in "The Incredibles." Initially intended as a temp track, his performance was so hilarious that it ended up in the final film, and won him an Annie Award for voice acting. He has also voiced Edna in subsequent productions like "Incredibles 2" and several tie-in video games.

Bird is the acclaimed writer and director behind "The Iron Giant," "The Incredibles," "Ratatouille," "Incredibles 2," "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol," "Tomorrowland," and two early episodes of "The Simpsons," where he worked as a consultant for 8 seasons. Having stepped down from directing "Incredibles 3," Bird is currently slated as director and co-screenwriter of the upcoming adult animated film "Ray Gunn," produced by Skydance for Netflix.