Brad Bird
Brad Bird is an American film director and writer, working in both animated and live action films.
Brad Bird films: Ratatouille (2007), Tomorrowland (2015), Mission Impossible (2011), The Iron Giant (1999), and The Incredibles (2004)
First Taste
My first taste of Brad Bird films started back 1999 with The Iron Giant (1999). For years I was obsessed with films like The Incredibles (2004) and especially Ratatouille (2007), a film that will forever remain close to my heart. I watch Ratatouille at least five times a year, if not more.
Something that all these films have in common is their ability to make me feel hopeful. For me, Brad Bird’s films are a call to action. A call to the small and large, the dreamers and doers to go out and make their dreams come true, regardless of where they come from or how the world sees them.
Anton Ego
Anton Ego, voiced by the famous Peter O’Toole, is one of the antagonists in the film Ratatouille. He starts out the film as a bitter and cruel food critic that enjoys writing mean reviews about
Watch the clip to find out what Ego rediscovers.
Music by the talented Michael Giacchino.
Anton Ego's Speech
“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new, an extra-ordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: 'Anyone can cook.' But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more.” –Anton Ego, Ratatouille (2007)
Alicia M. Blair