There are a lot of big movies hitting this summer. Which is sort of like the doctor saying ‘This might sting a bit’ before he amputates your right leg with nothing but a rag in your mouth and a bottle of whisky to make you feel better. Most (but not all) of these big summer blockbusters are sequels. And most are going to suck golf balls through a straw.

But hitting this weekend is one I’ve really been looking forward to, Ratatouille. Pixar’s latest film comes with less hype than last year’s Cars, and comes down a far less traveled story road. This is all about Remy, a little rat who longs to be a great chef in the city of great chefs, Paris. Early reviews are in, and so far every one loves it.

Last year’s Cars produced one of the hottest line of movie toys in years. Mattel continues to crank out the die cast cars, and kids and collectors continue to snap them up, a year after the movie hit. I don’t think Pixar and Mattel have any hopes that Ratatouille could possible produce the same situation, but you never know – remember how quickly that damn talking Buzz Lightyear disappeared after Toy Story hit movie screens.

Mattel has gone light with this movie, producing a basic set of action figures that look more like oversized Happy Meal toys than seven dollar figures, some animatronic Remy’s (including a RC version), and some PVC sets. I’ll be looking at the main PVC set tonight. Disney is doing another set of action figures to be sold only at their stores, but from early photos, I’m not holding my breathe on these.

If you have any comments or questions, feel free to drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com. Now let’s look at those little buggers:

Ratatouille PVC set

This PVC set contains 7 characters – Remy, Emile and Django (rats), and Linguini, Colette, Skinner and Gusteau (humans). There are also two playsets so far, which include another PVC each and which appear to be in scale (sort of) with these. I can’t comment for sure yet though, because I haven’t gotten one of these sets yet. I suspect I will though this week, along with the main animatronic Remy. I think once the movie hits, Remy is going to disappear quickly.

Packaging – ***
While the box isn’t fancy, it does match up to the license well in color and graphics. It’s also collector friendly without trying, and you can easily remove the figures and put them back later if you are so inclined. I like boxes as well for the ability to store them, and there’s very little wasted space here.

Sculpting – People ***1/2; Rats ***
I have to say that I haven’t seen any of the product so far capture the look of the rats perfectly. That being said, these PVC’s are the best I’ve seen so far. The rats aren’t in scale of course, standing about up to the waist of the humans, but considering how small the PVC’s are to begin with, that’s certainly forgivable. The expressions are good, and there’s decent detail here for the material and scale.

The humans are better than the rats, and look much more like their on screen counterparts. Like the Incredibles, this is a Pixar movie with a lot more humans in it than usual, but it looks like the style of animation is up to the task.

Overall the figures range in height from Remy, the shortest at about 2 inches tall in the chef hat, to the tallest, Linquini, at 4 1/2 inches.

Paint – ***
There are a ton of paint ops here, and you won’t see any serious small detail work. But the eyes are uniformly clean and straight, there’s little to no bleed between colors, and there’s even some nice dry brushing on the fur of Django. The paint work isn’t perfect, and there’s the usual sloppy lines around some of the shoelaces, eyebrows and hair lines. But considering the scale and the cost, the paint work ain’t bad.

Gusteau is a bit different. He’s cast in a translucent plastic, due to his, uh, ‘nature’ in the film. If you don’t know about him yet though, I won’t spoil it for you. Clear figures are always cool looking, but the downside is that the sculpt is very hard to make out.

Articulation – Bupkis
Did I mention these were PVC’s? Yea, I know, but I also like to include this category because occasionally there is a point or two of articulation, even with small PVC’s. That’s not the case here though, but this lack of articulation will have no effect on my personal overall score.

It does appear that the neck on Colette and Linquini *might* be meant to turn, but mine seemed a bit stuck. The PVC is soft enough that tearing the head off is a very likely outcome, so I left things alone and figured it was best that way.

Accessories – **
Yep, these are PVC’s with accessories, so even a low score adds to the overall, since a Bupkis is assumed. The humans each include a small plastic display base, which is good since they can’t really stand without it. Making this a separate piece instead of part of the basic mold is also good, because if I’m a kid I might not want the base with me all the time. Of course, this also gives them one more thing to lose.

The fork and pile of…pickles? Tomato slices? Whatever it is…both of these come out of the hands of the other rats, and are also technically accessories. Sure, they look a *little* funny in those poses without them, but it’s not so far off that you actually couldn’t use them that way.

Fun Factor – ***1/2
PVC’s are fun stuff, even without any articulation. Little green army men were the play staple of many a kid’s toybox, and they were even posed in some God awful ways. Did anyone like the ones that were laying down?

There isn’t a lot of conflict with these characters, so action figures wouldn’t do all that well. These decorative figures, which can also be fun out in the sandbox or in the bathtub, are probably the best bet. They also go well with playsets, and I’m hoping we see more than just the two currently out.

Value – **1/2
At $15 for 7 PVC figures, you’re getting a pretty average value. These aren’t exceptional by no means, but they’re a sight better than those PVC sets that are so popular at the Disney stores and just as expensive (unless they’re having a sale) as these are.

Things to Watch Out For –
Not a thing. They’re sturdy, well made, and very consistent.

Overall – ***
If you’re looking for some decent Ratatouille merchandise, I think your best bet are these PVC’s along with the playsets, at least at this point. The larger Mattel action figures are sad at best, and the early photos of the Disney figures doesn’t do much to alter my opinion on those either. You get a decent bang for your buck with these smaller figures, and both kids and adult fans can enjoy them.

Where to Buy –
I picked them up at Toys R Us, which appears to be the only retailer carrying much of anything for this flick. If you love the movie, I’d pick up the talking Remy early. I suspect he’s going to pull a Buzz Lightyear and disappear quick once the masses figure out how good the film is.

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